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This morning, I put my jag (XKR 2006) on the ramps to identify the coolant leak. It turned out the leak is coming from one of the feed hoses.
It's in the passenger side, rear of the engine.
My understanding is... this hose is the #19 in the Barratt's diagram, am I correct? How difficult is it to replace it? Would you replace the clip (#18) only, not the entire hoses?
How is the intake? I have been thinking of getting one but I don't know how easy it will be to get it to the UK and for how much. I don't really want to ruin my mpg anymore then I already have.
How is the intake? I have been thinking of getting one but I don't know how easy it will be to get it to the UK and for how much. I don't really want to ruin my mpg anymore then I already have.
The PO bought it from Mina Gallery. I believe UK people can use Adamesh.
Yes I also have the Mina intake (his shop is about a mile or so from me). It was DEFINITELY worth it since the car is more responsive (at least it feels that way) and there is no extra noise.
Your coolant leak is due to that infamous plastic Norma connector failing, as they all eventually do. Quite a few of us have simply cut out the lousy Norma connector and replaced it with the appropriate brass hose barb along with a small section of new hose. Problem solved....
Your coolant leak is due to that infamous plastic Norma connector failing, as they all eventually do. Quite a few of us have simply cut out the lousy Norma connector and replaced it with the appropriate brass hose barb along with a small section of new hose. Problem solved....
Hi Jon89,
I'm so interested in your mod. Can you show me how and what to do? Did you post your mod on this forum?
Many thanks!
Your coolant leak is due to that infamous plastic Norma connector failing, as they all eventually do. Quite a few of us have simply cut out the lousy Norma connector and replaced it with the appropriate brass hose barb along with a small section of new hose. Problem solved....
My connector hadn't actually failed, but the o-ring inside was failing. I was able to open the connector without damage and replace that o-ring with a silicone one that fit perfectly.
I'll give a link to my post on this board if I can find it
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xk8-xkr-x100-17/has-anyone-used-silicone-o-rings-octopus-215787/
Last edited by jimborino; Dec 5, 2021 at 10:00 AM.
My connector hadn't actually failed, but the o-ring inside was failing. I was able to open the connector without damage and replace that o-ring with a silicone one that fit perfectly.
Great info, jimborino. I will try your approach before replacing the entire octopus hose. Can you show me how to crack open the connector? I was told that it's not easy without damaging it.
Many thanks.
It is likely that your Norma connector will disintegrate into pieces when you attempt to disconnect it. Mine did....
My small-handed neighbor and I did the brass hose barb fix last December. For the details, search for my post describing it. I believe it was entitled "Octopus Hose Leak at the Norma Connection" so type that phrase into your search box and that should pull it up for you. To do the repair, I purchased a 3/4-inch by 3/4-inch brass hose barb, 1-foot of 3/4-inch heater hose, and 3 appropriate hose clamps at my local NAPA store. They had everything in stock at the time. I have monster-sized hands so my small-handed neighbor was able to get the tools into some of the tight areas down in the engine bay that my hands would not fit into....
We pulled the firewall side of the octopus hose out of the failing black plastic Norma connector, then used a pair of channel-lock pliers to pull the Norma connector off of the metal pipe. It was in such deteriorated shape that it pulled completely off without any cutting required....
Removing the upper oxygen sensor in that area with my 22mm box wrench gave us enough room to access the Norma connector with our hands and tools. Be sure to unplug the electrical connector on the other end before rotating the oxygen sensor with your wrench. If you do not disconnect it, you are likely to damage the wiring harness....
I would not fool with trying to install a new O-ring into that failing Norma connector. Do the brass hose barb repair and get rid of the damn thing once and for all....
It is likely that your Norma connector will disintegrate into pieces when you attempt to disconnect it. Mine did....
My small-handed neighbor and I did the brass hose barb fix last December. For the details, search for my post describing it. I believe it was entitled "Octopus Hose Leak at the Norma Connection" so type that phrase into your search box and that should pull it up for you. To do the repair, I purchased a 3/4-inch by 3/4-inch brass hose barb, 1-foot of 3/4-inch heater hose, and 3 appropriate hose clamps at my local NAPA store. They had everything in stock at the time. I have monster-sized hands so my small-handed neighbor was able to get the tools into some of the tight areas down in the engine bay that my hands would not fit into....
We pulled the firewall side of the octopus hose out of the failing black plastic Norma connector, then used a pair of channel-lock pliers to pull the Norma connector off of the metal pipe. It was in such deteriorated shape that it pulled completely off without any cutting required....
Removing the upper oxygen sensor in that area with my 22mm box wrench gave us enough room to access the Norma connector with our hands and tools. Be sure to unplug the electrical connector on the other end before rotating the oxygen sensor with your wrench. If you do not disconnect it, you are likely to damage the wiring harness....
I would not fool with trying to install a new O-ring into that failing Norma connector. Do the brass hose barb repair and get rid of the damn thing once and for all....
The octopus hose and the norma connectors are popular subjects on here, and replacing the octopus is a major pain. There are a lot of good threads on the subject. The aux coolant pump, or heater pump is also a related - "while you're in there" job. You might want to look into getting some hose pliers and hose removal tools and the parts needed to do this job. It will need doing. I did it about six months ago. I did the o-ring replacement on one side and the hose barb on the other (because one norma fell apart, there's one on each side), before I eventually gave in and did the whole enchilada.
The octopus hose and the norma connectors are popular subjects on here, and replacing the octopus is a major pain. There are a lot of good threads on the subject. The aux coolant pump, or heater pump is also a related - "while you're in there" job. You might want to look into getting some hose pliers and hose removal tools and the parts needed to do this job. It will need doing. I did it about six months ago. I did the o-ring replacement on one side and the hose barb on the other (because one norma fell apart, there's one on each side), before I eventually gave in and did the whole enchilada.
That's good to know. I am 50:50 between a full replacement of various hoses vs. the brass barb repair. a decision time.
I wrote up detailed instructions on replacing the Norma connector here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xk8-xkr-x100-17/octopus-hose-leak-$5-option-151462/
I wrote up detailed instructions on replacing the Norma connector here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xk8-xkr-x100-17/octopus-hose-leak-$5-option-151462/
Coolant leak... identified!
