This is not my first thread on my coolant leak. I have an extended warranty with Easy Care for 6 years with 3 years remaining. I do very little driving and my car currently has 9,400 miles. For the last year or so I have been experiencing a coolant smell after most trips and have been adding some coolant to the reservoir. I'll admit that the amount I have been adding is minimum (a few ounces approximately 2 or 3 times) as the driving is also minimum. Yesterday I took my car to my local dealership (after speaking with the head of operations who has been following my issue) and they put my car overnight on the pressure tester and told me this morning it held 20lbs overnight with no deviation. How can that be if I am definitely smelling coolant but more importantly losing some? I don't smell it inside the car but when I get out after a drive. I am truly clueless as well as frustrated how to proceed as I have exhausted my options. The next dealership closest to me has a horrendous reputation and I was told from numerous sources to stay away. I have an independent shop I trust but of course I'd prefer bringing my car to Jaguar. I'm even thinking of renting a pressure tester to check for myself. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all.

 

For the last 6 months or so, I have had the same issue. I smell coolant every time I get out of the car, and I add anywhere from a few drops to a cup of coolant every few weeks. I've had it pressure tested to no avail, and there is no dripping under the car. I am suspecting heater hoses seepage under the supercharger, and am taking it in next week to my mechanic.

 

tberg....When you have had it pressure tested, did it hold pressure? Did you take it to the dealer and are you under warranty? Do you have the original water pump? Thanks again.

 

I know this probably came up in your other thread, but when they pressure tested the system overnight, did they also test the reservoir cap?

 

Since you had mentioned it during my last thread I purchased a new cap from the dealer. Same problem persisted. Thanks.

 

bocatrip,
My car is well out of warranty, and I just recently had a new water pump installed, maybe two months ago. But there continues to be a scent of coolant and I still have to fill small amounts every couple of weeks. And the cooling system pressure test did not reveal anything as it held pressure.

 

wow...yours is even more complicated than my coolant loss! Bottom line is that a very slow coolant leak is not going to show up in a coolant pressure test period! The test is only for significant leaks. I'm kind of stuck unless my leak gets worse, but am still leaning towards the water pump. There is no reason on pushing to replace it ( unless the warranty covers it) because there is always the chance it is not the problem. Even if I were willing to split the cost there is no guarantee that my coolant loss will be resolved. I might be premature here and just may have to wait until it gets worse and/or more obvious. I've run out of options. I still have over 3 years left on my warranty so that does help.

 

I would think maybe you need a close inspection of the water pump. I mean have the dealer remove the bottom plastic shield and do a visual inspection of the WP relief hole to verify if there is a weeping leak. Cars that sit usually have the seals shrink and leak after start up but seal as they expand with heat.

 

Same exact symptoms here. I thought I fixed the problem when I found a slight drip from the overflow tube that turned out to be broken. I replaced the tube a few months ago but I still have a faint coolant odor after driving and my coolant level drops from the MAX line to the MIN line in the reservoir (checked at cold temps) about every 4 weeks. I check weekly and top off with 50/50 when it hits the MIN line. Crazily annoying....

 

Supplemental reading about 5.0L water pumps, from the XJ Forum, if you're interested:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...placed-132537/
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...s-list-177921/

 

It's interesting that all three of you (bocatrip, tberg, shemp) have 2010 models. Would think that tberg's recent water pump would have been the most recent version.
Guess bocatrip and shemp have to hope that tberg's issue is not hoses under the supercharger, as that wouldn't help them.
Good luck tberg on finding a source that applies to all.

 

Totally absurd to be doing this with a high end car! Ridiculous.

 

Shemp..Did you ever replace your water pump?

 

oops, sorry, left that part out.... No, not that I know of. I bought it last august with 33k miles. No carfax record of a replacement but I know that's not totally accurate. I will say that it looks like someone was in there though because I had a broken wire in the lft side MAF wire harness (that I was able to repair) an after further inspection, both harnesses (left and right side) were not fastened to the brackets (meaning they were hanging free). I had to push them back in. So maybe an indie did it and didn't report it...???

Also, I have not had it checked out yet. I did my own check looking for wobble by hand and everything seems nice and tight.

 

I've seen cars where the leak ( coolant ) while running, and leak after its cooled down. It's tough to say where its coming from if you have no leak coming out on the ground. Have you had a look around the engine bay, might be small enough that its leaking in the valley under the intake, but hasn't leaked enough to drip on the ground?

 

I agree that the intake valley is a good spot for coolant to puddle. When I filled my coolant last I didn't tighten the inner cooler fill completely and coolant got under the blower. It took a while to evaporate as the engine ran and it was pretty easy to diagnose.

I also wouldn't discount an inner cooler hose to the front radiators. They are hidden and some cracks need heat to open up enough to leak. Doesn't take much coolant to smell it.

I've found that a big gulp straw works well to find leaks, just suck on it and you'll 'taste' the sickly sweet smell of coolant when you get within a foot or so. Just try to avoid dipping the straw in the juice. Trust me, it sucks.

 

You're not nuts. You have a leak if you're topping it off and you can smell it. How it held 20 lbs/p overnight with even a pinhole leak, I don't understand. I recommend the following. Ask them to put it on the tester again, overnight and on a lift, but this time add UV dye. Have them remove the under tray and let you inspect it with them. Underneath you will see if the valley hose is leaking (It will be alongside the transmission and the orange may be up high, not quite down to the bottom). You can also see the water pump and have them show you the wobble. There maybe a drip or two on the floor. Also feel the under tray pad for an area of wetness or dampness. Worth a shot. Worst they can say is no but why would they?

 

I'll probably start a firestorm here, but Switch to Evans Waterless Coolant. It operates with near zero pressure as it does not expand when hot. It will be kinder to all your hoses, fittings and especially the water pump.

 

Jagtoes...Does this procedure require much labor? I would consider taking my car to my independent to see if any coolant at all is weeping. I remember asking the shop foreman the last time I had the car in and he used a mirror to check it and said it was completely clean. This was from standing over the engine without taking anything apart. I would like to investigate the water pump further. What do you think? Is it a big deal to get closer to see if there is any evidence of leaking?

 

I was under the belief that if the leak is minuscule as in a few drops, even with a longer term pressure test, it will not show up as a drop in pressure in a coolant pressure test.