Hello - Recently acquired a 2002 XK8 with 47k miles. I doubt that the coolant has ever been changed, as the previous 15+ year owner said he had only had oil changes done. Was planning to flush the cooling system and change the thermostat. Anything else I should consider at the time (e.g. the water pump)?

 

Eric, 2002 was a split year, do you have the 4.0 or 4.2 engine?
Just age would say anything plastic, crossover pipes or the one with the sending unit if the later.
Do a search on the position of the thermostat, there is a up and down.

 

Eric,

As said above, what do you have. I would say post a pic of the front of the engine, and we can easily see what you have.

Flushing and changing coolant is easy but be careful with the drain plug on the radiator. Might’ve safer draining from the lower radiator hose as you’re doing the thermostat any way.

As for other jobs to consider, it depends on the condition of what you have. Any leaks need to be addressed and hoses’s condition checked along with clamps and I would have a spare of the plastic hose from the thermostat tower to the coolant expansion reservoir.

If you have the plastic thermostat tower (unlikely) it’s worth switching to the metal one.

 

Overheating is a Jaguar V8 engine killer but, that being said, I wouldn't deliberately go looking for trouble. There's a stage in Jaguar upkeep where preventative maintenance morphs into unnecessary (and frequently expensive) interference. Early water pumps were a regular failure but this issue was resolved well before your model year.

Once you disturb and start replacing cooling system components, you will within a short space of time likely replace all the hoses, thermostat, thermostat tower, water pump and expansion tank. If the vehicle is not losing coolant and there are no indications of overheating, a flush and fill should be sufficient.

Graham

 

Completely agree, don’t over maintain things.

I replaced a perfectly fine water pump while doing a bunch of other things with an AC Delco version which promptly failed. Replaced that with a metal impeller type that a few years later had a leaking shaft seal. Now back to an OEM Jaguar part and planning to leave it the hell alone.

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. It's the 4.0L engine.