slow leak somewhere, what are possible problem locations? can smell it but no leaks on ground. reservoir is now empty. do i need to use the Jaguar brand antifreeze at $76/gal to refill?

 

This car has dozens of possible leak areas. If a visual inspection does not locate it, the system should be pressure tested with the engine off to locate the leak. This requires a purchase or loan of a pressure tester or a garage that has this equipment.

Although not authoriized by Jaguar, most agree that Dexcool orange coolant is an acceptable alternative to the Jaguar coolant.

 

Welcome to the forum bheath,

I've deleted your duplicated post from Jaguar Forums Advice / Feedback & Suggestion Center. This is the correct place to post questions about your XKR.

If the reservoir (Expansion Tank) is now empty, you should follow WhiteXKR's advice to determine the source of the leak before running the engine again. Overheating the Jaguar V8 can do serious engine damage very quickly.

When you get a minute, 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

Graham

 

Buy a coolant pressure tester- best $$ I have spent in a long time... I have use it no less than 20 times for myself and family/friends in the last 12 months.

 

Most auto parts stores will do a leak down test free.

 

The typical leak locations are the octopus heater hose under the throttle body, the heater hoses running under the intake manifold, the thermostat housing (plastic one) and the small hoses on the header tank due to the original clamps being too loose.

 

Dealer calls it a spider hose. Expensive part? Hard to get to and install. Any hints? mine has a slight leak so I check the reservoir often, but don't want to pay what the dealer is asking. I'd hate for the hose to bl;ow while on the road.

 

My take on coolant leaks is never to drive with one. They can get suddenly worse and strand you or damage the car. Sure not worth trying to save a few bucks on. Like betting your savings on a horse that never wins.

 

Oldmots is right. You cannot afford to fool around with a potential coolant failure. Nearly all of the hoses are accessible for the individual to repair/replace. Under the intake on an XKR may be a bit more than you want to handle. Some others are a little tricky, but that is what "we" are here for! We'll get you through it! Probably the single most common leak spot is the plastic joint visible adjacent the throttle body on the left side of the car. It is low, and sits near the transmission bell housing. you can view it by looking down the left side of the throttle body. There will probably be an orange stain, indicating a leak. One more suspect spot, is the bottom of the coolant reservoir. They can crack, and be very difficult to see or diagnose. Use a small folding mirror and flashlight to look when you pressure test the rest of the system.

 

I've been having a small coolant leak for the past month. Haven't been driving much at all though, but it appears it is getting worse. The coolant drips down from the transmission oil pan. There are traces of "orange splash" on the passenger side of the transmission.

I have investigated the engine compartment as much as I can, with intake off, so I can have a clear view under and around the throttle body, but everything looks clean. The space on the passenger side of the transmission is so narrow, it is really hard to find anything at all, especially without a lift.

Some questions:
- Any ideas on possible leakage points, or how to locate?
- Does SDD show coolant level?
- Which type of coolant does our cars use?



Cheers all,
Martin

 

Martin,

1. Drips of coolant at that location can often be from a pinhole or small crack in the Expansion Tank. Difficult to trace!

2. without hooking it up, I can't recall if SDD reports coolant level.

3. the coolant specification for your MY is WSS M97B44-D coloured orange, Extended Life Coolant. A 50/50 mix with water (I always use distilled). Change frequency is 5 years.

Graham

 

Graham,

thanks a lot for your assistance.

1. The expansion tank is on the drivers side of the car, but I see the traces on the passenger side of the car (LHD here). Still think that could be it?

3. Which brand of coolant are you using? Zerex Dex-Cool looks ok, but I cannot find anything around in Europe.


Cheers,
Martin

 

Martin,

1. NO - not the Expansion Tank. My brain was in RHD mode!

3. I use Jaguar coolant. With a change interval of 5 years any additional cost is insignificant compared with the fuel I use in that time.

Graham

 

Azeteg, that's exactly where mine was leaking. It turned out to be both the tunnel hoses and a crack at the back of the thermostat housing. The coolant ran down the valley and dripped off the transmission housing. I used a pressure tester, flashlight, and a dental mirror to locate the pin hole leaks. I was able to change them out myself, (half blind, ham fisted, arthritic, semi geezer) and the job is complicated by your super charger. If you find that is the issue there is a lot of documentation on this forum to guide you through the process.

 

Great answer Fulton- key here is pressure tester. It allows you to "force" the leak to happen real time as you are looking around for the drips.

I wish someone would have told me to buy one years ago, it would have saved me untold hours and $ on parts just guessing.

 

I managed to locate the leak today. Leak is very small, and doesn't always happen. It is the Norma connector where the heater hose connects to the engine metal pipe, and I've seen threads where this is being discussed as a common place for coolant leaks.

I guess I need to get myself a new heater hose then. While I'm there, any other items worth replacing? So far I only think of doing a proper cleaning of the throttle body, inlet elbow and EGR Valve (replacing gaskets when putting it back together).

 

I replaced all of my hoses 2 years ago on my XK8 '99 when I replaced all of the tensioners. It was an interesting project, but I felt it was time. All worked very well until late last year I started to see small pools of coolant when I would stop at home after a days drive. I looked everywhere and could not find the leak. This winter I decided i would find it as it is the ONLY service problem I have at the moment. I finally traced it down to the front and it appears to be dripping from the front of the engine block just under the water pump housing. I took off the belt and pulley. Removed the water pump that I replaced a year ago and cleaned everything up, put a tiny line of Form-A-Gasket around the openings of the water pump and replaced the pump and bolted it up. I let the water pump sit for a day to make sure it setup without pressure from the belt. I added coolant and I still have a leak that appears at the dead center of the bottom of the water pump at the bottom bolt. I have spent hours with lights and mirrors, standing on my head, and can't seem to identify exactly where the leak is coming from. It is at such a rate of one drop per second so that is a fairly good leak. I noticed two ports in the engine, left and right, just behind the water pump housing. They appear dry, but I'm curious where they come from or go to. I am thinking about getting my bore scope out and taking a look but it is hard to see with the pump on. Does anyone have any ideas where I should look? The valley under the intake pipes is dry. HELP! I need ideas.

 

Some designs of Water Pump have a 'weep hole' on the bottom at the front of the body. If the shaft seal is failing, coolant drips out of it.

I've seen some XK8 Water Pumps with a 'weep hole' and others without.

From your description, a leak from the pump shaft is one possibility to investigate.

Graham

 

This may be the problem. I went out and removed the water pump again and removed the metal gasket. Cleaned it up again and noticed two possibilities. On the metal gasket there are two egg shaped openings for the pump with a small lining of rubber around the inside edge. There is a 10mm section where it is not deformed but has come loose from the gasket. Also, the main round rubber gasket is very hard and does not fit very snug inside the case of the water pump. If you shake the pump it can fall out easily. I'm thinking the circular gasket has become brittle. Sad in just 2 years. Maybe the leak is receiving some contribution from the small separation on the side. In any case, I think a new pump and gasket set is the best solution to prevent any future failure.

 

Two years is an exceptionally short time for it to wear but given the serious damage that overheating can cause, the only place for a suspect Water Pump is in the bin.

The ones with metal impellers are best avoided as they are known to wear faster. Problems with the early plastic impellers are long gone and current ones have no reported issues.

Graham