I just got done doing this repair. I ended up taking a chisel to the bottom of the plastic unit and breaking the corners off. Less chance of getting platic chunks to fall in that way. I wish I had a ball headed allen wrench. I found some bolts that would have worked with one, but nobody locally had a set, so I put in shorter bolts and ground into the top for a screwdriver. I'm hoping this permanently fixes my coolant issue and the bypass hose was ready to blow (which started this process for me). The hose that SNG Barratt sent was too small to fit, so I had one made locally that fit like a glove. Now I'm getting some knock sensor issues, so I will have to look into that next Also, the car is still randomly going rich on me. I just got a Mongoose cable, so I'll be messing wtih that a bit and see once what I can figure out.

 

just to let you know, zoro carries the 8 mm crowsfoot. it is a proto product at a halfway descent price

 

And you can order a set of ball heads from Harbor Freight on line with home delivery.

 

I should have picked up some before I started, but I thought the reported difficult accessibility was exaggerated...it wasn't

Gratefully the knock issue seems to be sorting itself, I may have gotten some coolant or water where it didn't belong.

 

Hope this fits this thread... can anyone tell me if this little bit of hose looks like it's bulging more than it should?

 

It shouldn't bulge at all, so it's time to get to work. It would be best to replace the housing with an aluminum one, and also replace the radiator hoses, crossover pipe and water pump while you're at it.

Please go to the User CP in the black bar near the top of the page and include the model, year and mileage of your car, as that will make it easier for others to assist. And do not hesitate to open a new thread if you have additional questions.

 

Thanks. Pump & thermostat are already on the way.

I'm thinking a good idea to get the 2 hoses (upper/lower), that little stubby one.. and crossover as well as thermostat housing? Are the latter 2 best to do even if there are no signs of wear?

 

Yes, IMO. See in this post from marvin.d.miller on what happens when the crossover lets go.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...4/#post1650229

Convinced me

 

Anyone have a recommendation on where to get these two parts (outlined in red and green in attached photo)? XKs unlimited apparently doesn't carry them...
Thx

 

the last time I was on ebay, they had them there. you might try sngbarrett,com

 

SNG Barrett for sure.

 

I just did this upgrade last week. I removed the intake bolts just to lift it enough to get to the back bolts on the housing and modified (bent) an old box wrench to reach them. Be careful not to drop anything with the manifold open! I replaced the hose clamps and the two top hoses on the housing (the large one to the crossover, the small one to the reservoir), cutting them to 2 1/2" in length.

 

Is this the correct hose? NCA2213AC "bypass hose"? Found one here https://www.1aauto.com/1999-jaguar-x...c/1999-899-161

And, their outlet pipe is still made of plastic SNG Barratt - Product Details I emailed to confirm.. I thought these were available in aluminum somewhere? XKs unlimited apparently doesn't have either of these parts..

Why'd you need to replace the hose clamps? Mine's still in storage so I can't get a close look at it, but aren't the stock clamps any good after you've removed them?

 

Seems to be the season for this job. I've ordered same parts for mine, although I went the dealer route as no shipping charge means it works out around the same.

NCA2213AC is correct for the bypass hose.

The crossover (AJ85885) isn't available in aluminium AFAIK, unfortunately.

IMO the original clamps are good for re-use barring any obvious damage. A pair of mole grips or large pliers works fine for removing them.

Edit: Just spotted the price on your link. I paid equivalent of around $12 from the dealer. Crossover about $50

Mike

 

There was very slight leaking around the hoses which wasn't enough to leave coolant on the ground, but enough to smell it burning on the motor. So I replaced the hose clamps just to make sure they were good and tight.

 

And now you have a bright aluminum piece in the middle of an all black engine . . . that is going to become corroded aluminum with white accents in a couple years.

PAINT THE NEW ALUMINUM THERMOSTAT HOUSING BLACK BEFORE INSTALLING.

 

FYI, the 8mm crowfoot wrench is "rare as hen's teeth" one can use a 5/16" wrench as they are same size. There are a few metrics that share usage with our inch size wrenches. Google has a listing. Looked for 8mm Crowfoot forever but never located. I had a 5/16" in my Std. set and used it for other chores. My stat bolts had Torx and made it less troublesome.

 

My recent experience... Tried heating and bending the open-end of a longer shank 8mm Craftman's wrench 45 degrees. Had to get it very hot to not break it off. Clamped a vise grip to box end. Sprayed bolts with Blast and let set overnight. Worked well on three bolts, but experienced a lot of flex in the wrench shank. Last bolt... drivers side rear was too tight to break loose. Attempted to cut and break piece to get at bolt. Easier said than done. Bolt head eventually rounded off. Bought entire metal housing replacement part, plus heater hoses under manifold, manifold gaskets, etc. for about $150 from Parts Geek (excellent quality) plus $150 labor cost by my mechanic. $300 and done with engine compartment sparkling clean. For the reinstall my expert Jag mechanic used four allen bolts and warned not to removed cap off top of thermostat housing once installed. Said it will tend to leak and have to be replaced new. And, yes, paint the housing flat black with heat resistant paint. Better luck to all.

 

Started the job today to replace the thermostat tower with the metal version. Bent an 8mm wrench (I used the open end as the working end and an L-shaped 8mm allen wrench went in the ring end to extend the wrench upwards for a socket). This worked great to loosen the passenger side rear bolt, but it just turned on the bold head on the drivers side - maybe I should have used the ring end but I was not sure it would fit.

So, I'll try a little longer since the bolt doesn't look too rounded, but I think I'm pretty close the stage where I use the pliers or chisel to break up the plastic tower. That of course will eliminate the possibility of being able to put things back together to take it to my local shop and have them do it...

...the problem is the rear bolt, the one that did loosen, won't come all the way out because the shoulder on the bolt head hits the inlet manifold before the bolt clears all the threads. Others seem to have got through this problem (without taking off the manifold, that is).

So what's the secret? when both bolts are loose can you then wiggle things out somehow?
I think I remember someone mentioning loosening the manifold bolts just enough to lift the front end a bit and get a bit more clearance. Is this really OK to do without removing the whole thing and changing gaskets?

 

The secret is you can loosen the intake manifold in about 10 minutes (10 intake bolts, 2 air tube bolts, 4 throttle body bolts, 1 bolt under the throttle body - all 10mm socket) to where it will flip up 6 inches and the tower is freely accessible. Stick a block of wood under it to keep it propped up and bolt it back down after the tower is on.


The only caution is to mind the knock sensor wires when lowering the manifold.