Sometimes I get antifreeze smell from the A/C vents. I also realized that I am loosing antifreeze but very little, I have to put like 5 Oz every 400 miles. Might be a bad heater core or antifreeze leaking from Heater core.I never used A/c heater since I live in Florida. My first question is , will the antifreeze keep flowing through the heater core even if the heater is not on.Second question is where is the heater core located in Jaguar Xj 2011 and can I replace it on my own without going to a mechanic.

 

ysiva, based on what you are describing, you need to get a pressure test done of your coolant system. You will be able to remove the cap off the overflow bottle and then press the system up to 15 psig. From there, you can start looking around the car to see where the coolant is coming out. You may want to even invest in some UV dye to put in the coolant to make finding where the leak is coming from. You will need a black light if you use the UV dye.

Odds are, your leak is actually coming from the water pump. That is where our cars tend to leak coolant from. You will be able to see a small stream coming out if you do the pressure test. The coolant can pool on the engine and once the engine is warm, will cause things to turn into a vapor and will then get up to the intake to the ventilation system and cause you to smell the coolant. If you find that the coolant is touching the ground back at the firewall when you do the pressure test, then that would indicate that your leak is in the heater core.

Water flows through the heater core any time the engine is running. It is all a matter of whether the dampers are allowing the air flowing through the dash to run across the heater core. As for replacing it, this is a fairly involved job that would involve removing the dash. So, probably not something that you would want to do in your driveway (not impossible, but not a 2 hour job).

 

^^^^ this, and never seen a heater core fail in a x351, x350 sure they clog up. Never replaced one of those for leaking either

 

Thank you .

Today I tried something new ,. I turned my A/C from Auto to Manual mode and I did not smell any antifreeze. Can somebody tell me what might be wrong and whats going on

 

ysiva, odds are, if you did this right after you started the vehicle, the coolant had not been heated up on the engine block and therefore, was not turning into a vapor for you to smell.

If you go to your local auto parts store (Checkers, Napa, Autozone, O-Reilly's, etc), ask them for a "coolant pressure tester". most places will rent it for free (you have to put a deposit down when you pick it up, but get it back when you return the kit). Then all you do is find the adapter that fits on to the expansion tank opening. From there you pump up the tank to about 15 psi using the hand pump. From there, you are looking for any dripping. Odds are, if you look at the center of the engine (just under where the two intake pipes join to go into the engine), you will see a little bit of coolant there. This would confirm a water pump issue. May want to also check out the tubing that runs from the overflow bottle to the area by the throttlebody (you can easily see the single hose coming off the front of the overflow bottle towards you if you are standing in front of the car). This is known for getting brittle from heat/age and can develop into a problem too.

The other trick is getting some UV dye. What I would say is that you get yourself a "black light flashlight" and shine it into the engine bay at night before putting in the UV dye. This will let you know if someone has already put in some dye and you don't have some dye already on the engine (this may send you on a wild goose chase). Once you know where any bright areas are (where the UV dye has come in contact with the engine), you can add the dye and after say 100 miles of driving, shine the flash light in the engine bay again to see if any new spots have shown up. Do not forget to shine the flashlight under the car to make sure that the coolant has not reached the ground. From here, you should be able to trace a line of light back to where the leak is coming from. The only issue is if the leak is somewhat serious (which doesn't sound like is your case), you will see where the dye has been sprayed all over the engine bay because of the serpentine belt.

I wish you lived closer to me in SOMD, I would tell you to come over and we could get this pressure test done in about 15 minutes.

 

 

Thank you , I figured out where the leak is, it is near heater hose clamp under fuse box, it is a very small leak near the plastic clamp . Can I seal with JB bond sealer since it is a very small leak near the plastic clamp?

 

No replace the bad hose. Listen to what the others are saying. The hoses need replaced because of time and heat.
You will be back replacing things one at a time otherwise.
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and when that bonded plastic fitting completly breaks its spray coolant out fast and youll see a low coolant warning on the dash. Not pay too much attention because it isnt getting hot(doesnt read air reads liquid) and suddenly youll wonder why the engine died. Its because you melted the plastic intake, and plastic fuel line and the engine heads and block is now probobly warped and needs to be replaced. A remanned factory engine is 30k. Leave the reservoir cap slightly loose so the system doesnt build pressure to make the leak grow and order the new hose and replace it. Do not take the chance, not a wise move