Discovered this minor leak and got it fixed, strange block coolant plug, sometimes refered to port for installing block heaters on range rovers. Other than some cost to repair, i just wonder if members have ever had any trouble with a leak on this block plug, I thought it was a little strange, but inspection showed major deterioration of the gasket material that is on the plug.

No idea what the heck you're talking about. Pics would help. Even a diagram.

All there is in the manwell:

Thanks for the notes on the drain plug. It was issue that my very experienced mechanic had every come across before, and I thought he had seen everything on Jags. I am thinking that my leak was rare. Interesting comments about the use of block heaters in certain parts of the world. I have had no problems with cold weather issues with starting, but I do put my Jag away during the snow times of Minnesota. Fortunately, that time is about over for the season and I can enjoy the next 7 months of daily driving.

When I first changed the coolant on my 4.0 I looked for the block drain as I've used it on several other cars over the years as it's good to drain the radiator using the rad drain and drain the block using the block drain. However, a quick look at the engine convinced me that, even if I could reach it, it would be so tricky to ensure that it didn't leak that I decided to leave it alone and just drain through the rad. The downside is that a lot more water flushing is required to remove the old coolant.

Richard