Hi all...there it is: I now have a leak in my XK. This looks like motor oil.
2 days ago I took it to the dealership to see what was causing it. Their reply surprised me: they said to me it was a problem with the water pump, which had to be replaced! They added they had put the circuit under pressure and that was where it was coming from...

I replied the liquid leaking was dark brown, looking like motor oil, but the guy replied it could be coolant with dirt... Since their intervention, the leak got worse, with some drops in my garage...
Tonight I checked the lubricant gauge, and it seemed lower than last weekend, before I went to the dealership. There didn't seem to be any coolant missing upon checking its tank.

I touched some of the drops on my garage floor and they had an oily texture like the lubricant for the engine...hence the question in the thread title: is there any lubrication going through the water pump, so that an issue with it could cause a leak, not of coolant, but of lubricant?

And by the way, did anyone experience a similar phenomenon (the leak is coming from the front of the engine...from below it is visible at the front of the protective board that's underneath the front axle)?

Thanks a lot in advance for sharing your knowledge and words of wisdom!

 

No Sir there is no lubricant of any kind in the cooling system, or at least shouldn't be. If you have oil in the coolant there are only a couple places this could happen. 1. is intentionally put in there by a person known, or unknown. (didn't think so) 2. where ever coolant and oil cross paths, head gaskets. 3. engine blocks can crack and allow oil and coolant to find each other. 4. a cracked head can also allow water and oil to mix. 5. possibly a gasket where the intake and head meet. 6. some engines can have an oil cooler that has coolant running through them. These are some of the places oil and water can find their way to each other and become mixed. Not All of these places will pertain to your specific engine as it may not have some of these components. I'm assuming this is a car you've had for a while and this is a new issue? And you didn't put any in there? LOL. Hope it helps My first thought is head gaskets. But no guarantees on that. Good Luck.

Jack

 

I had a leak similar to your description, it was the water pump.
wj

 

I had slight oil leaks from the front of the engine.
Vacuum pump o ring.
Crankshaft pulley seal.
Neither produced enough to drip beyond the under tray but a small amount on the serpentine belt makes a mess.

 

Thank you so much for your answer!
Was it also a significant leak? Same brown color and oily texture?
Was it actually coolant, did you get to know?

 

initially (for 10,000 miles) I saw a drip or two on my oil filter when changing oil etc. Then I had a puddle dump from the underpan but still didn't see much around the water pump.
I replaced the pump and wasn't certain it was bad but once running all leaks/drips stopped.
Yes it looked oily but it was coolant.
wj

 

Water pumps are designed to leak towards their end of life. When you go in there plan what else is due to be changed. The belt, tensioner, pulley? Serpentines are only recommended for 5 years of service on these older cars.