Took the Jag for a spin yesterday, just to keep the batteries topped up. They do run down and I don't know from what. Before putting it back in the garage, I noticed two spots of red fluid on the floor.
Has to be Power Steering fluid, as I have Lifeguard i the tranny. I have already fixed the return line under the air filter and it's dry.
It is hard to tell exactly where the spots were in relation to the car, but the larger spot was driver side and the passenger side spot was a bit to the rear of the larger one. This morning I got the car up on the QuickJack and crawled under. EVERYTHING IS BONE DRY!! Now hanging drops anywhere!
Started the engine and ran the steering to the end to end put some load on (wheel are in the air). No drips anywhere.
A few weeks back I also had a few drops on the garage floor but did not think much of it and have had none since.
I am at a loss. Everything looks dry and perfect on both sides. Are the any places/areas that are prone to leaks? Where do I start??

 

The power steering high pressure hose from the rack to the pump is my guess. Lots of posts here on the forum suggest it’s a common problem in the rubber and metal crimps. I had it too.

Jag fixed the problem with a different hose configuration and with different rubber metal connections and a different route through the engine bay.

 

Thanks David, I'll trace it and check it good. Is it available as a spare?? Why did you opt for a different solution??

 

thats where my ps was leaking from. Well mine was leaking from the crimped line from the PS reservoir to the ps cooler. I removed the crimped sleeves snd replaced with crimping clamps. I dont have pics of my repair on the ps hose but heres a similar repair I did on my trans cooler lines.

 

Nalle,

Lots of info on this forum, as this seems to be a common problem on the earlier X100s. Pic below of the system.

Mine had failed at the metal/rubber crimp on the High Pressure side and also I noted the original hose rubber touched something hot in the engine bay and had a small melted hole which seeped APS fluid.

Pic of Original APS hose touching something hot. I did note that the hose does flex a little when under load.
The original PS hose is No Longer Available (NLA) so you can only get the new version (which I consider a good thing) . I attach a Word .doc made from one of the Forum members with instructions on the repair. I used his pics to route the new PS hose through a new route in the engine bay.


Parts I ordered for the APS refurb, from Terry's Jag. These hoses are not cheap, so some Forum members made do with a DIY hose fix. Please note that I found that the new OEM low pressure hose line doesn't fit the Gen 1 XK8 (which I had) at all. If anyone wants it, PM me and I'll happily ship it on to someone in need.

 

David,
Thanks for lots of good info and a great link. Checked Terry's on line this morning and they still show hoses available. I am uncertain that I can reach the nut up on the pump - even with a crow foot. Might get the old one off, but starting the new one looks close to impossible. It's tight in there.
I do have a hard time tearing it apart without knowing where the leak is. Will probably make another 10 mile run and park it on old newspapers to see it I can locate. Will keep you posted

 

So, after my second run, I had oil on the floor that following morning. About a 1" dia. spot, just left of center, below the serpentine belt. Once the car was up in the air, I could see oil in spots both on the belt and on some of the pulleys.
I obviously suspected the pump. Between mirrors and flashlights, I could not find/see and leak at the pump! Everything on the pump, front bearing seal, hoses, pulley all looked dry.
What am I missing?? Any other place up front where I could have a leak??

 

Clean up any residual oil/fluid with engine devreaser and water. Then drive it and go back to look for the wet spot

 

I would check the reservoir and hoses to it. I note not to overfill the reservoir. It’s not a closed system as there’s an opening in the bottle cap for venting. Two marks on the dip stick for upper and lower level of fluid. Too much fluid and it’ll drip out.

For the rack, there’s the two screw fittings for the high and lower pressure hoses. Cheap fix replacing their O rings to seal. Otherwise check the rack bellows to see if it’s leaking internally. There are internal seal rebuild kits. Tough to DIY so I had a professional garage do the R&R strip and rebuild on my 1999 steering rack.

 

David, maybe you can help me. I have a 2000 XK8 with a leak in the pump to rack hose. My current hose matches the diagram you posted exactly, but that hose is not labeled in the diagram. The part number in the invoice, MJB3985AB, is the same number I get when I search online for the part I need, so I ordered one. The problem I have is that the end piece that connects to the steering rack is twisted about 270 degrees in the new hose, not the 180 in the diagram. I can't find any with just a 180 bend. I am guessing that Jag changed the routing of the hose. Any suggestions would be appreciated...

 

It’s a Revised pipe with a new route through engine bay.

It’s all detailed in the attachment to my post 5 above.

 

David, you mention a word doc that you used to reroute the hose. I can’t find that attachment on the thread. Can you help me find it?

 

HarryK,

Here's a link to the thread where hernandez_f details the task with excellent photos of the new route through the engine bay for the new different High Pressure pipe.https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...g-hose-108685/
My Word.doc had a bit of more info, ie schematic diagrams etc, but the link above should be enough for you to complete the job. Anything else you need, let me know.

 

I too had problems with opening your how-to. It said the file was corrupt. You happen to have the original hidden away anywhere. The post you mentioned seemed kinda sparse on details.

Now I have 2 97 XK8s that have P/S leaks.

Thanks,
Jay

 

Jay,

As the Word .docx seems to be lost, I attach a PDF of the work I did on the PS fix on my MY 99 using the new high pressure hose. There are excellent photos of the new route on this thread.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...g-hose-108685/

 

Thanks much. I think the thing that was throwing me was the lack of context as to where the front of the vehicle is or if the pics were of the rack or the pump area. I was trying to visualize things before I jacked everything up and got started.

Again, thanks for the help.

Jay