Read today in classic car mag (there was an article on buying used xk8/r's) that the valley pipe under the xkr supercharger needs to be replaced at intervals (about 7 yrs, I think). Can anyone expand on this theme, and what is the downside of not replacing it?
Any info gratefully received

 

I believe this is the exact same coolant hose on the STR's that tends to go bad. Unfortunately you cant see it or check it because its as you said "in the valley".

I have seen these go early on and there are some folks with 10+ year old cars and over 100k on the clock that have never replaced it. Most of us have elected to replace it during a SC pulley upgrade or other maintenance where the SC had to be removed.

I had to replace mine a while back due to it starting to leak and leaking down the backside of the motor. That said I wouldnt mess with it unless you are experiencing some sort of a leak or are taking the SC off for service anyway....

The proceedure is not easy, very time consuming and if you send it to the shop to have done you are looking at $1200-$1600 for this repair.

FYI the hose only costs $20 and is readily available!

Cheers!

 

Hi cbharley,
thanks very much for your prompt reply!
If this pipe is part of the cooling system, I assume that if there was a leak, you would get a little bit of warning as the temp gauge went up
Cheers, Greg

 

Greg,
I've moved your post into the XKR section, although cbharley has effectively answered your question.
The temp gauge in these cars is an 'idiot gauge' and only starts to move when things are dire.
Even so I've not heard anyone suggest routine prophylactic replacement.