Hello to all!

I haven't posted in a while, though have been lurking in the background.

I just recently completed a few repairs:
2 coolant hoses under supercharger
New eurotoys pulley (2.5 / grinded snout)
LOW TEMP thermostat
Mina intake & new throttle body tube.
Mid muffler and resonator's delete with added xpipe.
New knock sensors
25m rear & 15m front h&r spacers (with 20" Detroits) Oh Ya!
Hawk front brake pads
Trans pan kit, new screws, fluid, & sleeve.
Sun visors (Thanks Sam)
New belts (both)

Cleaned and degreased everything. Egr pipe was cracked, had it welded.
(Dealer wanted $220.00)



Mostly all thanks to JTES (my garage looked like a surgery table)

It runs and sounds like a dream.......... However I am worried that it is running too hot. I know the factory gauge is next useless, which I have never gone over half (though I hear by then it's too late)

I have taken our kitchen thermo and let it sit in / on top of the supercharger and have had readings up to 203 F.

Research says normal temp is between 180 - 210. So I should be good right?
It seems like it runs ALot hotter than before. I already know that the smaller pulley makes it run somewhat hotter. (I assumed Eurotoys low temp thermostat would offset the difference)

I just want to ensure that I am not doing any long term damage.

Thanks in advance for any advice!


P.S
Sold the ML and Lexus, fixed up the Jag, bought a Audi Q7 and hunting for a Raptor.

 

In normal weather, mine runs about 198-200 F. In hot weather (100F) it will touch 210F until I am able to drive and get the air moving again. On rare occasions in heavy traffic it has hit 215 when the fans come on to cool it back down.

Given your setup, I would think anything under 210 would be normal. Maybe someone with a modified pulley XKR can give you a better temp range to expect. And as I am sure you know, cooler is generally better.

I have whitexkr's RealGauge installed on my XK8. I highly recommend it as a upgrade well worth the cost, especially with all you have invested in that engine.

 

+1

Don't guess the temperatures or assume it will be OK after all that expensive upgrade work.

For accurate monitoring, you could go with:

1. WhiteXKR's RealGauge for a permanent monitoring solution

2. a scantool such as AutoEnginuity with the Jaguar Expansion pack which reads coolant temperature to the degree

3. Torque Pro on Android for a working temperature gauge

Graham

 

I bought Ultragauge for my XK8, but now that I have the Realgauge mod I use it in my XJ6. It's still around $70m has over 50 functions, and can read and erase engine codes. Early problems were eliminated by using 9141 forced protocol to connect. I know it's expensive to import to England and the continent, but Canada should not be a problem.

 

Love,

Given the type of work and experimentation you are doing I would put an Infrared Thermometer in your tool kit. They are pretty cheep from Harbor Freight and sometimes on sale for as low as $25.

You get quick before and after readings plus multiple trouble shooting applications.

 

The supercharged engine in particular gives off a great deal of ambient heat, and the smaller pulley increases this even more. When you open the hood after your engine has been running this is pretty apparent.

The most accurate, easily accessible measure of how hot the engine is running internally is coolant temperature. With a low temperature thermostat your cruising temperature should be around 190 or so. With a standard thermostat it will be around 200. Temperatures will increase when you are not moving, and the fans should kick in no higher than 215 to immediately bring the temperature back down.

With the price of a Chinese made ELM327 USB or Bluetooth reader OBDII scanner that reads and clear generic codes and monitors realtime data including coolant temperature at under $20, everyone should have at least this scanner in their toolbox.

As mentioned, the RealGauge that I sell is a permanent monitoring solution that is always on guard and help you see developing coolant system problems. It also has audible alarms for high temperature and low oil pressure.

One other point of note is that the intercooler fluid circuit, though connected by a vent tube to the engine cooler fluid circuit, is largely thermally isolated from the engine coolant. One can add an aftermarket coolant gauge to this circuit to monitor intercooler temperature, which should be only a few degrees over ambient air temperature when the intercooler and intercooler pump is operating properly.

 

I was also a little concerned also when i compared my 05 with my 03; the 05 with the s/c runs at around 200 on highway, up to 213 idling with A/C on...vs 195 -200 under the same conitions with my 03. Sounds like you're just fine.

 

When I'm out driving around and pull over I can put my hand on the intercooler and hold it there for a few seconds. If the car sits parked for 30 min. after a drive it's much hotter due to the heat coming off the engine. When I first got the car I didn't know I had a bad I/C aux. coolant pump but can tell you I could've fried burgers on the I/C's. Just might want to make sure your aux. coolant pump is operating.

 

Which models Jags use the coolant gauge that doesn't work until there is a problem. I know your real gauge works for X308's and the X100's. But is my X350 XJ and x-type affected by the same problem too?

 

Yes they have the same problem, but they use a different design for the instrument cluster than the X308 and X100 which share the same instrument cluster design.

I know how to, and hope to develop RealGauge for these models eventually, but it will take considerable time which is unfortunately scarce for me at the moment.

 

Sorry to awaken this discussion, but can anyone else confirm what the "normal operating temperature" might be for an XK8?

Mine seems to like running between 205F and 210F (a/c off, cool day or not). This just makes me so nervous!

 

That is acceptable, but perhaps slightly on the high side.

Make your radiator fins are not clogged with debris.

You might have some wear on your plastic water pump vanes or your thermostat may be slightly out of spec.

 

In Florida, mid-summer, While cruising around town or on highway I run 195-200. Up to 210 only when sitting in traffic.

 

I suggest using the normal thernmostat to keep the engine in the temp deisgn range. Check that the fans are running when they are supposed to and at the correct speeds. one sure way to tell if the engine is running hot is if you do a shut down right after a run and the fans stay on. If they do, dig into it. If not, you're probably okay. To be sure, focus a infrared thermometer at the radiator hoses, the top one will be the hot one. If it is no higher than 215 right after shut down, its fine. One thing to note is that there are two fans, one main one (left) and a secondary one (right). The module that runs them will run them both at different speeds so just be sure they are running. If you turn on the AC on a hot day and let it sit 10 minutes running, both fans should switch into high speed, with the left one gouing into high first.

 

The 97-02 Fans run at the same time, either in Series (Low Speed - Quiet) or Parallel (High Speed - Very Loud).

03 and up can be controlled individually.

 

Wait, so the fans aren't supposed to stay on for about 10 seconds after shut down???

 

No, there is a problem. Your fans are compensating for a cooling system malfunction. Start with the thermostat.

 

My low speed fan comes on for about 10 seconds after shutdown when I pull into garage, but I have to leave it idling while I go into the house to open the garage door. It has a thermostat that I checked out and does not run hot.

 

I installed a new thermostat as suggested above. The temps now run between 197F and 203F Does this sound about right, or do I need to continue to the next step? The fans still seem to come on after parking the car, but it happens 50% of the time now, and the duration is much smaller.

 

I have all new hoses, a new radiator (don't ask) and fresh coolant. My usual temps range about the same as yours. I am in a warm climate, with most of my driving in city stop and go conditions. So I'd say you are OK.