Yep, I'm still here.

The XKR has been down for a few months now due to a couple leaky heater hoses... under my supercharger.

Haven't had the time to tear into this yet still but hoping to perhaps next month (already have the new hoses).

I have feared overheating the engine as my wife nearly did in August when we discovered the problem, but have taken a couple occasions to take it around the block since.

However, gorgeous weather has finally started to prevail in the Dallas area. And I decided to drive... to the grocery store! With the top down and Steely Dan on the radio! After topping up the coolant of course.

It was a nearly-flawless trip of 15 min. both ways- I only smelled the coolant burning off the front exhaust pipes/headers. Not the slightest overheating. I returned home successful, with champagne for my wife's birthday.

After letting it tick cool, I went out and checked the reservoir level later that evening. It only burned up a third the tank!

This made me want to throw the gallon of Prestone into the backseat (which I did) and try for a work commute this week (haven't yet, 30 min each way) to take advantage of the weather before tackling this as a winter project now.

Talk me out of it.

 

Don't do it Chris!
All it takes is for the small leak to develop the temperature to climb too high and you'll be sorry.

 

But the weather... it's so beautiful...

I know I know. It's got to stay down. I just have to tackle this.

 

You know better than to drive the car in that condition. Leaking coolant issues will quickly turn into blown engine issues that will gouge your checkbook so badly you'll be crying for days....

Fix the coolant issue first, then drive it with confidence and a sense of relief....

 

Chris - I know the feeling wanting to drive the jag - mine sits on jack stands right now as I work on front suspension - so just want to button up and replace a few things later and may just do so as I am not a fan of driving a tricked out golf cart (daughter's smart car - yikes!!!).

 

The problem with the XKR too much heat around them hoses and supercharger heat soak.

I highly recommend to all supercharged cars to use silicone high temperature hoses over rubber, any day., if possible.

 

Heed the advice. Stay home until it is fixed. If a quick trip to the store used up 1/3 of the reservoir, then a 30 minute drive is not going to be good.

This all may be a moot point. Was that you I saw on Marsh Lane this morning during the work drive?

 

Like everyone else said, it's not worth the risk.

It sounds like an intimidating job, but once you get started it is pretty strait forward work. If you get all the parts together you should be able to easily tackle it in a weekend, even if it's the first time you've ever taken the supercharger out.

Honestly, the worst part is draining the cooling system. There is just no tidy way to do that.

Just think, you take Saturday to tear it down nice and slow to get a good feel for how it all goes together. Sunday morning you get your coffee and printed out torque specs, start putting things back on and by noon you've got the cooling system filled and you can take a leisurely afternoon drive, with no more worries about overheating.

 

Thanks for talking me out of it, all. It will remain down. I hadn't been thinking 'small leak turns into a bigger one', just something static I could manage on occasions. I bought OE replacement rubber at the dealer, and also some foil tape to wrap them in as I had seen recommended in a prior thread on this. Is that still acceptable or should I be looking at uprated aftermarket hoses? I'm looking forward to tackling it over a weekend soon.

Mike- must have been someone else. Honest! Took the S8 today. Was it a black XKR or 8? I've seen a blue 8 running around lately I thought was you as well. We may have imposters.

 

It was a few cars in front of me in another lane, so I didn't get a close look. Thought I saw an R badge on the back though. It was going south on Marsh and turned onto Arapaho.

 

JimC64, what's with the 'LINE BREAKS!!' edit? I'm confused. Have paragraphs been outlawed? I'm quite a stickler for grammar, so I find being corrected rather laughable...

 

The few X100s I see seem to be in that area, and also closer to Arapaho and Preston. I typically only go east/west through Carrollton.

 

You lost a third of a tank on a 5 minute trip to pick up some champagne, and you want to drive 30 minutes to work each way? What happens if there's an accident and you're stuck in traffic for another 30 minutes? You'd be bone dry and sitting on the side of the road with a dead engine. That's not a small incidental leak, that's a gusher in my book. Don't do it, you'll regret it. I have mine in the shop right now because two hoses are just "sweating" some coolant, not actually hitting the ground. I don't like leaks, they lead to bigger leaks, and eventual trouble.

 

No, a third of a coolant tank in a 40-min. round trip. Regardless, advice heeded, and I was not thinking 'gusher' but something I could calculate and manage for a couple brief neighborhood trips when the urge hit me until I can find a free weekend to resolve this.

No worries, and I don't want to come across as someone careless. I'm anything but, yet human on occasion...