hello all I'm new to the forum but i've been a jag owner for the past few years and have used alot of the advice you guys have given in this forum.You have been my go to guys.with that being said,I might have stepped in it this time.

My 97 xk8 had the lower radiator hose popping off at the thermostat housing causing a huge coolant loss.(did it twice) yesterday it happened and car overheated.after letting it cool I discovered that it won't start. there is no coolant in the oil, but when I turn the key it tries to crank but the oil pressure gauge moves very slightly and battery voltage is low. I went and got a new battery but the same thing happens and there's a huge coolant leak at the back of the engine.

Needless to say I don't know where to start on this one. where is the leak coming from? Blown head gasket or just replace engine. really want to do the best thing financially here. as always any insight is greatly appreciated guys.
thanks in advance.

 

Moving you over to the XK8 section.

Tries to crank, or tries to fire, two very different things.

If the engine is seized or the bores are full of coolant it will have a job cranking. Remove the plugs and see if will turn over.

Blowing a main hose off, in my experience is generally due to high pressure, which can be caused by exhaust gases being forced into the cooling system from a blown head gasket, or worse a crack.

Others will chime in.

 

cranks but wont fire.suspect that a bad radiator cap contributed to the build up of pressure in my cooling system and suspect that my massive leak comes from a busted valley pipe. can I diy that?

 

yikes, coolant loss from the rear of the engine should really be looked at before you go further. head gasket being blown is certainly possible. At least the engine did not sieze up if it still 'cranks' over. Could be cylinder wash causing the no-start too. There's links in FAQ thread that you can surely get some help diagnosing and correcting that. But be careful, and get that rear coolant leak checked too...it may be alot worse.

 

Just changed my heater hoses, and there are a LOT of them. 2 run under the intake manifold, then there are several forming a manifold for the heater, located at the back of the engine. You may have one of these that has a hole in it. Unfortunately, when you see it, you will be aware of how convoluted the arrangement is. Also, about the only alternative if one is leaking is to change it, as the "hose manifold" as I call it, is all molded together. There are some disconnect areas, but I found it easier to extract the entire manifold as a complete assembly, and prep the new hoses on the bench. If you do this, you will also discover your electric water pump for the heater, which is interposed with the entire "hose manifold" at the back of the block, between the engine and the firewall. Make a drawing of the hose routing, because it gets complex.
I hope it is just a hose. They are annoying, but at least a reasonable and fairly quick fix compared to major engine work.

 

the heater hose assembly, affectionately called 'the octopus' is well known in my garage. Its hard to mess up the reinstall if you get the entire assembly from the dealer. With the premolded shapes, you can only screw up maybe two near the expansion tank. The others are different sizes and some won't reach nearby potential points of connection.