Took my '97 XK8 for a "spirited run" and then noticed the temp gauge buried in the red. Pulled over, no noticeable "overheating" , the hoses were full and hard. Let her cool down and opened the reservoir and everything looked o.k.


The car ran well for about a minute and the gauge went north again but this time got stuck in limp-home mode and now runs like crap.


Anyone experience this? Could the thermostat be toast?


Thanks,


JBD

 

"Anyone experience this? Could the thermostat be toast?"

Yes, Plus a Damaged Water Pump (Plastic Vanes Demolished).

 

<p>+1on Paul's recommended checks</p><p>When you have a moment, stop by the new member section and post an intro, in return you will receive a warm welcome and plenty of useful tips/links to navigate the forum:</p><p>New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

 

Welcome to the forum CHIP ABBADESSA,

Sadly I think you're in for some very bad news. Overheating is a Jaguar V8 engine killer. Follow Paul's suggestions of Thermostat and Water Pump. You may just be lucky.

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some info about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

I'm betting on Paul's water pump suggestion as I recall it impacts 97 and 98 Jags. When that happened to me, I could actually watch the temp indicator go down when I increased the RPMs at idle - I suppose the damaged blades could move more water at higher RPMs. When he saw that my mechanic was sure it was the water pump. Not suggestiong you try this just an interesting point for the future.

I recently had the Crankshaft pulley go bad causing this (indicator goes into red) to happen to me. How could you tell right now? The tension on the belt will be mushy - you could depress it 2 inches with your hands between the pulleys. The pulley wasn't solidly mounted it was loose. After it cooled down I tried again, after a block or so I started to lose power steering and saw alternator not charging. I only mention this because it turns out to be a bit more common than I ever would have thought. My mechanic wasn't surprised at all by it.

I forget of Paul mentioned it but there is a TSB on the water pump issue fyi.

good luck let us know how you do.

John

 

Engine killer??!! Yikes! How do I trouble-shoot the difference between a bad thermostat and water pump short of "try it and see" method? Will the car go into cripple mode and throw codes from the engine temp? Sorry if I sound like a total newbie....

 

Don't worry about the difference between the thermostat and water pump on your '97 as you should completely rebuild the 18 year old cooling system. Unless you have knowledge or documentation of previous work the thermostat, thermostat housing, water pump, cross over pipe and the upper and lower hoses should be replaced. And the coolant of course. While all that is going on a new serpentine belt would be appropriate. There is a couple hoses under the intake manifold that are more difficult but need replacing also.

Any of these can put you on the side of the road if not in the shop for a new engine.

How long since the coolant has been replaced?

 

The temperature gauge is useless in the XK8/XKR. The engine is way over heated before the gauge moves off the normal sector.

Check this link for more information and the perfect solution:

XK8 / XKR / XJ RealGauge - TheJagWrangler

Graham

 

water pump and tstat housing stuff is CAKE job on these cars. I would look at that first.

 

Sensor in Tstat could be bad also telling computer reading it is not expecting thus making it run like ****.

 

Thanks for the advice, although the car has less than 34k miles it's still an 18 year old car and I'll replace everything within my limited mechanical abilities.

 

I believe no one has mentioned the chain tensioners yet. Add removing the valve covers to see if the original plastic tensioners have been changed unless the service records state otherwise.
Use the search function for 'secondary chain tensioners' for more information.

 

Chip,
Aloha, which island are you on.

 

My next job (if something doesn't fixin')

 

Windward O'ahu

 

I just wanted to update and thank all those who helped me sort out my cooling issues: Purchased thermostat and water on Amazon (less than $75! NAPA wanted $115 just for the water pump). Took off the water pump and it looked like the inside of a garbage disposal with chunks of plastic jammed throughout! Took less than 30 minutes to swap out and it runs like a charm! Also purchased an OBDII Bluetooth adapter to use the Torque app on my tablet to keep a better eye on key engine readings. Thanks again!

 

I love love the Torque app. I have used it on many cars to pull codes.

 

Repeat ! ALERT!
Check the secondary tensioners by removing the passenger valve cover.
If they are red/orange plastic they need to be replaced immediately.

 

Even the Third Gen Metal Bodied Tensioners will have the Wear Shoes turn Red/Orange with time. Just check for the Metal Bodies.

 

I'm having the same issue. Is there a guide here on replacing the thermostat and housing and water pump? If so, where can if find it? thanks in advance!