Help please. I have owned my XJL 2011 for five years. About five months ago it developed a coolant leak. The dealer nor my jaguar mechanic have been able to pinpoint it (dealer said it would cost $ 15,000 at minimum). My mechanic is certified and specializes in them. He has not been able to find the origin of the leak or where the fluid is going as there are no signs noted. It varies when I need to add coolant. It may need it after a few days or a few weeks based on how often I drive. So presently I just add coolant when the the light comes on. Please help any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. She has 79,000 miles presently.

 

Jaganaut, loak at your local auto parts store. They should sell a product that you can add to your coolant that is a flourescent dye. What this will let you do is run the car for a few days and then using a black light, you will be able to shine it into the engine bay and follow the glowing trail back to where the leak is coming from. If you don't see any glowing trails, then odds are you are looking at a head gasket that is starting to go. If you are suspecting a head gasket, you may want to pull the oil fill cap and see if you can spot any light brown/tanish goo in the opening and/or use the black light to see if it is glowing inside the fill hole. If it is glowing inside the hole, then your leak is going from the coolant system into the oil system, otherwise it is going into the cylinder and out the exhaust.

 

Did the dealership or the other shop pressurise the cooling system following a cold soak, preferably overnight?

The cooling system should be able to hold one bar of pressure for ten minutes. If not, there is an external leak from the water pump, or other source. If there are no external leaks, then a head gasket, as Thermo suggested, or cracked head may be the likely cause.

 

+1 in Thermo's dye advice.

The water pump is a known defect, but there are many other possible causes including, but not limited to, upper and lower radiator hoses and radiator, expansion tank and hoses, heater hoses and heater core, and head gasket. Finding the source of a water leak isn't rocket science and can be found by doing a visual inspection for coolant trails, coolant system pressure test, and/or cylinder compression test.

See these threads:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...oolant-193660/

www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xj-x351-53/survey-water-pump-replaced-132537/

"... The dealer nor my jaguar mechanic have been able to pinpoint it (dealer said it would cost $ 15,000 at minimum)." $15,000 to do what???

 

Thank you guys. I will start with the florescent dye and move forward with the other tests. I by no means want to insult the knowledge or experience of my mechanic. He has done some kind of pressurized test. I will ask him about the specific test mentioned above though. It has him puzzled as I have taken it to him a total of three times for the same thing. The last time he added some sort of sealant that worked for about a month and the low coolant light came back on. I have no idea what would cost $15, 000. I told them I might as well just not keep the car if it was that much. So I picked my car up and have been adding the coolant when it gets low every since but I would like to drive it more than just in the city.

 

It really sounds like a bad head gasket but they don't want to tell you.

When you pressurize it the pressure will drop about 2 psi as the cylinder fills with antifreeze and then it will hold that pressure for days.

I guess they don't want to say for sure that's what it is because it's a lot of money. If you keep driving it and adding antifreeze it will eventually destroy the gasket and you will leave clouds of steam wherever you go.

Saw a BMW diesel do that once. When they took off from a stoplight the steam covered both sides of the road. I wondered if he knew it or just decided to drive until he destroyed the engine.

That much money sounds like they are planning on replacing the engine or the heads I guess. I had a head job done 5 years ago on a Dodge V6 for about $1,200 or so. Even a Jaguar shouldn't be that much higher if you have an independent shop do it.

 

rhomanski, the head job may cost that much because the V8 is so wide, when pulling the heads, you may not be able to get out some of the bolts because they will hit other structures that are part of the body. This is a problem with all the new diesel engines when people go to "stud" their heads. Step one: remove cab from chassis. I know I had a hell of a time with my V8 gas engine in my Expedition because a single bolt on each side could not be removed completely when pulling the heads. You had to leave the bolt in and then twist the head just so in order to get the head off and that motor had "lots of room" when compared to the XJ.

 

Thanks, I wasn't aware this one was like that. I've seen it before with other vehicles but I've not worked on this one yet.

Makes my Corvette sound better and better. The hood and fenders all lifted up and the tire make a nice chair when you wanted to work on the engine.

 

My head gasket was replaced while my car was still under warranty, so I don't have any idea what the cost of it would have been. What I DO know, is that my car was at the dealership for nearly five weeks. Labor alone would be a killer in that situation!

Dwayne

 

You shouldn't blindly trust your mechanic. Lets put it that way, average IQ of automotive mechanics is lower than population's average. Add greed and laziness on top of that, and you really shouldn't trust one.

While these engines are pain to work on, $15K would only be reasonable estimate in the most extreme cases, like cracked block. There are hundreds of other things it could be, much cheaper to fix than that.

 

I don't mean to insult you because I agree with you for different reasons. That is quite an elitist attitude. Much akin to racism, only your using IQ to make yourself feel superior to others. Some of the smartest people are in prison because they were serial killers. Remember the unibomber?

The bottom line is anyone can be lazy, or prejudiced, or just a thief. As many people have found, don't trust your accountant. I try to be open and honest with everyone up to a point. Yes, I have been taken by the lazy, prejudiced, and thieves. It doen't happen twice though if I can help it.

 

If you don't trust your accountant, why did you give him your SSN, DOB, and your financial information to prepare your tax returns?

 

You should do a little more research into your google searches. I found the article from where you got your 95 number which is based on the below, highly unscientific correlation between income, jobs and IQ. No real IQ testing was done it is all supposition and conjecture.

The Audacious Epigone: Average IQ by occupation (estimated from median income)

 

That's funny. It says mine should be 102 and yet I've been tested at 140 several times. I'm not buying it.
Of course I am the quintessential underachiever.

 

What 95 number? Why do you assume I formed my opinion based on a specific article you found?

 

Bahaha, it says my IQ should be 103 (Engineering Tech) and the guys I work with (Nuclear Engineers should have an IQ of 121. Have you met some of these guys? I have met some really big rocks in that field. I trust my fellow techs to design things better than they do and will meet the requirements more. But then, I am just a "stupid tech".

As for what my IQ is, I don't care. IQ is simply a measure of how well you can learn something. It says nothing about being able to take that information and apply it. I met some people that could memorize books (literally) and quote them back to you. But, you put a wet paper bag over their head and they would suffocate. I guess I am a bigger believer in common sense than book knowledge. there is no number for common sense. Granted, it would be funny to come up with a number and then make it so everyone has to wear that number so you know who to rely on and who not to. Just saying.......

 

Seems reasonable since the number was 95 (lower than average) and it was the first thing that comes up in a search for "average iq by occupation".

If not there, where did you come up with your statement that the "average IQ of automotive mechanics is lower than population's average"? Since you are degrading a fairly large group of people, including some on this forum, I'd hope you have something to back up your claims.

 

As one that was a charter ASE Master Technician with a 2 year liberal arts degree earned in 1967 and retired as a mid six figures Senior Systems Engineer from HP in 2008. My IQ was tested above 145 I'll take any abuse you want to levy on auto techs that you entrust with your 100k car.

 

Anyone know what type of coolant a 2013 XJ 3.0L uses...? I just wanted to top off with some from a local auto part store. I didn't want to go to a dealer and get hammered on the price of coolant. Any recommendations on brand and type...? Thanks.

 

See: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...oolant-192464/