Halfway home earlier this week from work while I'm slowing down for a stoplight, I notice the engine revs drop for a second then regain normalcy. Odd. Several seconds later before the light turns green, I notice some light wispy smoke coming from the very front of the car, in front of the nose even. No CELs, engine idling normally, all seems well, but apparently isn't. I dive into the turning lane and into a small commercial park, pop the hood and get out. The engine starts making a light squeaking sound at idle so I shut it down. No damage to the core at least, but it seems like an oil line, front seal, or cooler blew, as the belt and everything around it is coated in a fine layer of oil. And a long trail of large drops behind it, and a good quart or two underneath. This was a 'rather warm' early evening, 104*F, so something likely 'gave' due to the heat.

Luckily my wife was just 5 min away and was able to give me a lift home. Got a tow truck and extracted it later that night back home. When it got there, it had lost more oil and the engine squealed a lot more at idle when started to help maneuver it off the truck- quickly shut it down after quickly backing it straight into its garage, and another two quarts of oil at least dumped or drained out once it was on the ground and tilted nose-down the driveway. Spent a good hour scrubbing and hosing the concrete afterwards.

Has anyone had this occur before? It's obviously parked for awhile and will not be started again until I can get it figured out. Already having doubts I'll have the time or patience to repair this myself unless it's fairly straightforward. I haven't had time to jack it up yet, just wanted to throw it out here first. Car is at 145k, both head gaskets were already replaced early last year, but the 'blowout' seems to be from the very front of the motor. Thanks in advance!

 

Have a look at the oil cooler behind/below the front bumper. Prone to damage, but easy to fix.

 

Like Dibbit says, or the related oil cooler lines.
More trouble to clean up than fix.
Good move on stopping quickly.

Wayne

 

+1 on cooler damage or failed hose.

There's also several joints with O Rings that can loosen:


(click on the image to enlarge it)

This graphic from JEPC is more useful than JTIS for the layout.

Graham

 

I got the pics you sent. I am guessing oil cooler like everyone else. There is a TSB for your car. Call if you need me to look at it.

bob

 

Thanks, Bob- and the rest of you. Helpful stuff! I had a few minutes to take a better peek last night but still haven't jacked it up yet. If the oil cooler is forward of the radiator, it and the lines look normal and dry. Behind the radiator is where the leak is- the inner side of the airbox, for example, is saturated in oil, as is everything else around it in that corner up front. I'm assuming the lines run underneath that area, but are there motor seals around any of the pulleys?

 

Well, if you look at the parts diagram posted above, you have to imagine the oil lines going around the radiator. The X brace (Part 7) secures the oil lines (supply and return) to the base of the engine. You have to imagine the pulleys, water pump, etc. somewhere higher than that. The problematic part is typically #5 as it is the pressure side. The rubber part separates from the crimping, sometimes nicely (slow leak), sometimes catastrophically (dumping all the oil on the road). My understanding is that these are normal run-of-the-mill hydraulic lines, with a life expectancy of 10 years.

 

Here in the Arizona desert rubber does not hold up as well as it does in other climates. Most of you will agree that the OEM rubber lines to the oil cooler are a disappointment and a disaster in waiting.
One solution is to upgrade the rubber portion of the lines with superior materials such as multi layer braided stainless.
Arizona Tubes and Hoses in Phoenix did a great job with my lines, see photos for example. aztubesandhoses.com 602-253-4507. Hal is the owner is memory serves me well. Cost was less than replacement of the OEM grenades.

 

This is very interesting, glad you didn't have any damage done.

Guys: Is there any preventive maintenance we could do / should do for this area? What I mean, can one see it starting to deteriorate? What should we look for?

It is probably obvious to you, but I have to admit I've got to learn about this one. I don't know what to look for to see if all is AOK down there or to catch an upcoming problem. The thought of an oil line failing in the middle of a trip of something scares me so I wanted to ask.

Thanks,

 

some lines have been seen to chafe against sharp edges.

you can reposition the lines or wrap them in protective
rubber such as a larger piece of rubber hose

 

I see it as an issue of general maintenance due to the "technology". These are standard hydraulics hoses (same stuff as excavators, etc.), made with a flexible rubber hose crimped on an aluminum fitting, and sealed by o-rings. The wikipedia article seems to mention a life expectancy of 10 years. With the newest of our cars being 10 years old, in a sense, most of us are on borrowed time.

In addition, the earlier cars had a (reputedly) weaker crimp design making them more prone to catastrophic separation. Newer cars were supposedly fitted with a better part.

In my case, the hose on the pressure side started to leak. It was a slow, manageable leak in spite of the hose being of the newer design. I replaced it with a Jaguar part, but I believe some folks are having all 4 lines "refreshed" by local hydraulics shops for a lot less.

In my opinion, replacing the first hose on the pressure side is right up there in priority, right behind the tensioners for the earlier engines. One last note: not all cars were fitted with an oil cooler, so some folks choose to remove it altogether.

Hope his helps. Keep us posted.

 

Fmertz,
Thanks. I didn't realize some have the cooler some don't. I'll have to check to see if I have an oil cooler installed on a 1998 XK8.

Ah let me ask an embarssingly easy question: How will I know if I'm looking at an oil cooler or a transmission cooler down there?

Maybe it is just as easy as: All X100s have a tranny cooler. If you see two assemblies you have an oil cooler. Please let us know.

I always appreciate your help man.

John

 

All cars have a transmission cooler. It is actually built in the driver side end tank of the radiator.

The oil cooler looks exactly like in the parts diagram above. It is located low, in front of the radiator. You should see it with a mirror if you reach under the front nose of the car, right in the middle.