Now that I know what coolant to put in my 2001 XK8, I have to find the leak!


It looks like the rubber pipe underneath the coolant container, the end connection which goes into the top of the rear of engine on the drivers side?
There is an orange mark on the top of the gearbox where the coolant has dripped and then evaporated...so far so good.


Now it looks like there are quite a few rubber pipes down there, is this the "Dreaded octopus rubber pipework" I have heard about?? If so are there any posts or video's explaining how to change this "mess", or is it time to get the indy garage to do the job?


Many thanks for your help.

 

If you are not mechanically inclined, I would hire an indy, even if you have to do a small loan.
I removed the intake manifold, throttle body,coolant reservoir and got to work using a sharp razor to cut off the old units for easier access if needed,the octopus hose has a norma connector

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/a...connectors.pdf

Is for the octopus if its shot.


I have done all the coolant hoses and will tell you, that one drip or small leak is an indication they all are about to start failing, and you DO NOT WANT THIS to happen while you are driving, as it happened to me.
Connections with the rubber will also have corrosion on the nipple requiring sanding, then a thin smear of rtv to prevent any leakage

After replacing my valley hoses, I realized every single hose was soft and ready to go.

What happened when I ignored that small coolant smell in my old xk8?

Coolant got all over my engine, causing electrical hell, all my coils had to be cleaned,spark plugs replaced,engine harness to controller unplugged and cleaned,knock sensors replaced,serpentine belt replaced etc, because I ignored the same leak you have until one day boom ! The hose let loose.

Realize this, your hoses held up 16 years from the date your car was made and newer units are built better, so do it once and enjoy for the life of the car.

 

The information I have found so far on the "octopus hoses" relate to the XJ series and not the XK8. Are these the same?


Does anyone have any details on working on the XK8?

 

Make sure it's not your coolant reservoir itself... Mine has a leak on the halves toward the engine and doesn't weep until pressurized.

 

Looked on the other side (passenger side) of the rear of the engine and now the coolant is "running out" of that side....no small drip!!


It is running out of the connection between the octopus ( I had no idea that thing was so big!!) and the hose under the inlet manifold. It looks very much like I need to strip off the inlet manifold and replace those 2 hoses while I am replacing the octopus....does that make sense?? to do it all at the same time??


Does anyone have a good write up as to what is involved and step by step instructions to complete this work?


Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

I just did my octopus hose on my 03. It is a knuckle buster but is not that hard to do. Only thing that held me up is that on my dead center of the hose running behind motor it was strap tied to some type of vac line looking thing. I am glad I saw that before I just yanked the hose out hard, lord knows what I would have messed up.
I agree that on your 01 that it is time to replace hoses, all of mine at 96k were soft. I did the rad hoses, octopus, and now have the intake off to replace the valley hoses, the little vac line that runs under the intake, the hose on the drivers side valley hose connector tube that the octopus hose connects to on that side, goes to egr I think, it was really soft and bloating, sitting right there near the exhaust. I dont think you can get it off without pulling the intake. If you pull the intake then you are looking at replacing many gaskets that add up to some good sum of bucks. While you are at it, if you have not replaced the t-stat housing, may as well do that also, even the water pump. Like many before me you don't want this motor to over heat do to lake of preventative maint to the car, sadly this car takes more of that then some other cars if you want it to last.

 

Yeah, that's a trick I found as well. DEFINITELY LOOK AT THE LOWER COOLANT RESERVOIR FROM THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT ONLY AT NIGHT WITH A FLASHLIGHT.

It will be dripping and wet, running down to the norma connector and octopus hose and drip on the exhaust shield, making you think your norma connectors are shot or octopus hose.

The usual culprits are the valley hoses, the coolant reservoir tank,the UPPER radiator and thermostat outlet hose(looks like a bubble, HE IS NOTORIOUS FOR FAILING) .

Lets us know what you find, this is serious, your car will self destruct if it overheats.

 

also wiggle and pull the octopus at the norma connectors,this simulates the car driving, do this to both driver and passenger side norma connectors in rear, you will see if it really leaks

 

Aode06, I wriggled the norma connection on the passenger side and the coolant started to "Spurt out" this is definetly the problem area...BUT, I cannot release the norma connection!!!


The pipe is in a very difficult area to get too and I am having no luck in getting the pipe off. Any suggestions will be most welcome.

 

Is the problem on the norma connection on the "Octopus" or on the end of the pipe which goes under the inlet manifold?


Can I just change the octopus or do I need to change the under inlet manifold pipes as well?


Do I need to take off the inlet manifold to get to the norma connections?


This is looking to be a major and expensive project?


Many thanks for all your inputs.

 

Takes time to do it yourself, about 5 hours.Yeas the intake manifold and throttle body has to come off.

After that you will have a lot of room. I would pay a Jaguar indy or call jaguar and ask the service writer to ask a mechanic to quote you on the octopus hose.

As they see these a lot. I got bloody replacing my octopus and a bad taste left in my mouth.Its not that hard, just aggravating

 

Before you start this repair, make absolutely sure that the leak is ORIGINATING from the rear of the engine / coolant hoses. Often, a major leak at the THERMOSTAT TOWER will send coolant running down through the valley of the engine, underneath the intake manifold, possibly down the heater hoses that also run through the engine valley, and then down to the ground behind the engine.

I would advise doing a very thorough check for leaks at the thermostat tower cap and base. If you see no leaks or evidence of leaks there, then you can rule that out and focus at the rear of the engine bay.


.

 

Many thanks for all your input.


Last year I installed a new metal thermostat tower, water pump, hose etc...
I can see the coolant spurting out of the norma connection on the passenger side and its started to drip on the norma connection on the drivers side.


I have decided to take off the inlet manifold and replace the 2 hoses underneath and give myself room to fit the new octopus hoses.


Will let you all know how it goes, again, thanks for all your help and encouragement.

 

I need to replace my octopus hoses and the 2 hoses under the inlet manifold.
After reading instructions on this form it mentions " disconnect the fuel feed line on the rear end of the left injector rail using one of the fuel/tranny line quick disconnect tools" also " disconnect the fuel return hose with another of the quick disconnect tools"


Q. What are these quick disconnect tools and where can I purchase them in USA. Is there a part number for them?


I have seen somewhere the mention of Northern Tools or Autozone??


Many thanks for your help.

 

All automotive stores have sets of quick disconnect tools on display. Every make uses them for A/C and fuel lines.

 

That NORMA connector can be a bugger to separate. I found that if you twist it about a 1/4 turn, it spreads open the retaining tabs so you can pull it apart. Beats trying to pry them!

 

You may not need to replace the octopus if the lines themselves are not leaking.

You will see when you remove it and let us know what you see.My bet is corrosion may have prevented your norma connection from sealing, and simply cleaning that part and applying a blog of black rtv cured over 24hours will fix your problems.

 

I used AC line quick disconnects (cheap set from Harbor Freight) to do this.

I found the end that was leaking on my Octopus hose had a bad O-Ring inside, and so I fished it out with a mini hook, and carefully placed a new one in there. Took some tight work but stopped my leak for cheap!

 

cool beans !
I know its so stressful going through this,but man its so easy to overheat this engine and drop a valve seat destroying the engine!

I have added dye to my coolant so I know whats going on and look at night with a uv light and uv glasses if I smell any coolant.

 

I finished off the job!!!
Replaced all the hoses and so far I cannot seen any leaks and no smells, just keeping my eye on the coolant level for the next few weeks.
As you all said, not a difficult job, just takes a while to do. Thank you for all your encouragement and what a great FORUM!!!
Merry Christmas to you all.....