Coolant level sensor
 

I have a problem that I have neglected solving for a while. So I think I had better get with it. After having the car for two years I discovered recently that there was no coolant level sensor installed in the expansion tank. So I bought one and tried to install it. When the sensor was in the proper position the connector cable would not connect. It was way too short. I don't think it has ever been installed. The only way I can see to solve the problem is to splice the wire cable. There is very little room to do that and I don't like splicing something like that. Any ideas would be appreciated.


EZDriver 2000 XK8 45.000 miles

It's a very short length of cable branching from the harness to the brown connector:

Attachment 18710

Is the harness snagged?

Graham

The way the sensor has to fit in the tank the forward about 45 degrees to the left. It won't fit any other way. And the cable lookd like it was intended for it to point aft. The cable is not fouled that I can see

Looking at your picture that looks like the same length. But the sensor points forward and 45 deg off to the right. The two just don't fit.

The sensor points its connector toward the rear of the car. I wonder how or why yours went missing...

+1

Have you got it 180 degrees out?

Graham

I want to thank you guys for your help. You are right the sensor connector when installed correctly does point to the rear and the connector will connect. I has been a while since I fooled with this thing and I had forgotten what I found initially. What I found then was a sensor not installed but connected and left dangling. The sensor part had been cut off and shorted so there would be no system warning. Great huh. At that time I bought a new sensor and got it plugged in correctly at that time. It worked OK for about thirty miles and gave the wife a scare and an immediately phone call to me. I told her how to check the coolant and she did. All OK. So I brought it home and pulled the new sensor and put the shorted one back so we would not have a message.

Now a few months later I have decided to fix the darn thing. Each time I install the new sensor even with the tank completely full it gives a low coolant warning. So checking the sensor with a magnet and get confusing results. I have a magnet with a hole in it. With the magnet at the very bottom the sensor probe the circuit reads closed (good fluid). Moving up about 3/4 of an inch it reads open(fluid warning). Moving up more the circuit closes and at an inch and a quarter the circuit opens (warning). Moving up it closes again( good fluid) and stays closed to the very top. All this is confusing to me. I also checked the sensor in my XJ6 which works fine and it functions the same way. I'd like you thoughts as to what is going wrong. I'm sure that in the past history of this car someone got pissed and just shorted the sensor and let it go at that.

Thanks for your help guys.

I vaguely recall either reading or being told the coolant warning system has to be reset by temporarily shorting the pins when a new coolant level sensor is fitted.

Hopefully someone with a better memory will jump in here..........

Graham

Does the floating magnet in the tank move freely?

With reference to Spurlee's question, is the magnet still in the float or is it lying free in the bottom of the tank?

I fixed just this problem earlier today and documented it in another thread on this Forum - I don't know how to link to it but it is only an hour or two old.

See if this link to my coolant tank information helps JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource At first I thought your tank was replaced with one from another vehicle. I hope the information I documented helps.

Check and see with the engine cold / cool if your hoses are collapsed.

Hi Gus,

I just sent you a private message just before I read the above post and the one from OBALD. I think the problem is that the magnet for some reason in the past has come out of the float. I don't know why that would happen except that some #$%^ mechanic was messing around there with something metal and pulled it out. I'll drain the tank and see if the magnet is out of the float.

By the way. I have no probem with low coolant. All that works fine and I am not leaking any. I just want the warning system to work correctly so that if I do start to loose coolant I will know it.

Disturbed wire when changing battery
 

After changing the battery on my x type I noticed a two wire connector with blue/green and blue wire which was not connected to anything. Thought it might be the connector for the water coolant level sensor but but doesn't seem to fit. No warning lights on dash. If it doesn't go to the water level sensor where does it go ? Do I need to worry about it.