HEY GUYS CAN YOU HELP ME DIAGNOSE WHAT IS LEAKING COOLANT IN MY CAR. I AM AT 91K MILES AND BEFORE I TAKE IT IN I WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. THE LEAK IS COMING FROM BEHIND THE DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAR. WILL ATTACH PICS. STARTED HAPPENING RECENTLY AS I HAVE BEEN USING THE AC A LOT WITH 110 PLUS TEMPERATURES IN AZ. ONE THING TO NOTE AS WELL IS AFTER I TURN THE CAR OFF A FAN SOUNDS LIKE IT RUNS FOR A GOOD 5 MINUTES, BUT MAYBE THAT IS NORMAL OPERATION FOR THESE TEMPERATURES WE ARE FACING..THANKS IN ADVANCE!

HERE ARE THE PICS

 

The fan running a minute or even two is not unusual but 5 minutes is. Are you keeping the coolant topped up with the leak?

The best way to find a coolant leak is to 'rent' a pressure test set from any of several auto parts stores that do that sort of thing. Working on a cold engine is a lot easier than when it is hot and leaking.

The coolant reservoir is famous for leaks as is the Norma connector on the hose to the climate control system.

 

i filled it maybe halfway once and as soon as I parked a lot of it came out of the overflow hose so now I just put a little bit in every day or so. From the first picture provided would you guess it is the coolant reservoir tank or the norma connector you were referring to. I was getting a very small leak as well from what i think is the radiator housing. There is a small plug there and right below the plug i have a small leak, but the one in the middle of the car is definitely dripping a lot more i just cant seem to get under the car enough to see from what.

 

You can remove the cover and look at the expansion tank -- I would check out ASAP. You should not be getting the coolant flow out of the expansion tank and into the overflow tank in the fender -- this should be a rare event.

With the temperatures in your area this is not something you can guess about as even one overheat event could cause major problems with the AL engine

 

If you are talking about the plug in the right bottom corner of the radiator that is the coolant drain plug. If it is leaking there unscrew the plug and wrap it with silicone tape and put it back in.

If you haven't drained and refilled the coolant system in the past couple years or do not know when it may have been done I would replace the water pump, thermostat and coolant along with the thermostat housing and the short hose attached to it.

THEN pump up the pressure with the test kit and see what else leaks. Both the reservoir and Norma connection leak in the same spot onto the top of the cat converter.

 

thanks for the info...sooo in the first pic i provided it shows coolant leaking onto the cat converter? thats what that is?

I have had the coolant system drained and refilled. I have had the thermostate and thermostat housing replaced. Also replaced the intake manifold gaskets, throttle body gasket, bypass hose, expansion tank hose, 2 heater hoses and coolant at the same time. This work was done less than 2 years ago and 20k miles ago.

 

removed the cover to the expansion tank and the hose and clip coming out from the bottom of it do show signs of being wet with coolant. not a huge amount of wetness for what i see dripping when i turn my car off, but it is there. should the clamp be replaced and the hose?

 

The plastic cover in the middle ... behind the engine at the firewall ... held on by one of the plastic push in things. Once you remove it .....You can see the hoses and the tank/connections.

Any number of connections could be leaking -- you may get lucky and it could be one of the clamps.

The drain on the front is another story -- you will have to remove the plug and inspect ....... and the coolant will obviously come out.

 

inspected that area yeldogt and in the post above yours i posted a pic...to me it looks like it is the expansion tank hose or that clip that holds the expansion tank hose on..that is the only spot i saw wetness, but i am far from an expert. i did already replace the expansion tank hose less than 2 years ago...no clue if they did the clip...will have to take her in either way to get it fixed..thanks for the help

 

You can solve this in a half hour if you will go 'rent' a pressure test kit. Cost nothing! Pump up the cooling system to 15-18 lbs and coolant will come out where it will. Fix that.

 

test point,

is it easy to do by yourself as I am really bad with fixing cars and if it does in those hoses under the expansion tank i do not think i could even see exactly which hose as they are so damn crammed under that tank...

 

I'm not seeing the tank in the picture? Maybe the flash is making it look a different color?

It is a bit difficult to see where a particular leak is coming from in that area - so many things can leak. Especially if any of it has been disturbed.

In my experience the original hose clamps rarely leak unless they have been removed or played with .... so it is normally a cracked tank or the plug in connection. The small plastic coolant tubes can also crack at the connection point at the tank and drip down around the tank making you think that that the tank is leaking. The tanks do crack so it could be the tank. Also -- when they replaced the hose to the tank did they just fix that hose or did they replace the whole hose assembly? Did a Jaguar dealer do this? If they installed a bunch of new hose lamps -- i would check to make sure all are installed correctly -- don't just start tightening them -- you want them snug -- don't overdo it.

You can try to dry it all off and then place some paper towels in that area to see if you can determine a leak -- careful to not set them on fire. The pressure test will quickly show you the problem area

 

finally what is the correct level to fill the coolant tank when the engine is cold..the manual gives a weird and complicated answer and the tank has no lines/markers for hot and cold levels. For a cold engine should it be filled halfway..full? I filled it halfway yesterday and after about 50 miles of driving the coolant light has not come back on yet...but is still leaking as i can smell it when i drive...taking her in monday for the pressure test and repairs as i just dont think i could pinpoint it myself with all those hoses under the tank that i can barely see

 

one last question..i drove the car 5 miles today with the AC OFF and did not have the drip. With the AC on it came back fast...does this inf. lead us to a hose that goes to the AC?

 

Are you sure that the drip is coolant and not water from the AC evap?

The only way the AC could be doing anything to the coolant is if for some reason the fans are not working correctly and the car is overheating - or you have some other item causing the cooling system to be compromized

 

problem solved...hairline crack in the coolant expansion tank..270.00 for the damn tank from jaguar and 1.5 hours of labor later the car is purring again perfectly. Could of gotten the tank from partsgeek for 150.00, but needed the immediate fix. thanks for the help guys