New Guy Q’s
#1
New Guy Q’s
My first post outside the intro. Just bought an 04 XKR (see my signature) and trying to get it sorted.
Never had a car with dipped headlights. What is their function and why is it on the key fob?
My coolant is green and I would like to change it to the proper orange stuff. Since only about half will
come out of the radiator drain how do I get the rest out? Can I flush with a garden hose or do I have to pull the plug at the back of the block? Read bad things about mixing them so trying to avoid that.
My hood liner rests on the supercharger manifold and leaves a distinct mark on both driver and pax
sides. I would post a pic but I am out of town this week. Is there a hood adjustment or some other way to prevent this?
I read on the forum the XKR has a solenoid controlled door that opens inside the air filter box to supplement the supercharger. Is there a way to verify it is opening the door when it is supposed to? Or even working at all?
Great forum with tons of good info. Thanks for any replies.
Never had a car with dipped headlights. What is their function and why is it on the key fob?
My coolant is green and I would like to change it to the proper orange stuff. Since only about half will
come out of the radiator drain how do I get the rest out? Can I flush with a garden hose or do I have to pull the plug at the back of the block? Read bad things about mixing them so trying to avoid that.
My hood liner rests on the supercharger manifold and leaves a distinct mark on both driver and pax
sides. I would post a pic but I am out of town this week. Is there a hood adjustment or some other way to prevent this?
I read on the forum the XKR has a solenoid controlled door that opens inside the air filter box to supplement the supercharger. Is there a way to verify it is opening the door when it is supposed to? Or even working at all?
Great forum with tons of good info. Thanks for any replies.
#2
..... Never had a car with dipped headlights. What is their function and why is it on the key fob?
My coolant is green and I would like to change it to the proper orange stuff. Since only about half will come out of the radiator drain how do I get the rest out? Can I flush with a garden hose or do I have to pull the plug at the back of the block? .....
My coolant is green and I would like to change it to the proper orange stuff. Since only about half will come out of the radiator drain how do I get the rest out? Can I flush with a garden hose or do I have to pull the plug at the back of the block? .....
The cooling system can be back flushed with a garden hose. My preference is to drain, refill with plain water and bring up to temperature with the heater on maximum to ensure full circulation. Allow to cool, drain and repeat. A couple of cycles like this clears the old coolant.
Graham
#3
Welcome to the forum, must be a great looking car.
One remark, if I am not wrong, the Portfolio Edition was for the 2007 and 2008 MY's, not for our X100.You will need to do some editing there .
On the hood liner, it is a common problem for both the XK8 and XKR.
Mine did it as well, which I just solved last week by gluing (with special heat resistant epoxy) an extra bracket with 2 pins on the inside of the hood, in the large recess where the liner sacks.
I then used 2 plastic caps to go over those pins, lifting the liner some 3 inches, enough to stay free.
Was a bit wondering it would hold, but so far so good.
#4
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Hi and Welcome.
MrTexasDan did a tutorial with pictures. It's available here:
http://matt.zenfolio.com/xk-coolant-...tat---v1-1.pdf
My coolant is green and I would like to change it to the proper orange stuff. Since only about half will
come out of the radiator drain how do I get the rest out? Can I flush with a garden hose or do I have to pull the plug at the back of the block? Read bad things about mixing them so trying to avoid that.
come out of the radiator drain how do I get the rest out? Can I flush with a garden hose or do I have to pull the plug at the back of the block? Read bad things about mixing them so trying to avoid that.
http://matt.zenfolio.com/xk-coolant-...tat---v1-1.pdf
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petemohr (02-22-2019)
#5
#6
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My 2002 XKR also had a hood liner issue. beside leaving a mark on the intercooler manifold, it was also resting on one of the intercooler coolant hoses. The resulting friction was abrading the top of two of the hoses substantially. Researching past forum posts informed me that others also experienced this problem.
The liner was very tightly held up to the hood, so sagging was not the cause. It was suggested that I rotate the hose ends so as to cause them to curve downward and thus avoid the contact. A good idea, but non-productive as the change in hose height did not provide the needed clearance.
Although some people have solved this by cutting out a section of the liner, for me that is a non-starter. I;m very reluctant to butcher an original part, I'd rather just take it off and store it for the next owner to have.
Eventually I decided the two solutions that made sense were to either replace the hose(s) periodically, or to remove the liner. So for me the best way forward was to remove the liner. Fears about the hood paint being fried were unfounded. I've driven the car 16,000 miles since then, including cross country several times, with 10 -12 + hours of continuous heat heat. And of course typical in town driving with the engine getting hot, then being parked for hours. In all causes, the hood paint is 100% unchanged on top and the underside as well.
Here is a thread from 2010 on this issue, and my own recent thread, with illustrating photos of the hose damage.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-engine-44163/
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-liner-206681/
Z
#7
My coolant is green and I would like to change it to the proper orange stuff. Since only about half will
come out of the radiator drain how do I get the rest out? Can I flush with a garden hose or do I have to pull the plug at the back of the block? Read bad things about mixing them so trying to avoid that.
Before jumping to conclusions, check the Vehicle Spec Book on jagrepair.com to be double sure (it's a good book to know anyway). The spec has changed over the years, although I am pretty sure the later cars all take orange Dexcool. Also, dip a paper towel in the overflow tank to confirm the color. That orange coolant has a weird sheen when looked at from the top and does not look all that orange. Maybe it's just me.
If you are doing a complete flush, I would encourage you to use a cooling system cleaner as well (Prestone, etc.). I was chasing down the poor performance of the cabin heater a while back, and it turned out that the $300 pump and $400 valve were fine, and all it needed was a good flush/clean of the heater core. The results were pretty dramatic, I was able to get some heat in about a mile, when it would take a lot longer before. Heater core was not clogged, nothing crusty came out. I believe that over time some form of a film develops on all surfaces and hinders heat transfer. Do yourself a favor and do a deep clean.
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zray (02-23-2019)
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#8
Jag's New.... XKR "Portfolio Edition" for 2004
Your fix looks very clean. I will take a look at mine this weekend to see if that would work for me.
That was for ericjansen. I have not figured out the quote thing yet
Your fix looks very clean. I will take a look at mine this weekend to see if that would work for me.
That was for ericjansen. I have not figured out the quote thing yet
Last edited by funracer; 02-21-2019 at 12:58 PM.
#9
I'll be amazed if you haven't had a car with dipped headlamps but you probably know the function as "low beam". The button on the key fob is to be able to turn on the headlamps when approaching the parked vehicle in the dark. One press of the button switches on the headlamps for 25 seconds.
The cooling system can be back flushed with a garden hose. My preference is to drain, refill with plain water and bring up to temperature with the heater on maximum to ensure full circulation. Allow to cool, drain and repeat. A couple of cycles like this clears the old coolant.
Graham
The cooling system can be back flushed with a garden hose. My preference is to drain, refill with plain water and bring up to temperature with the heater on maximum to ensure full circulation. Allow to cool, drain and repeat. A couple of cycles like this clears the old coolant.
Graham
when you push the Dipped Headlights button on the remote. Or at least it looks that way inside my garage at night. I thought I read somewhere that these headlights beams will move on their own separately from the cars motion. Can’t remember where I read it because I have read so much since I bought the car 3 weeks ago.
Glad to hear I can just go old school and flush with the garden hose. That sounds like the easiest way to remove the old coolant and then replace. May run a flush chemical in there as well while I am at it.
#10
That blue color one is absolutely gorgeous ...
And as a good practice, I should check / replace all other fluids too, green coolant in a 2004 might indicate some shady working.
You also might change the thermostat as a precaution, they are a pretty vital part, do get stuck in their lifetime, and cost next to nothing.
Last edited by ericjansen; 02-22-2019 at 12:08 AM.
#11
Neil congrats on the purchase.
If you have not done so already you should probably have a read through my working thread that covers everything I have had (or chose) to do to my 2004 XK8 since I got it about 5 years and 60K miles ago.
If you have not done so already you should probably have a read through my working thread that covers everything I have had (or chose) to do to my 2004 XK8 since I got it about 5 years and 60K miles ago.
#12
Neil congrats on the purchase.
If you have not done so already you should probably have a read through my working thread that covers everything I have had (or chose) to do to my 2004 XK8 since I got it about 5 years and 60K miles ago.
If you have not done so already you should probably have a read through my working thread that covers everything I have had (or chose) to do to my 2004 XK8 since I got it about 5 years and 60K miles ago.
Thanks
#13
Hey Funracer, the portfolio link was interesting. I couldn't help but notice the wood trim, wow interesting design.
When you have a chance, could you please post a photo of your dash's wood? I'd love to see it.
Thanks, John
When you have a chance, could you please post a photo of your dash's wood? I'd love to see it.
Thanks, John
Last edited by Johnken; 02-23-2019 at 09:48 AM. Reason: Fix spelling (just love the auto correct arrrgh)
#14
I read on the forum the XKR has a solenoid controlled door that opens inside the air filter box to supplement the supercharger. Is there a way to verify it is opening the door when it is supposed to? Or even working at all?
Great forum with tons of good info. Thanks for any replies.
#15
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#17
Auto headlight levelling (where fitted)
Automatic levelling of High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights is a feature which avoids dazzling oncoming drivers. The levelling of the lights during acceleration, deceleration and terrain variation is fully automatic.
Automatic levelling of High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights is a feature which avoids dazzling oncoming drivers. The levelling of the lights during acceleration, deceleration and terrain variation is fully automatic.
The button on the remote is basically a convenience light. From the owner's manual:
One press switches on headlights for 25 seconds. A second press switches the headlights off. Three presses within 3 seconds starts the Panic Alarm (if enabled).
#18
Great explanation Bakntyme! You are correct I was mixing up the two features. When I saw the headlights moved up and down
I thought the down position was “dipped” but it really is the auto levelling feature. I have never owned a car with moving headlights
so it has caught my interest. Thanks!
I thought the down position was “dipped” but it really is the auto levelling feature. I have never owned a car with moving headlights
so it has caught my interest. Thanks!