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I think i need to change the pipes to the rear of the engine as i am getting drips of coolant from that area. Is this the pipe that has more pipes branching off it?. Is this a common problem, and has anyone done the job with a walk through on how to and what tools are needed to do it. Many thanks. Anthony. Jaguar XKR 2001 model.
I think you are referring to what is commonly referred to as the octopus hose. Yes its a common problem, no apparently it isnt easy, i think i remember seeing at least one write up on the forum through the years
Often called the octopus hose, the leaks usually begin once the lousy plastic Norma connectors that are part of the assembly deteriorate enough to allow coolant to get by them. Many of us have resolved this problem by cutting the failing Norma connectors out and replacing them with the appropriately-sized brass hose barb, a short section of new hose, and three new hose clamps. I did this job on my wife's 2006 XK8 nearly two years ago and have not lost even one drop of coolant from the system since....
^^ This too.
They can fail (the one that connects to the cylinder block at the front of the motor seems to fracture at that joint), causing coolant to run along the valley and drip off at the rear.
Appreciate they're a bear to access on the supercharged cars, but they're also a common problem
I have been trying to figure out how to remove the coupler on the spider hose as this is where the leak is coming from. It would be much appreciated if one of you learned members could shed some light on this. Will the the throttle body need removing as there is no room to get my hand down to the pipe. Many thanks. Anthony.
Ant, removing the throttle body is about 100x easier to do than it looks/seems. Don't let it intimidate you at all. I had to do mine last yr with a similar leak.
You don't seem to have mentioned it so I'll bring it up. IMO you NEED a pressure tester. Friend without eyes on the active leak or worse yet leaks, well I don't know how you could do the job. There's just too many places for leaks to occur down that way! My leak turned out to be a plastic connector- I would have probably bought a new hose without the pressure tester.
Now, when I did the job I bought a long flexible heater hose release too that was invaluable. If you like i can photograph it for reference.
Quick sidebar. Before I bought my own pressure tester I couldn't seem to find a rental that would fit. From what I've read here, my experience was unusual, most others have no problems. If you're in a jamb like I was tell me and ill share the specs for what I successfully used on my 98. Maybe it was just my local autozone, others seem to be able to get the rentals easily enough.
I'm assuming the problem connector is the one on your passenger side.
If you follow Jon89's route, you can simply cut through the octopus at the green line.
To remove the connector, press on the tab circled in red, and push the collar back towards the hose until the green band is covered. It should then just pull off the metal pipe to which it attaches.
Having said that, it's entirely likely that the thing will just fall apart in your hands anyway, since it's been baking above the catalytic converter for years. Probably just as easy to break it into pieces.
I can't help but think this car is due for replacement of the octopus and the two lines in the valley. Unfortunately, being SC that's a huge undertaking. Regardless of miles, they've been there 20 years.
Do you know the size of the coupler you need to join the metal pipe to the rubber /Is it 3 clips a bit of hoze (19mm-3/4 )
and a 19 to 19mm connector or do we go 16mm 5/8.
I can get one in stock for my next trip to france !!
I used a 3/4" by 3/4" brass hose barb sourced from my local NAPA store, a short section of new 3/4" heater hose, and three new worm-drive hose clamps. Coming up on exactly two years since the fix and that area has not leaked a single drop of coolant since. Getting rid of these lousy plastic Norma connectors is a no-brainer....
Quick sidebar. Before I bought my own pressure tester I couldn't seem to find a rental that would fit. From what I've read here, my experience was unusual, most others have no problems. If you're in a jamb like I was tell me and ill share the specs for what I successfully used on my 98. Maybe it was just my local autozone, others seem to be able to get the rentals easily enough.
John
John, I have a 2003 XKR with a minor leak. I pulled out my pressure test kit, but couldn't find an adapter to fit. I ordered a new coolant reservoir with cap, and was going to modify the old cap, but I'm all ears if you have a better solution.
I bought a new res with cap from RockAuto and just used the cap. The cap seems to get distorted after a number of heat cycles, and a new cap on the old reservoir fixed my issues with the cap being hard to R&R.
Water hoses.
