XJ XJ8 / XJR ( X308 ) 1997 - 2003

Coolant leaking everywhere! Help!!

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  #21  
Old 02-13-2011, 03:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Sean B
a waterpump, hose and clip, thermostat and thermostat tower runs at about £120 here in the UK. I'd change the lot, top off with new coolant and be done. To a good fitter it's a mornings work.
Thank your stars you don't run an XJR, the pipework for the coolant is much more complicated!
Do the XJRs have plastic thermostat housing too?

I changed the water pump on a BMW a while back and it had a metal impeller. I'm sure the real mechanics know better than me, but does it seem like Jaguar cut a lot of corners on these cars compared to similarly priced cars? The interior door clips I have dealt with are really cheap and brittle plastic. Other things I have worked on seem fragile and a bit cheap compared to the BMW (ie. Interior door handles, seat belt anchors and etc.)


Im not saying BMWs are better than XJs though. bmw has some cheap things too like a belt driven cooling fan.


I wonder how much did it cost Jaguar to build the XJ8? Does the X300 xj6 have such cheap hidden parts? I have never worked on a X300 but there seem to be some interior bits that are of a higher quality in the X300 than the X308.
 
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Old 02-13-2011, 03:15 PM
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I've had a couple BMWs and they love to use plastic as well. The coolant tanks are well known for failing.
 
  #23  
Old 02-13-2011, 04:39 PM
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Originally Posted by burmaz
Do the XJRs have plastic thermostat housing too?
No, it's a cast alloy one - there's just lots more pipes, and one than can leak under the supercharger, that's a full day to exchange in my book....nightmare!
 
  #24  
Old 02-13-2011, 06:08 PM
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Frankly, air cooled cars have a lot to offer- witness the 3 day nightmare to replace the heater core in my Passat...
http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n...7/DSCI0161.jpg
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  #25  
Old 02-13-2011, 06:17 PM
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Originally Posted by avt007
Frankly, air cooled cars have a lot to offer- witness the 3 day nightmare to replace the heater core in my Passat...
http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n...7/DSCI0161.jpg
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  #26  
Old 02-13-2011, 07:24 PM
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Originally Posted by avt007
Frankly, air cooled cars have a lot to offer- witness the 3 day nightmare to replace the heater core in my Passat...
http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n338/avt007/DSCI0161.jpg
Wow that looks ugly! Any rattles after you put it back together? Or the dreaded left over screw?

Do you have a 6 cylinder BMW?

IMO those engines are a bit over rated. The 2.8L in the e39 doesnt feel as smooth as the Jag v8. They don't feel as rev happy as the Jag V8 either. The power band is pretty flat, which makes it feel a bit dull. The automatic gear ratios and shift program that BMW uses is wayyy better than Jaguar's though. Very responsive and makes the Jaguar 'sport' shift program mode seem like a joke. It makes the somewhat underpowered 2.8L seem powerful enough. But a V8 vs. a 2.8L 6 cyl cant really be compared in terms of power.

I had to deal with the dreaded BMW cooling problem. The car overheated (I wasnt driving at the time), and blew a hose. Replaced the water pump, thermostat and hoses. Engine still had decent compression. 6 months later it blew a hose again and over heated. Some how the water pump got propeller bent and failed. Headgasket was gone by this time. Used one of those headgasket repair bottles that surprisingly worked for about 1.5 years until the engine died and had to be replaced.
 
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Old 02-13-2011, 07:52 PM
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The Germans do like to build cars around poorly designed heater cores and evaporators. I feel you pain --
 
  #28  
Old 02-13-2011, 08:14 PM
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That picture was taken part way through the job- the heater/AC assembly is still in the car! As for BMw, my wifes 4.4 litre X5 has more power than the jag, but the sound is not as nice. Our 330CIC had a nice engine, with a 5 speed manual. The Jag just has a nicer, more comfortable, luxurious feeling than either BMW.
Never a water concern with my other babies- [IMG][/IMG]
 
  #29  
Old 02-14-2011, 04:16 AM
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Rob -- love the yellow --- Mine was Red ......long gone ...never forgotten.

Gone to the water side with my 996tt ....could't afford the oil changes
 
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Old 02-15-2011, 11:51 AM
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Originally Posted by burmaz
Ok so my car has been very slowly leaking coolant for the past 2 years. I would occasionally smell coolant from under the hood. I would have to top it off every 2 months or so (I only drive about 6k miles a year). I think my thermostat has failed in the open postion at least 3 years ago bc the car would take a long time to warm up and the coolant temperature gauge would read below normal on the highway on cold days, with the heat starting to blow cold air, but it will return to normal and the heat will warm up when I stop.

For the past week or so, I have been smelling a burning rubber smell. I saw a quick bit of steam for only a second from under the hood about 2 weeks ago when the temperature went down to about 3 degrees (the coldest temp my car has ever seen.) I popped the hood and saw a small amount of coolant sitting on the thermostat cap (I have never seen this happen before).

Today I drove for about 15 mins, and when I came back home, I left the car running for about 5 mins while I walked around it to find the burning smell. Right when I turned off the car, I hear a pop and see and hear coolant running everywhere on the ground. The car never overheated.

It looks like coolant came from somewhere around the thermostat but I cant see where.

I will have to get the car towed to the mechanic. Is this the thermostat, water pump, thermostat housing or something else? How much might this repair cost? Since I will need to have my car towed to the mechanic, I dont want to be clueless as to how much $ it might cost. I don't want to be ripped off.
Here is my story.... had slow coolant leak which got slightly worse over 3-4 years... took it in the dealer and they told me 6 hoses were shot. $5000 later... all was good....

Take it to ANY shop that does import cars to get those hoses done. The most expensive will be the 2 under the supercharger(if you have a XJR)
 
  #31  
Old 02-15-2011, 08:55 PM
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Just a thought, for simple repairs perhaps advertise on craigslist for someone to do it at a fair price.
Cheers
Ken
 
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