Hey everyone,

Just got her last week. Runs like a dream....

I'm getting two errors that are scaring the hell out of me.

Low Engine Coolant

Low Oil Pressure.

I checked both yesterday, and they were fine. Coolant was topped off.

I'm running on about 2 hours of sleep. I had to walk several miles to get somewhere to use a phone. She started to overheat, and I didn't want to cause more damage than already done

Could anyone tell me what the issue is here? Oh, and I heard knocking......I'm terrified that my engine is ****ed. I have had this car like a week.

 

Don't mean to leave you standing out there without a reply but you provided limited information.

Is the oil level now low on the dip stick where it was good yesterday? Any signs of leaks, drips, puddles?

Is the coolant really low in the reservoir after it was good yesterday. Any signs of coolant leaks. It leaves a white to orange powder where it has leaked and evaporated.

Refill and see what happens.

 

Hey bro, thanks a ton for the reply.

There are No leaks whatsoever.

The low oil pressure light did not come back on....However, I went through three containers of coolant! The car was just sitting there in the driveway running. I still have the ENGINE COOLANT LOW error. The crazy thing, is that I can hear the coolant being used....but the car is not running hot when it's using all of this coolant.

There is absolutely NO leak.

The radiator hoses have no pressure either, so the car is only running hot when driven. I mean, where the hell is all this coolant going?

Just a guess, but I'm thinking the waterpump is not functioning and needs to be replaced. Would you concur?

I've restored several muscle cars. This is my first foreign car. Bare with me.

 

You just touched on two chronic cooling system issues.

The water pumps shed their plastic impellers, continue to spin, accomplishing nothing. But you say that the coolant is disappearing. That is a classic sign of a water pump seal failure. The coolant only leaves while driving and never leaves a puddle.

Other chronic leak areas are the plastic thermostat tower, the Norma connectors to the heater system and a hose that runs under the intake manifold to the throttle body. All can leak slowly, no puddles. Your comments would seem to indicate a much faster loss which point back to the water pump.

The sensor in the overflow reservoir can get 'sticky' and light the light. The sensor can be replaced separately from the reservoir and is relatively inexpensive part. The reservoir will include the sensor if replaced. My reservoir itself was leaking but only under pressure. I 'rented' a pressure test kit from a local auto parts store and immediately found the leak.

May I suggest that you take a look at the assembly of significant posts found in the XK8/R FAQ 'sticky'. There are links there for all these issues. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=29800

I also see a copy of JTIS in your future. A free download is available at the top of this forum. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=9933

Good luck! Post back with notes on the adventure.

 

Thanks a ton for all of the great info! I'm going to get it all checked out soon. The water pump I know had been replaced last year. I'm hoping that's all that's wrong with it and nothing more. A good friend of mine owns Foreign Performance in Indiana, so he isn't going to charge me the usual $120/hour labor

 

If you are pouring in coolant, like three containers worth, and say you have no leaks, then as you say "where is it going ?". Well, it is going somewhere, and the only two places are: -

- into the oil due to head gasket failure
- into the combustion chambers and out the exhaust as steam, again due to head gasket failure.

 

try checking the two hoses that run under the intake manifold. i was losing a pint to a quart a day before i had time to change the hoses. i didnt see any coolant on the ground since it collected and burned off on the manifold. also, you follow the hose under the intake that lead toward the drivers side, it joins to a plastic connector. you may want to check the connection because the connector to the 1/4 inch hose becomes brittle, breaks and leaks.