I have a 1998 XK8 with 20k miles. When making a hard turn, the "low coolant" light comes on. Do I need to use a certain type of coolant to top-it-off or will anything off-the-shelf do?

 

Well, that depends on who you talk to.
If with 20k miles I'll assume it has the original coolant in it. Just pick up a gallon of pre-mix DexCool and top off with that.
If that is the original 12 year old coolant you might want to look into a flush and fill.
Mike

 

Here are some TSBs for the early cars

bob gauff

 

Bob, I don't have permission to access the TSB's you posted - for some reason.

 

you need to have a certain number of posts.

here is what they say:

issue:
A revised coolant, Jaguar D542, which is yellow, has entered XK8 production from VIN 010343.
Action:
Use only yellow Jaguar D542 coolant when topping up the coolant level on any XK8 from VIN
010343-on, as well as on any vehicle that has been converted to D542. Dilute the new coolant
with an equal volume of clean water.
XK8 vehicles in the VIN range 001001-010342 were originally filled in production with Jaguar
coolant D985 which is blue-green in color. Vehicles in VIN range 001036-010342 are covered
by Service Action S813 which requires flushing out the earlier coolant and replacing it with
D542. Vehicles which have been converted can be recognized by the yellow coolant color and a
label (part no. MNA 7698AA) on the coolant reservoir.
Vehicles factory-filled with D542 (from VIN 010343-on) do not have the coolant reservoir
sticker.

Issue:
When a new vehicle is factory-filled with antifreeze solution, small pockets of air may remain
trapped in the cooling system. On a new vehicle, these pockets of air may take some considerable
time to be purged, resulting in a gradual drop in the coolant level. This process may eventually
lead to illumination of the coolant warning lamp by the low level sensor located in the coolant
reservoir.
Once the coolant level has dropped, it is also possible that the captive float which actuates the
low level sensor may stick in the down position, leaving a warning on even after the cooling
system has been refilled.
Action:
When investigating a customer complaint of low coolant level warning light remaining on
proceed as follows:
A. TOPPING-UP THE COOLING SYSTEM.
The following procedure assumes that only a minor top-up of the coolant is required - a
maximum of 1 quart of coolant. Any causes of major leakage must be repaired before continuing.
1. With the engine cold, remove the pressure cap from the coolant reservoir. Check the
pressure cap seal - replace if necessary. Visually check the coolant level. If low,
continue with the procedure below.
2. If the coolant level is below the bottom of the filler neck, top up with Jaguar Antifreeze
D542 (diluted 50:50 with clean water) until the coolant rises to the bottom of the filler neck.
3. Start the engine and allow it to run at idling speed. The coolant level may fall in the coolant
reservoir. With the engine still running, immediately top up the coolant to the bottom of the
filler neck.
4. Before the coolant temperature has a chance to increase, fully tighten the pressure cap on the
coolant reservoir.
5. Before stopping the engine, check that the coolant warning lamp is off.

 

Richmond,

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Gus is a moderator now! Congratulations! When did that happen?

 

Check out the gen tech n forum help section, we added 2 mods