Well the quality of some of the hoses sucks too. I had both a bad tank and hose. I've never had a small hose fail quite like this - A hole in the inner layer that then makes its way in between the layers and past a hose clamp!

I don't think this is just a Jaguar issue. It's a modern car very cramped engine compartment issue as well though a highly boosted straight six or four would alleviate the cramped quarters. There's a lot stuffed into this engine compartment. 4WD must make it horrific with a V8?

The preformed shape and thin wall construction of some of these hoses is a joke, a very bad one.

The next time I gain access I will completely replace that silly hose with a standard straight hose over the counter higher quality piece.

Meanwhile coolant still appears to be disappearing somewhere?
Just a long burping process or what?

It was 11F here this morning so maybe that's the issue?

PARANOID.

 

Argh! It's disappearing from somewhere but very slowly and you can smell it.
I can see nothing.

How does one get this lucky.

It may be time to stop driving the car anyway due snow, Ice and salt.

Perhaps an up on the jacks stands, belly pan off, full coolant pressure test in the late spring?

 

Has no one found a suitable aluminum aftermarket tank to replace these plastic fall apart tanks yet?

 

Not sure anyone really looked.

 

I looked around a bit and concluded that it would require having one made. I think you could cut the old one in half and see what special stuff might have to be replicated. The R-type has an extra nipple and a burp port.

Currently I don't suspect the the brand new tank of leaking but until I do a pressure test in a few months I won't really know where it's leaking.

 

So today is finally a nice enough day to have a look for the leak.

Two things pop up.

First of all this car is cursed.

The main connector on the bottom of the tank is loose and leaking even though I tested it off of the car for tightness before reassembly.

I also added 12" to the low coolant sensor harness because it was too tight when trying to put the tank back in place over all those other cooling hoses and DCCV. This is what caused it to jar loose in the first place.

When I removed the tank today the harness was nearly worn in half from rubbing! It's not like you carefully place it upon assembly it just sort of flops in there so WTH! There was plenty of slack this time.

I think I may just cut the sensor off and short it out so I don't get the dash warning light.

The bloody sensor has been the entire source of my problem for almost a year now. It was a false reporting there was no leak. Now it's actually leaking as well from my trying to get the bloody thing to stay in place during assembly!

Like I said cursed.

 

Looks like that connector just will no longer seal to the tank even though it's clipped securely. It dribbles out.

Straw that broke the camel's back for me on this car.

This car is just way too much trouble.

It's in nice cosmetic shape drives very nicely but it leaks coolant at the main tank connector and the tank is brand new.

55,227 miles.
No dings or dents at all.
Wheels refinished last year with no damage.

Tranny flushed last fall.
Tranny & engine oil cooler hoses replaced last summer.
Will need brake pads replaced asap, Akebono pads included.
Tires are two years old. Not driven during winters.

Somebody who wants to tackle this can make me an offer and come pick it up as is. No complaints after sale you know the cooling system if a MF'er on this car. It's why I'm selling. Hopefully you can fix it for a while. My patience is frazzled on this one.

I'm done.

Make offer.

 

I'm not sure if you replaced it, but the cap on the coolant reservoir controls the coolant pressure for the whole system. If it doesn't release excess pressure many problems can happen from too much pressure in the system. A new Jaguar cap is well worth getting, cheap too.

 

^^ Agreed. A new cap is a worthwhile expenditure as old as these cars are now. I've replaced the caps on both of our Jaguars within the past 18 months....

 

I'm trying to get it ready for sale. Any big issues are not going to get fix though. A new cap comes with the tank.

While I did manage to fix the leak at that sill connector to the tank it appears there is at least a slow leak elsewhere now as well.

When I started this latest round I was only reinstalling the low coolant level sensor that got knocked loose. I had no leak at all. Shortly after that the tank began leaking a lot at one of the nipples. I replaced the tank but it still leaked slowly and I eventually, once the snow stopped, traced the leak to the connector.

Here's the thing ... It's a beautiful looking car that drives perfectly with zero dents and the normal interior dirt & wear but ...

I need a reliable car and I will never trust this one on a long trip again. It's just a pile of bad things waiting to happen as I see it now. I think the 6 cylinder cars have much more room for working on the engine and even the std V8 is easier because the supercharger and intercoolers turn that engine compartment into a nightmare of hoses and fragile plastic bits.

Perhaps the next owner will have joy and energy to continually address these issue. I no longer do.

I will probably trade it in on a new car with a much better reputation and I will lease it. No more trying to fix modern cars for me. They are a disaster IMO.

 

I certainly understand your frustration. There's so much lousy plastic in the engine bay and once these cars get a bit long in the tooth, chasing the deteriorating plastic is not much fun. I had to replace some of the plastic cooling components in both of our Jaguars in late 2014 (the XK8) and late 2015 (the S-Type). They're both okay now but I've learned over the years that I must visually inspect as much of the cooling system as I can get my hands and eyes on at least every couple of months just to stay ahead of the game. These Jaguars demand a lot of attention and one day I will grow tired of it just as you have....

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. You know that if you elect to trade your car in on something else, you'll get next to nothing for it. I think you'll be better off taking the time to find a buyer who is specifically looking for an STR....

 

Perhaps but I'm not willing to pay for the under the supercharger coolant hose leak repair at this point. I'm also no longer willing to take on big repairs like that myself. I have on a short driveway and I'm not supposed to be doing repairs.

If I trade it in it's then their problem.

 

My 1998 XK8 low coolant light came on. After filling it and having the light come on again the next day I saw the tank leaking at the bottom. As I removed the tank the probe came out of the bottom of the tank. All I can see is a rubber piece that looks like it press fits at the tank connection but doesn't look like it would hold under pressure. That may be where my leak was coming from. How does the probe secure to the tank?

 

On the STR the probe just turn locks in with a 90 degree turn like a light bulb ! The plug should end up faceing the engine , it can not leak coolant from the probe socket on the STR tank . I find a bit of locktight 515 sealer on the neak of the coolant tank lower hose coupling always seals the o ring perfectly , several times I have fitted with out the 515 and it has leaked even with a brand new o ring seal , I'm sure rubber greese would also work , as the 515 is anarobic and never sets unless under flange pressure and is acting as more of a lubricant than sealer , but works every time !
I'm pretty shore the xk8 has a differant tank so the seal issue won't apply to you , but I would think the probe will be the same .

 

I just checked and your xk8 tank and probe is compleatly differant to the s type and/or R
It looks to me that if liquid is leaking from were the probe inserts then the tank is broken . We're the float tube meets the floor of the tank !

 

\
This is the S-type section, a very different car. You might want to start a new thread for this in the XK8 section.

 

Sorry if I asked this in the wrong place. Still new here. My tank and probe are exactly as the pictures show. I found a crack in the bottom of the tank and epoxied it, but haven't tested it yet. I'll order another tank, and hope the patch holds until I get it. What was confusing me is I didn't see any way the probe would keep fluid from leaking out with the loose fit in the tank, but I think I see now the probe is not in the fluid chamber itself, but in a dry area and must have a magnet that reacts to the float. This has been great help. Thank you.