That's why I say what I say... the person with the tools and skills to figure out if the engine is junk has already done so, and the guy that's asking is just looking for a "nah, it's fine" and won't be able to do anything about it other than writing a check at the other end of the process, anyway.

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This happened to my xk.Loss coolant engine boiled.
Mine was EGR return hose.Engine survived it with no lasting problems I posted on here my repair with pictures.Hope this put your mind a rest.
. Tommy.

 

Temp light came on? What temp light do you have? I have no warning lights on my car that I'm aware of. Not to be a wet blanket, but even my shop foreman admits that as soon as the driver is aware the car is overheating equates to engine damage most of the time for our 5.0 engines. My service tech took a car home to test it and once it overheated he pulled over. Cooked engine. Sometimes the head gasket is the only damage. But that's fairly expensive if out of warranty. PS.....If I knew how extensive the water pump/coolant issue is on the 5.0 engines I would certainly have never purchased my car 4 years ago. Woulda, shoulda , coulda,......too late now. I love the car and have learned to live with it. But it's definitely added anxiety when I go out for a drive.

 

My temp light did not come on at all.Just happened to pull into a cafe for a coffee and saw steam coming from front of car.Opened bonnet and all the coolant had gone.Got the car recovered to home address.
Tommy

 

I don't know about the 4.2 cars but the 5.0 cars have a "low coolant " sensor in the bottom of the reservoir tank. This triggers a light in the dash pod.

 

No sensor on the early ones. We get a RED warning in the center display and the fan kicks on high. Found that out after cobbling a cut hose together when I first got mine. It was idling outside when the hose blew apart and drained the coolant. I was farting around the rear and actually only looked up when the fan kicked on high and blew hot air from under the car.

 

Yes, this true about the reservoir tank having a sensor. However, with the 5.0 engines, the engine itself might not be getting sufficient coolant even before the sensor in the reservoir tank is set off. That is why some owners experience engine damage even when they shut their car off immediately upon seeing the low coolant light.

 

The only times I've seen the low coolant light go on in my X150 is when there has been a massive leak, like with a ruptured radiator hose or the like, not when there is just a lower level of coolant. In my X100 where the sensor is just below the radiator cap, if the coolant level is a 1/2" low, the warning will go on.

 

The sensor is on the bottom of the tank so it would have to be empty for it to go off. That would either be a major hose rupture or a slow leak over time where the operator doesn't check the coolant level weekly.

 

FYI, while the connector is at the bottom, the sensor goes about 2" or so up inside the reservoir. I just happen to have a brand new here and pulled the sensor to check.

Cheers,

Dave

 

This makes sense. I got a low coolant message once and when I checked it was about 1 inch below the min line.

 

As most of us are already aware of coolant/water pump issues with our cars, the safest and best bet is to regularly check the coolant level about as frequently as possible to avoid an issue. It might be a pain in the butt but better safe than sorry. We don't have any safety measures on the 2010+ cars and other than constantly checking the coolant level, at least we have a possible clue if the loss was recently and we know something might be coming. I never leave the garage without first checking the coolant level. I'm talking about EVERY TIME I take my XK for a ride. It's just something I'll need to live with as long as I own my XK.

 

Yup. I still check weekly even after the new pump was installed.. Scary and rediculous.