Hello Everyone, lately I've been seeing a loss in coolant but never saw a leak until I removed the splash shield. There I noticed a leak from the passenger side near the corner of the radiator. I few days later I noticed coolant on the top rim of the reservoir tank. Made sense since the leak was directly below it.. I changed the tank this weekend and thought the leak was gone until today. Same spot.. Needless to say I was a little bit disappointed.

I'm going to pressurize the system ,but was hoping if someone knows of a common fail point or seen this leak location before. Maybe I missed something when I did the install?

The is so much going on in the area, so it hard to see any of the leaks.

Thanks so much.

 

Your new expansion tank should've come with a new cap so that's unlikely. If you saw coolant on the top rim, only other source would be the 2 hoses that attach to the tank.

I just replaced the radiator and both hoses and the expansion tank. There's definitely a lot going on in that area.

Getting that metal clip (seen below) on the tank outlet on the bottom can be tricky but that wouldn't cause a leak to be visible on the upper rim. Just mentioning it to verify it's properly seated.

 

My car had these symptoms, and before I purchased it the coolant expansion tank had been replaced twice. My particular issue was that the head gaskets had a leak under load, and while the radiator system would hold pressure, when the car was under power the exhaust gases pressurized the cooling system and once the pressure rating of the cap was exceeded, the cap released pressure (as it is designed to) and coolant escaped out the top of the reservoir under the cap and collected along the rim of the reservoir.

There are some tests you can do to see if this is your situation. First, run a white paper towel or similar under the radiator cap (the neck part on the outside, not the inside of course), is there any coolant? If not, then do the same with the small hoses going into the reservoir, perhaps one of those is leaking.

If there is residual coolant around the radiator cap, then you can do an exhaust gas test on the coolant system. This test uses a blue chemical test kit ($37 on Amazon) that if there is a head gasket leak it changers color. A full blown leak goes yellow from blue, a slight leak goes green from blue. Unfortunately the repair for a full blown leak and a slight leak are the same... replace the head gaskets.

It might be other things but it's easy enough to check. Good luck with it.

 

Thank you so much for the feedback. Boy that pic brings back memories of the coolant tank job and the metal clip that I lost/searched for 40 minutes before finding. lol. I'm pretty sure (99.5%) that the lower radiator hose/clip was installed correctly to the tank. I just drove to work popped the hood and everything is as dry as a bone.

Scooter you have me a bit nervous now. It leak yesterday after I did a lot of local driving going up and down some big hills. It does feel like the coolant leak occurs when the temp increased and engine under load. No issue on cold starts or light driving. I've performed the exhaust gas test on the coolant many times on my other cars. I always hold my breath when the results come in .... Did you end up doing the head gaskets?

Well I'm going to pressurize the system this weekend and also run the exhaust gas test in coolant, as well. I saw other posts where it leaked from a gasket from the Aux pump? I hope it's something silly.

Did I mention I hate leaks.. lol

 

I did replace the head gaskets. In my case the car had overheated and the cylinder heads required surfacing but if yours has not overheated resurfacing may not be required. I documented the replacements here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...one-go-243658/, but yours will be easier because ~ 10 hours is taking up in removing and replacing the supercharger, which of course in an XJ8 isn't an issue. It does require some specialty tools but these can be had on eBay and are not too expensive. The must frustrating part of the job is removing the AC and Power Steering brackets, but everything else is really just moving stuff out of the way. The most technically precise part of the job is setting the timing on the timing chain but even this is well documented in the manuals and with the right tools is not that bad. The three required tools are: a) quick release for the fuel supply (these kits are cheap on Amazon), the Jaguar / Land Rover timing tools, and the Jaguar / Land Rover crank pulley removal tool. The timing tools and the crank tool can be found on eBay.

So... for some good news, the engines of your XJ8 and your LR3 are nearly identical... everything you learn and any tools you acquire in addressing head gaskets on a XJ8 will port right over to the same job (with some adjustment for engine bay configuration) to the LR3.

But it may not be a head gasket, it could just be a leaky hose. The exhaust gas test will tell you.

 

Wow I took a look at your documented post. This is going to be some night time reading.. Excellent job and thanks so much for documenting the process, it did not look easy. Fingers crossed mine does not require a head gasket change, but I still like to see what the whole process entails. My LR3 has 140k miles and so far it hasn't developed any of these issues.... yet lol

 

Check your radiator side tank...

 

Thanks abonano! I'm going to remove the splash shield and get the front of the car on ramps when I pressurize the system. I'll check out the radiator side tank. Fingers crossed it's a easy repair whatever it is..

 

Update: I got chance to pressurize the coolant system (rented the tool from AutoZone and adapters) and to was flowing like Niagra Falls from the radiator side tank, so I'll be ordering a new radiator tomorrow.

I'm also thinking of changing out all the coolant hoses as well. What do you think? I saw a pretty good Youtube video today on the radiator removal.

 

That's great to hear (in that a radiator swap is a lot better than a head gasket issue). I would change out the radiator hoses, at this point they are ~18+ years old assuming they haven't been changed yet. When you order the radiator, if you use a discount parts online vendor, make sure you purchase a radiator with the integrated transmission coolers. The first radiator I bought when I did the swap didn't have a transmission cooler. Also, when you remove your transmission lines, inspect the crimps for leaks; mine started leaking following the radiator install.

The swap isn't that bad a job, though I do recall wrestling with the "sandwich" (radiator, AC condenser, supercharger heat exchanger) took some patience and a jack to hold things in place as a 'third hand' at times.

 

Hi mpasiuk,

Yes, it would be a very good idea to replace any hoses that will be easier to replace while you have the reservoir, fan/cowl assembly, upper radiator hose, and radiator removed. This will include the lower radiator hose, heater hoses, any octopus hose applicable to your year and model, etc. It is not critical that you replace hoses that are easy to do later if they leak, such as the upper radiator hose, the small return hoses to the reservoir, etc.

Identifying the correct hoses for X350s can be challenging because the hose designs changed over the course of the model run but the parts diagrams were not always updated accordingly. It may be worth consulting with your local Jaguar dealership parts department since their parts catalogs are more up-to-date than the EPC or the diagrams at parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.com and other online resources.

Just as on BMWs, the quick-connect fittings on these hoses seem to deform over time with age and thermal cycling, and about 30% of the time I try replacing just the O-ring inside the fitting they do not seal properly. So you'll do yourself a favor by replacing any hoses now that would be more difficult to replace later.

It would also be a great time to replace your water pump and thermostat, since access will never be easier. The Airtex AW4124 available at Rock Auto for about $41.00 plus tax and shipping is the same pump Jaguar now supplies as a replacement for around USD $250.00. If you decide to replace the pump, let us know and I'll pass along a few tips.

Cheers,

Don

 

I replaced the radiator in my 2004 VDP about 7 months ago. The video that I used as a reference and additional observations are in message #13 of my post https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...t-leak-239621/. Another reference in case the video you found is not the same as the one I used.

 

Thanks so much everyone for the feedback!

Scooter/Don: I'm going to change out all the hoses now for sure... I'm having an issue identifying all the hose I need to get though. I'm scared to go to the dealer for anything, but seems like I may not have an option. I wasn't thinking about changing out the water pump and thermostat. The car has 111K miles, so maybe time?? maybe... Scooterforever what do you mean exactly by the crimps? My brain is working a little slow today.

mhannaoui: I read through your thread.. My leak is in the exact same area! great thread, I'm going to use your tips. I was going to install the Nissens 66708. I just checked your 1AAuto radiator but it is out of stock. Also thanks for the o-ring tip, I didn't even think of changing.

 

I installed the Nissens 66708 and can confirm it's the right one.

 

Thanks.. For the Thermostat. It's it ok to just change the thermostat and housing seal? or is the housing an actual wear item as well.. Sorry for the silly question.. I'm gong to do everything.. Radiator, hoses, thermostat, water pump, belts... This way I won't need to touch that part of the car for a longgg time hopefully.

 

If your water pump is not seeping, you don't have to replace it now. It's easy enough later. But you'll never have better access than when you have the fan shroud & radiator out, and as I mentioned, the pump is cheap if you buy it from Rock Auto.

Regarding the hoses, you are probably going to find that there are no aftermarket versions of some of them, so the dealership or a Jaguar OE online supplier may be your only options. If you can't figure out a part number, a dealership parts department will help, although even they may have trouble identifying the correct part number. At least if they get the wrong hose in, they will have to take it back and find the correct one for you.

The Nissens radiators are excellent. I think I recall that the original radiators were by Behr, but I haven't seen any available for awhile at my go-to suppliers.

Cheers,

Don

 

I use jaguarlandroverclassicparts and get the jaguar part number and start hunting. Sometimes i buy from them and sometimes terrys jag in michigan. Both are oem suppliers

 

+1 to Don's comments about having better access to the water pump while you've got the radiator out. Now... my problem is that I don't seem to be able to say "enough" to the "while I'm here" type jobs, and my projects keep expanding. So, at the risk of passing along that bug: once you have the radiator fan shroud out and the coolant expansion tank removed, you have easier access to the front sway bar bushings if those are worn out on you.

As for the 'crimps' on the transmission cooler lines, these lines are the pair of aluminum transmission cooler lines that run from the tranny to the cooler in the radiator (US driver's side tank of the radiator). The last bit of the lines are flexible hoses, and they are joined to the hard aluminum lines by "crimp fittings". These crimps will leak over time. Just something to watch out for. When I replaced my radiator the crimps failed (must have been well on their way out already) and I got drips of ATF after that.

 

Hello All -

Reading thread with great interest - because.....

I'm looking at buying a 2004 XJ8 VDP that is really nice in just about every way - to replace my 2005 super V8 which needs a TON of work - which I won't do

The VDP (body, tires, rims, clean engine bay, well documented work over the last 45K miles, very clean body and under-carriage) etc

But - when I looked under hood the upper coolant hose was VERY swollen VERY SOFT and actually had a crack in it at entry to radiator).

A/C condenser replaced, as was thermostat about 3-4 years ago. Seller said mechanic said the hoses (involved in those repairs) were in good condition at that time, but -

The condition of the upper coolant hose gives me pause to buy the car since it alerts to the idea that all the relevant coolant hoses need done.

Seller has put a extra cooler line for the transmission which has been drained (part fill techniques) and flushed now recently w/o problem.

My question - in this scenario how likely is it that only the upper coolant hose needs to be replaced? This is something I would tackle but not the rest.

I consider the condition of the car not drivable as one could have a catastrophic failure of those hoses -

Thanks
Mike D.

 

Hi Mike,

I think the odds are good that any 15-year-old luxury-performance car you might consider purchasing is going to have rubber and plastic parts that are past their prime, whether it's a Jaguar, BMW, Mercedez-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Porsche, etc. The condition of that upper hose certainly does suggest that other hoses must be checked and possibly replaced. The worst to replace are the valley hoses.

But in the grand scheme of things, there are few other cars you can buy at X350 prices that will deliver the class, performance and ownership pleasure.

So if you have a good independent mechanic who can do the things you don't want to do yourself, my two cents would be to not let a swollen hose keep you from buying an otherwise good car at a fair price. It would be worth the cost of a pre-purchase inspection if the seller will allow it. Then you'll have some additional bargaining leverage before committing to a final price. If your mechanic has a scan tool that can read B-, C- and U- codes as well as the OBDII P-codes, then just the list of Diagnostic Trouble Codes the car probably has stored will help you convince the seller that his price is too high.

Cheers,

Don