My 2016 R was struck by a significant coolant leak last night. Got a low coolant warning and was able to add coolant and nurse the car home, but now need to decide on next steps. The upper coolant pipe appears to be fine. I can see coolant in the valley under the supercharger inlet (and all over the ground) so I am suspicious the lower coolant pipe is the culprit. I am looking at buying the full coolant system upgrade kit from Euro AMP, but have a couple of questions:

1. Does my diagnosis seem reasonable? I can't get a good look at the lower pipe to confirm an issue.
2. Is the aluminum coolant pipe install a reasonable DIY job? I'm pretty mechanically inclined and have tools (and willing to buy as needed), but don't want to get in over my head. I haven't had my F Type very long, but have done VAP lower pulley install, changed air filters, etc. I think the real question surrounds removing and reinstalling the supercharger.

Thanks to a few good threads on the aluminum cooling pipes I think I have a pretty good idea of what is involved, but it seems there are more posts about how a shop did the job than about owners DIY'ing this particular task. Input/Advice is appreciated.

 

I'm getting ready to do the same job, as a preventative measure. Like you, I'm a capable mechanic, and pulling the supercharger seems like a task with a fairly modest level of difficulty. I'm not worried that it will be too much. I expect it to be a weekend task, as long as I am properly prepared.

Just an FYI, we can get wrapped around the axle about coolant types. It is good to know that regular old Prestone "all vehicle" 10 year concentrate, cor-guard, purchased at WalMart is about as good a coolant as is possible. It is silicate free (preserves water pumps) , and OAT (organic acid technology) much like modern versions of DexCool and nearly all other modern coolants for gasoline engines (such as Ford Orange/yellow, Mopar and on and on). Today's Prestone 10yr all vehicle coolant is NOT the old school green (even though the color is similar) and does not have any of the negative characteristics of old school green coolant which is IAT, Inorganic acid technology.

Replacing your plastic cooling system parts with aluminum is a good move. ALL of today's coolants are fantastic, but they are hard on plastic.

 

Note that the water pump is also somewhat prone to failure.

 

Thats what my recent coolant leak was, failed water pump. Had coolant all over the front of the engine bay, pass side (US spec car).

 

I have a low mileage 2016 Type R AWD and I am going to have the coolant pipes and the water pump replaced as a preventative measure in near future.
I have purchased the aluminum coolant pipes from Euro Amp as well as the small pipe attached to the back of the water pump.

I am working on finding a qualified indy mechanic to do this work as opposed to the dealer.
Not interested in taking on this project myself mainly for piece of mind and later on for resale value having records in hand.

 

It will take a while but you can DIY. High probability that one of the coolant pipes where they enter the block under the supercharger has cracked right at neck where they enter the block, It's a very common failure. I did it on a 2013 XF which basically has the same system. Probably take you most of a day to do it, just alot of stuff to remove to get the pipes out. Consider changing out your SC coupler while you have it all opened up, they wear quite bad as well. Water pump as well depending on your mileage. When the one on the XF went, the pipe split in the middle and at the neck where it entered the block.

 

Reasonable yes, read through this thread (last page first) and will help you immensely. You can totally do this yourself.

Aluminum Cooling Pipes - Finally!! - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

 

My mechanic said it was a PITA...and he is a bmw engine bearing rebuilding all day long person. FYI. THey pulled the hood off the car to make it easier to do without scratching the hood...one can pull it full vertical with just loosening the shocks...ymmv.



Did the fluid (it can be hard to get...FORD is ok...make sure you have the coolant ready). Thermostat (hard to find). Waterpump. Belt. Metal pipes. I did the rear plast piece that can fail with a new one just in case anyway since we were there (30 dollar part...). Also did the s/c fluid. SC snout (turned out to be about to go in my case.....no symptoms). 20 dollar ebay solid part.

The only think left for me now is to replace the rear plastic thing (closest to driver/passenger) once a metal one is made (hopefully soon). EuroAMP has full kits....just saying. Snout stuff is on ebay (fluid, solid part). Have had no issues since. Burping the coolant is apparently a pita too. There a a few small metal pieces to replace too...I did them all.

Not a small job. I was a machinist a long time ago....I felt it best to pay an expert as things can break along the way....it paid off as an intake plastic piece was found to be cracked and got fixed, etc. Plus, 2y warranty on the work...not the parts but the labor....since I supplied the parts.

 

Hi guys,
Here's a question I have not seen in previous posts. The part that is being discussed here is the plastic Y part that eventually cracks from the heat caused by the engine. Jaguar Land Rover clearly knows about this issue. Have they rectified this defective cracking part. And if it is not defective let's call it low grade low quality maybe even borderline cheap and therefore the part cracks after a certain point in time. For the newer car model f-type sports cards, model year 22 and 23, has Jaguar installed a completely different upgraded revised better part, so the newer car models no longer experience the cracking/leaking issue which is discussed here in this thread. Thank you so much.

 

Supposedly, JLR redesigned the plastic pipes with new pieces but they are still plastic. They may have switched to a more heat resistant type of plastic for the new pipes.

 

Your answer makes sense.

 

There is no “supposedly” about it. The parts were indeed redesigned (and I have a set “just in case”); the newer version no longer has the seams where the early version could (and often did) split. So far the redesign seems successful but for long-term use, the aluminum aftermarket version is clearly a better bet

 

Can someone please post the link for this part.

 

Search Ebay for Jaguar aluminum coolant pipes.

Example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/22499148655...3ABFBMyrej1PBh

 

You can even get them on Amazon:

MITZONE Upgraded Coolant Pipe Water Outlet compatible with 2010-2020 Land Rover Range Rover （Sport） LR4 Discovery Range Rover Velar Jaguar XJ XF XE F-Type F-Pace 3.0L 5.0L Supercharged https://a.co/d/2NDRdqu

 

Yes and you were smart too wait to get them too!
They started at around $215 for the pair and they must be selling like hotcakes because the price has now dropped to around $60 for both Al. pipes!! Heck even more price drop as that Amazon link has them for $53 for the pair! So I think they are now even cheaper than the factory plastic parts?

Yes I paid the large original price but still happy I got them. I was afraid at first they would soon go out of production because of limited demand but apparently not!
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