There are 4 engine oil cooler lines. The front ones on each side are easy to replace. Trying to figure out how the rear ones are attached at the front of the engine. I really cannot see anything up there. Any help is appreciated.

 

You need an automotive mirror on a telescopic rod to see where / how the hoses attach. The two engine side hoses attach to the engine block via an X shaped bracket with a a single bolt in the center of it. When tightening the bolt take care not to overtighten it, it’s going into aluminum, you don’t want to strip out the threads in the engine block. Good and snug is sufficient. A little blue locktite is good to use.

The proper O-rings must be used. SNG Barratt has them. If they are too fat you can’t get the hoses up into the engine cavity. If they are too thin they will leak out all of the oil .

I’m describing the arrangement in my 2002 XKR. As far as I know, the 2003 is the same .

Z

 

That's right. An endoscope camera connected to a tablet also helps; you can even hold it in place and keep it focused. Since the part has quite a bit of play, I made a new one out of 7075 aluminum. I also used a longer screw (so more threads can be threaded through it). I don't remember the exact length, but it's 1-2 mm shorter than the maximum that fits (a washer to distribute the pressure also helps). I replaced all the hoses on my second XK8. Of course, new O-rings must be used. Note: I have the old hose as a spare, repaired and reinforced by a local hydraulics workshop that specializes in hoses. I don't use the radiator bushings; this prevents the oil cooler from moving back and forth, which reduces wear on the hoses. But nobody listens to me!

 

You are setting up the oil cooler for failure due to the increased vibration. Those rubber bushings are a vital component to keep vibration to a minimum. There’s no need to eliminate them.

The “movement” you mentioned is a non factor in oil cooler hose wear.

Z

 

Correct, when there are vibrations. Here there is a movement (especially when braking and accelerating) due to inertia, which is transmitted to the pipes, causing them to fatigue. As I said, almost no one pays attention to me, but it was confirmed to me by the person who fixed my old hoses.

 

Thanks. Fortunately my new hoses from Jaguar have O-rings on them. I would assume they know the correct size.
I will get out my mirror and my borescope so i can see the attachment points.
Do you know if the head on the bolt is 8mm like the other hose bolts?

 

No, the screw is M8. I used a flange bolt with both a hex and an Allen head, plus a washer.

 

Be careful with replacement cooler pipes made up by a hydraulic shop - I had that done for the leaking near side pipe (UK car) but while it was a much stronger rubber hose I could not bend it enough in the very limited space in front of the block to create the correct angle for it to mate with the engine block. In the end I bought a used abut guaranteed OEM hose from Autoreserve Jaguar which fitted straight on and had the correct bend formed in it.

 

Of course, not just any workshop will do; they have to give the hose the same curve as the original. Workshops specializing in hydraulic systems do it well. However, I installed new ones, bought from the distributor; I keep the repaired ones for emergencies (and they have the same shape as the originals; the rubber fittings were replaced with the same shape). My advice: install new ones.