I have a 2005 xk8. I noticed that my coolant reservoir is a little low I am curios what coolants are compatible to mix with the original factory Jag coolant or should I only use the original?

 

Kenny,
I've moved this post to the XK section.
You can top up the coolant with soft tap water or distilled water but try hard to find the leak.
Disaster strikes fast in these cars with only a small coolant loss.
The temperature sensor gets uncovered and so no indication of overheating.

 

Noticed that your in Ill, I would add the same color Coolant due to the cold weather we are having.

They can be purchased at any Wal-Mart, or Auto Parts Store. They come in 2 different flavors, straight coolant or a 50/50 water / coolant mix.

 

What do you mean when you say the temperature sensor gets uncovered? My temperature gauge appears to be working ok. Is there a wiring issue I need to watch for?

 

The point is do not ignore a low coolant warning. If you get one, pull over right away and check just how low it is. If it is just a little low, top it up at your next conventience (and eventually find if there is a leak). If it is very low (ie, no visible coolant in the resevoir) DO NOT drive the car. If you have had a major leak, such as a burst hose, the coolant level may be below the temperature sensor, and the temperature sensor would then fail to give you an overheating warning on your gauge or display. These engines are not very overheating tolerant.

Bottom line, do not ignore the low coolant warning. Also if you have a slow leak get it repaired, because a low coolant warning occuring all the time will train you to ignore it and this could lead to a very unhappy outcome.

Lastly, even when there is suffcient coolant, the needle will stay mid-scale until you are the verge of oveheating, and then the pointer will suddenly jump up to overheating status within about a 3-4 degree window. The RealGauge product I designed and sell converts the gauge to read the actual coolant temperature and can help give eary warning of cooling system problems.

 

Yikes... My car is also having a small coolant leak. I haven't ignored it, but I've been topping off the car's coolant about every two weeks. I make it a point to check the coolant before I head out. I didn't think it could be that serious. Too bad I don't have the means to have the leak checked. I'm pretty sure it's because I scraped the bottom a few months ago.

Can I crack an egg into my car's coolant reservoir while the engine is running so that it can find and temporarily block the leak?

 

Are there Advance Auto or Autozone chains in PR? They will rent you a coolant pressure tester kit, and when you return it you get your money back. A pressure test is the best way to find the source of the leak. Once you pressurize the system cold with the engine off, you will hear or see a bit of coolant seeping out somewhere.

 

I was told by a Jaguar Master Tech to use any orange coolant and top it off all the way to the cap.

 

Yes, they're everywhere! I'll get to it as soon as I can.

 

I found the cause of my leak without having to resort to the pressure tester kit. It was this little bugger right here:


All I did was cut off the area that was ripped apart and reinstalled the hose. I was going to get a new one, but that one seems to be in great shape. After doing that little surgical procedure my coolant leak has vanished!


I've also noticed that there's another hose that needs replacing soon. I'll get to that tomorrow.



It's a rather small one, about 2 inches in length but I can't seem to guess the diameter. I'll have to remove it before I can measure and buy a new one. It seems I'll have to remove another part there, the watchamacallit.