Hello guys Im hoping you may be able to help me.. I just recently purchased a 2005 xj8l at an auction with 157,000 miles... I got it for dirt cheap but I've had so many problems its makes sense no one wanted it...

The issue I'm most concerned with is MY XJ8 overheats.. I put a new thermostat in.... A new water pump.... and still the car takes a long time to warm up and then it continue to warm up and then overheats... The old water pump looked fine when it pulled off.. no teeth broken... the only difference is the new one was firmer.. or harder to rotate....

A very weird symptom is my radiator fans switch on when ever the key is in the ignition... and run constantly..??? even for a few moments after the car is shut off...


I have no clue it seems like the COOLANT IS NOT CIRCULATING..? can anyone shed some light on the issue?


---Possibly air in the system.. (how do i do it properly) I just jacked the front of the car up..

---Radiator clogged? some sort of flow issue?

---Elec. issue since the fans switch on constantly? even if car Is not running?

--- THE DREADED..... head gasket? I changed oil and didn't find anything in the oil..and vise versa??


Any help would be greatly appreciated...

 

so, spend a few $ and get it checked by a dealer, then at least you will know where you stand.

 

Well I did try to take it there.. They want $200 to diagnose one thing... I was hoping to get some help here but that very well may be my only hope..

(ps those guys treat me like crap cuz Im not rich and my xj8 on top of being towed In all the time has a broken headlight a dent in the fender and the air suspension is out...I plan on fixing the body work after suspension,suspension after engine.. They told me this is not a junkyard a little elitus like.... Just kinda trying to stay away from them if at all possible..)

I do apreciate the advice, might be the only way...

 

If you're not leaking somewhere and the pump / thermostats are new, try checking the fans. I changed everything in my XJR (hoses, radiator, thermostat etc) trying to solve an overheating problem and it turned out to be the fans. They would turn, but not at maximum power so they weren't effective when the car heated up. We only figured it out when the car was overheating with nothing leaking out and a full radiator / overflow bottle. Sorry, but I don't know how to test the fans. We did it by deduction and elimination.

Hope you manage to find the problem.

 

Thanks.. they might just be tired since they run constantly...There are no leaks...

Is there any chance anyone can explain the fans coming on like they are hard wired..?? And the coolant seeming like its not Circulating from the coolant reservoir??

 

They told you "this is not a junkyard" lol, come on,,,LOL

your car does sound like a turd tho...

How much did you pay for it ?

 

YEA THEY REALLY DID SAY THAT!! and I dont care just tryning to steer away from dealership prices..I bought it with no keys for 5500.. and when I asked to get the keys made they said they needed the car..so I had it towed from the auction lot to the dealership.. The only space they had was right in front..so there it sat for 2 weeks before they could get 2 keys and programmed.Kind of an eyesore I guess next to $100,000 porshe's.? I think that's what pissed Em off.. When it started it ran beautifully..


DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHATS GOING ON WITH THE CAR?
I was hoping these where common Issues..like the suspension..

 

Buy another and use yours for parts.

 

I never thought of that...BUt unfortunatley I am in college and need this car sell-able.. A lot of my moneys tied up in it.. I need it back.. at least a piece of it... Tomarrow Im going through everything! The new struts are on the way.. i already installed a new pump.. my boys a great body man If I could just get it to run right I might potentially be able to offload it for what I got into it or near that.. Im just stuck on this cooling thing.. Today was the first full day I worked on it and it thunder-stormed at like 3...

You know any Jag techs on this forum who might shed some light if I message them.. Im doing a compression check... leak down and coolant pressure test tomorrow.. then on to the cooling again.. I got to weed out the headgasket.. as an element..

IS THERE A FILL HOLE IN THE RADIATOR?


( I hate throwing parts at this.. Might be the only way..)

 

this is a hoax right>???

 

If you need a reliable place for diagnostics etc try Abacus Racing in Va Beach, I've found them to be well priced and knowledgeable: Abacus Racing | Exotic Car Repair Services | Abacus Racing

 

The problem may be an airlock, the typical symptom of this is the car starts warming up and just keeps going up past normal, this is also a symptom of a bad thermostat. Open the small plastic screw on top of the coolant reservoir while filling the coolant, close it when up to level, this gets the air out. Make sure the thermostat is a good one and is installed right.

 

By the way, you may be taking yours to the same dealer I do. I have three cars serviced there and have always had very good experiences there, go figure! If you are having problems and can't fix them, try Jagman (Mike), he's in VA Bch and has the dealrs tech with him.

 

thanks a lot guys

 

You need to find a good independent shop familiar with Jags. They will be more helpful and not so elitist. They will repair only what you want repaired. Dealers tend to want to repair every little thing that may be wrong and not want to work on it if you do not do it. Independents tend to understand the average Joe not having all the money at once to have everything done at once.

 

Just to complement the responses above, have you checked the temperature for example with a IR heat gun? It could also be a dodgy heat sensor.

 

Being in college and all - are you going to have the money to pay for all these repairs plus what will come down the road with a 150,000 mile plus Jaguar?

 

Haha, I'm sure he will learn an important life lesson or two from this experience...

 

Now you know why the car was cheap, it has been seriously neglected by the previous owners, and you're the guy who has to sort it out, or pass the car on to somebody else.

If you have done all the work you say, then it points to the radiator being blocked up. Think about it - new coolant pump, new thermostat, (I assume you fitted it correctly), the cooling fans are running to cool the radiator, so what is stopping the circulation/cooling of the coolant ? Neglected high miles cars with aluminium engines can suffer from sludging-up if the maintenance (replacement) of the coolant is neglected or the wrong type used. Does your heater work, as this contains another, albeit smaller, radiator ?

I'll bet there were no maintenance records with the car.