2006 XK8 with 126,600 miles....

As we all know, these crazy-shaped factory oil cooler lines tend to begin seeping at their rubber-to-metal junction points as time goes by. What is the very best method and vantage point to utilize in order to give them a thorough inspection?

 

From my own experience with XKR oil line failures you can’t depend on a visual inspection to rule out imminent failure.

of course oil seeping or bulging hoses are a dead giveaway, but just as common is sudden catastrophic failure with no visual clues to warn the owner.

i would go by the guidelines I’ve seen mentioned on this forum many times; ie if your hoses are 10+ years old, or you don’t have any maintenance records to go by, change them right now. Not tomorrow or whenever it’s convenient.

believe me, it wasn’t convenient at all to call a wrecker and get towed back to my garage with 8 quarts of Mobil 1’s finest brand new oil all over Highway 75 and still dripping off every part of the undercarriage after a 20 mile tow.

if budget is an issue, replace the two engine side hoses first. Then as soon as possible the other two hoses that connect to the cooler. I’ve had two hose failures, and both times it was one of the engine side hoses that died.

I've read that others here have had the same experience.

Z

 

I hear you, but I still want to get as good a look as possible at these hoses and how they are routed. I know this is a hell of a job and I want to know what I am up against....

 

Not that hard to replace in 1/2 day. It helps to have a mechanics mirror on a stick to be able to see where the hoses are going in.

one tip: don’t over tighten the bolt holding in engine side hoses. It’s going into aluminum. Just needs to be snug.


stripping the block threads will give you good reason to drink.