On the old 2002 XKR, the original radiator has decided enough is enough.

It leaks from the usual junction of the aluminum and the plastic side tank, passenger side.

Testing out if I’m up to the task, I’m finding I can’t even put enough force on the top auto transmission line to loosen its connection to the radiator. Ugh ! Yikes ! Do I really need to get a four foot cheater bar ? What other pitfalls will give this old man nightmares ?

I’ve searched the forum and read all pertinent threads on the radiator removal. It’s a 50/50 toss up if I attempt this myself, or go begging to my repair shop pal. Who doesn’t work on these cars, except as a “favor” to me ( =‘s will cost me $$$ )

Z

 

Those nuts can gall on the threads as you have found out. I guess you've seen RaceDiagnostics' thread:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...2/#post1713380

There's no reason for them to be tight as they only need to nip the 'O' ring that does the sealing, but they're really soft metal

You at least have the advantage that the radiator connectors can be sacrificed, although tread a little carefully as those trans lines are stupid expensive.

I hope the A/C plumbing doesn't give you too much grief.

 

Having recently put a Nissens in the XK8, my recollections are:
- no problems with the transmission line, so was lucky there
- I just put the hood in service position, and it was good enough for decent access
- getting the fan tray out is annoying, especially disconnecting the electrical connectors - finding the disconnect tabs and how to push them was surprisingly annoying. Also if you forgot to unclip the AC line at the bottom, the fan tray really does not want to come up and out...
- definitely need hose clip tools, especially a locking cable tool or similar for the top radiator hose - access is also difficult to get a good angle, depending on the last person who positioned it
- leaving the ac condensor connected (I did not want to add R134a to climate change if I could avoid it, and hoping to preserve my stash of R134a) means disconnecting the brackets, and whilst it is well documented, it is a total pain in the backside, and even being able to see those torx nuts is an adventure. Plus it needs to be done low down, so much crawling around.
- inexplicably one of the O-rings on the Nissens transmission line adaptors managed to leap out unnoticed even though I installed it on the bench, so I had to redo that line after losing transmission fluid, and also do a top up - not great

So all in all, with my added incompetence, it probably took me 3-4 hours of grunt work. Not terrible, but not exactly fun. Obviously experiences will vary....