This morning I topped off the Transmission oil on my 2004 XJ8, good thing since I wound up being half QT short.

On my testdrive afterwards everything shifted really really smooth, so I started dipping into the throttle more. Then as my trip is nearing its end, the "Low Coolant Level" MIL came on. The temp was fine so I drove home just 3 streets down.

Now when I open the hood, I see coolant almost everywhere. The small hose on the upper part of the expansion tank, broke off.

It wasnt really the hose, it was the plastic male feeding. Now I managed to file away the plastic support fins on the feeding and clamp down the hose -> but thats only a temp fix.




I now need an expansion tank, anyone who has replaced this part= can you let me know where / and how much is was.

And also how I can disconnect the hose's from the bottom of the overflow tank. They seem to have a metal clip holding a plastic harness that 3 coolant ? hoses go into. The area is tight and I couldnt take a good look.


Thanks all
-Victor

 

I had to change mine the first weekend i had it. Broke at the same place yours did. It's really actually very easy. Takes about 30 minutes, don't worry about those clips they are actually very simple, they just pull off and push on.

I don't remember where i bought it, but it was about $120 or so.

 

These plastic tanks are a problem. They get brittle over time.

http://www.motorcarsltd.com/_search....e=1&q=XR852096

 

i replaced mine also for $120 , and yes they are very known to go bad and break at the same place.

 

wow, thanks for the feedback all.

i managed to use a clamp to tighten the hose on the remaining plastic bit, seems to be holding up since its non pressurized. i also went in and put rtv sealant around it just for a bit more holding power.

whats got to me was that it cracked in 3 places and i havent ever messed with the tank before.

i dont understand why the washer fluid resovior is made of a more durable plastic then the coolant overflow tank.

thanks for your link Ken, ill be ordering on thursday.

 

A bigger question i have is how the hell did you top off the transmission since the fill port is under the car on the side of the tranny????
You have to have it level in the air to check and fill and it has to be at a certain temp to get the proper level

 

That expansion tank part number has been superceded by C2C39438

 

Correct about the part numbers. We just stick with the original number. I don't really know why. But, it is the latest unit.

 

I flushed out all of the transmission oil last week, I had the car on jack stands. drained it, top it off with a fluid transfer tube ( pain in my ***, err wrist) cycled the transmission through each gear , and repeated this step 5 times .

today was finally a sub 50 degree day, so in the morning right after startup > i drove the 2 drivers side tires onto the sidewalk. shut the car off.

then i jacked up the passenger side untill the car was level, placed the jackstand on the front first.

then i leveled off the rear.

loosened the fill bolt, started the car, removed the fill bolt, put in my fluid transfer hose, pumped untill it started drippling from the fill hole.

then i inserted a thermometer, once the temp hit 30c, i reinstalled the plug. shut the car, torque'd it .

shifts supersmooth now.

the car does not have to be very high in the air, just enough so you can fit your body underneath the chasis, then it was fairly simple. one thing i wish i had was a better fluid transfer tool that moved more fluid per pump.

 

okay so your part is the updated version correct ? sounds good.

 

okay, well you really had me wondering. when you replace the expansion tank do yourself a favor and pull the black o ring in the lower hose connection. Replace it with a ac compressor oring that is green, slightly bigger and will keep this connection from leaking. Lube real well on the lower outlet fitting on the reservoir and reinstall the hose till it clicks. To bleed remove the small fitting on the top, right by the hose that broke off. Leave it off while filling and squeeze upper radiator to work out the air in the system till coolant flows freely from the opening. replace the plug start the car and let it run for awhile chcking for leaks and set the correct level. Ok to over fill alittle incase you still have some trapped air and it burps later

 

Thanks Brutal. I actually have a hardtime refilling the coolant level on this car.
I've done it twice, once when I flushed the system. and again today because I removed the upper radiator hose thinking id have clearance yo remove the expansion tank.


what it does is the resovior tank will accept an amount of fluid, then the motor seem to put more in there, forcing whatever fluid i put out. then once it hits the "max" step. i shut the car off, restart it and the fans go on in the over heat mode, they are spinning frantically. the temps are fine, the level seems fine, then after a drive the water pump makes a popping noise and "engine coolant level" mil comes on.

then id have to add about 2 quarts.


In short, is the filling procedure this complicated on every vehicle or just mine.

also, where can I get the o-ring you mention.

 

its not complicated, you just have to know how like anything else. What you describe is trapped air pockets, fans high over temp(doesnt take the same reading from engine the temp gauge does. And you have trapped air up in the pipe with the temp sensor for water. Air doesnt transfer temp properly that why it does register high. You can get the orings anywhere, but I know the Jaguar green oring work perfectly for this app. And trust me when I say we as techs have learned this from experience

 

so when I replace the expansion tank, should I not top off the resovior until the "engine coolant low" warning comes on ?

oh no nevermind, you said to removed the plastic cap from above the the tophose leading into the tank correct ?

its the size of a quarter and its a combo of phillips and straight edge ? that allows the system to purge right ?

 

yes, I use a small flat pocket screw driver turned sideways to tighten and loosen the bleed cap so it doesnt get damaged. Or you need a really large flat screw driver. fill the reservoir full and with the port un capped the air will purge out. But like I said earlier you can speed it up by sqeezing the top radiator hose. Youll see when you do it

 

I loosened that yesterday while I was searching for a temp fix, I just used a channel lock with light pressure.

When I did the flush a month or so ago, I was squeezing the upper radiator hose to no avail. Either way the coolant level finally settled and its just under the lower "min" step.

My temp fix appears to be holding good as well, the clamp and RTV sealant are holding it fine untill I order the new expansion tank later in the week.

Thanks for the great advice and clarification on these issues Brutal, really do appreciate it.

-Victor