I know I should attach this to another link, but I wanted to get maximum
exposure and a solution to this common problem.

First of all, don't be an idiot (like me); read and remember all the
posts in a thread. I did, but then I failed to remember one post and
instead ordered a new coolant tank (Part #C2Z13764) from my Jaguar
Dealer. The vehicle is a 2006 NA 4.2 with 130,000 miles; thus, when
I noticed seepage around the nipple/hose on the top of the tank, I
figured, like everyone else, it was time for a new tank. WRONG!

Ya see, a few months ago there was this guy who posted to one of
the tank threads indicating that all he did was to remove the spring
type OE hose clamp and replace it with a worm drive clamp. Problem
solved! Early this week, I decided to replace the tank as I was planning
a thousand mile trip. The engine was still warm and I noticed that if
I put slight pressure on the top hose, it would leak out the end of the
hose where the nipple is attached to the tank. I figured that the
nipple had cracked and that was the cause of the leak. Wrong again.

When I removed the hose and tried to move the nipple, it was solidly
attached to the tank; since I had the new tank standing by, I actually
tried to break..not with a lot of force..but enough that I thought it
should snap off. Couldn't break it. It seems like it would take a lot
of force to snap it. I realized that it wasn't the nipple leaking
and that the tank was o.k.; then I remembered what that guy had
said about the hose clamp.

At that point, I was running out of time and decided that replacing
the tank with a new one was just a waste of time and money. I filled
the tank, put the hose back on, and, I used the original spring clamp
which I relocated slightly from its original position closer to the tank.
Returned home after 1,425 miles of driving, and the tank is showing
no leakage. That's all it took; didn't even have to buy a new hose
clamp!

Should have listened to that guy who posted his repair solution. Or,
applied Occam's Razor..the simplest answer is usually the best. So,
guys and ladies, before you replace/blame the tank, relocate the spring
clip or purchase a new clip, install, and determine if the leak stops..
before replacing the tank.

As far as replacement antifreeze, Jaguar's tag on the new tank says to
"use only long life engine coolant Ref WSS-M97B44-D coloured orange".
You can pick that up at Wal-Mart; it's Prestone's version of Dex-Cool
and the label indicates that it meets this requirement and it's orange.
About $12 dollars a gallon.

Oh yeah..if anyone really needs a new tank, it's yours for $130.00 dollars
including 2 day shipping anywhere in the US of A. PM me.

Cliff

 

Thanks for your very informative post. That plastic nipple usually does crack and leak, but as you said, sometimes it may just be the clamp that needs to be replaced with a better one that can be screwed and tightened. You've proved that it's worth taking a good look at the clamp before moving on to the plastic nipple....

Our 2005 S-Type's original coolant expansion tank was replaced right at three years ago. I inspect it every weekend as part of my once-over checklist, and it appears to be holding up thus far. Time will tell....

 

Well, when we experienced the coolant tank leak, I can say that the nipple was not cracked nor broken, but a very tiny pin hole that had developed just under where the hose attached. I could have moved the hose and clamp a tad forward and "fixed" the problem. I opt'd for a new tank from Nalley Jaguar for $120.00 shipped.

Joyce will not have to worry if she is on a road trip and all of a sudden she experiences a low coolant light nor an over heating vehicle, something like "stuck in the middle of nowhere".

Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

Hehe...full circle! Way back in the days before I discovered this great forum, I attempted to adjust the clamp on my daughter's 03 at the "turret" - the opposite end of the hose you are discussing....nipple separated with the hose...appeared to be made of dried oatmeal. A few years later, wife's 05 sprung the sort of leak you describe, wetting the groove in the top of the tank around the perimeter, and as soon as I put pliers to clamp it was obvious the nipple was cracked at the bottom. Good find....but....you will eventually need that new tank, unfortunately a matter of "when," not "if."

I thought it was well-documented item that the Jag Orange coolant was Zerex G-05?
However, I recently did a complete flush and fill on my PSD Exc with Zerex G-05 and it was definitely yellow, not orange, still...it is an ELC coolant.

 

If I could fit my 1999 Dodge Ram coolant expansion tank into our S-Type, I would do it in a heartbeat. That tank is the most robust plastic one I've ever seen. The single hose nipple on it is built like a fire hydrant. That tank would probably cost no more than thirty bucks at the dealership parts counter....