Coolant: does green or orange really make a difference
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From: Ellijay
Heat is a very negative situation with the all aluminum and plastic engine. From all reports, the tensioners did not appreciate it at all. If you have the plastic tensioners at 100k miles you are living on borrowed time.
The simple fix for the coolant light is to separate the connectors at the sensor and short the wiring.
Another poster recently discussed replacing the sensor unit. I was unaware that it was a separate part that could be purchased. It just snaps in/out and is isolated from the coolant so if you can find one that is the correct solution.
The simple fix for the coolant light is to separate the connectors at the sensor and short the wiring.
Another poster recently discussed replacing the sensor unit. I was unaware that it was a separate part that could be purchased. It just snaps in/out and is isolated from the coolant so if you can find one that is the correct solution.
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Joined: Sep 2009
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before i destroy something. you do mean taping the leads of the sensor together right?
I check my engine frequent enough that i wont need the warning.
My plug wouldnt come out when flushing the system so i removed the lower hose from the top and let it flush from there. I put in a bottle of flush for a little while as suggested and let it out and chased it with the water hose, then filled up with water and ran the engine, then emptied that out and starting pouring coolant in, until i seen the color of it coming out of the hose. Then i put the hose back and tightened it up and poured the rest of the coolant in until the reserve was full. (i think i stopped too soon though, the color of was changing but not dark enough yet) There might be a slight amount water and possibly a very small amount of flush in the system. This should be ok right?
I check my engine frequent enough that i wont need the warning.
My plug wouldnt come out when flushing the system so i removed the lower hose from the top and let it flush from there. I put in a bottle of flush for a little while as suggested and let it out and chased it with the water hose, then filled up with water and ran the engine, then emptied that out and starting pouring coolant in, until i seen the color of it coming out of the hose. Then i put the hose back and tightened it up and poured the rest of the coolant in until the reserve was full. (i think i stopped too soon though, the color of was changing but not dark enough yet) There might be a slight amount water and possibly a very small amount of flush in the system. This should be ok right?
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Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Ellijay
The secondary tensioners are the only ones generally replaced.
The total cost of parts, if you buy the Lincoln LS Jaguar ones, is less than $200, including gaskets and shipping. It took me 4 hours to replace mine and I had never done that before.
JTO will replace them for you for, I believe, $800 including all parts.
No, I meant shorting the wiring going back to the ECM. That was not a recommendation, just a response to your question.
The sensor contacts close when the float is high, are open when the coolant level falls below the 'low' level.
The total cost of parts, if you buy the Lincoln LS Jaguar ones, is less than $200, including gaskets and shipping. It took me 4 hours to replace mine and I had never done that before.
JTO will replace them for you for, I believe, $800 including all parts.
No, I meant shorting the wiring going back to the ECM. That was not a recommendation, just a response to your question.
The sensor contacts close when the float is high, are open when the coolant level falls below the 'low' level.
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Joined: Jun 2007
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From: California
Actually a good set of hose clamp pliers are what you need to properly take them off and put them back on. The OEM spring clamps provide a better seal and have better clamping properties then the screw type clamps which applies a lot more pressure to one area of the hose.
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Well, here goes. with the exception of moisture in the left hand headlights and a cable over ride in the head rest (both common faults) I had nothing go wrong with my 2002 XK8. A few months back, after a 1000 km drive, I returned to the car to find the radiator had blown and a thick (certainly quite thick) orange coolant was under the car. The repair guy fixed it but the low coolant light stayed on. When I returned to Melbourne the Jaguar "specialist" charged me over and over for new sensors, twisted pipes, new reservoir and heaven knows what else. AND I paid for it. Today,the light still comes on intermittently every trip and sometimes stays on for the entire trip. THe other day, I topped up the reservoir with undiluted coolant. I live in a country where our national vehicle is a GM Holden. We drive them hundreds of thousands of km in harsh conditions. The XK is living on borrowed time after 100km? SOmethings whacky here.
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Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Oak Ridge, TN
Welcome PC, be sure to also stop by the New Member Area and introduce yourself and your jag. We'd love to see some pics too.
now as for your coolant problem here, twisted pipes? what the heck! if the light is still coming on, and the coolant is topped off on the reservoir (we call it an expansion tank), most likely the electric float inside this tank has gone bad...it happens. Best bet is to change this whole tank out for a new one, because it comes with a new cap and sensor in it. New cost about $175 over here in the US, but should last a long time. If the coolant is leaving your system quickly, there are lots of little areas where it can happen. For specific help on any of these items, please post up a new question in the xk8/xkr forum and we'll help you more. This thread was more towards the discussion of whether orange or green stuff is better for the cars.
now as for your coolant problem here, twisted pipes? what the heck! if the light is still coming on, and the coolant is topped off on the reservoir (we call it an expansion tank), most likely the electric float inside this tank has gone bad...it happens. Best bet is to change this whole tank out for a new one, because it comes with a new cap and sensor in it. New cost about $175 over here in the US, but should last a long time. If the coolant is leaving your system quickly, there are lots of little areas where it can happen. For specific help on any of these items, please post up a new question in the xk8/xkr forum and we'll help you more. This thread was more towards the discussion of whether orange or green stuff is better for the cars.
Today I found out how sensitive the low coolant sensor can be. A few days ago on a spirited drive home from work the light came on for a few miles. The car never ran any warmer and when I got home and let it cool, it was down a little, but I didn't think it was down enough to be a problem. I came to the beginning of this thread and typical Jaguar paranoia (for me anyway) set in. I thought for sure the sensor was shot, and, although the reservoir doesn't seem to be that expensive and looks easy to replace, it was going to be another thing to do. I thought I'd take the easy road first and top off the coolant just to make sure my fears were legitimate. I put in right around a pint of coolant and, voilà, no more light. A sensor that worked the way it apparently is supposed to and me getting all worked up over nothing. Sometimes life is good 
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