Hi all I'm new to the forum and here goes my first question.
My 98 XJ8 has 107000mi and after driving you can smell a coolant smell when your outside the vehicle (no smell inside) I've been looking under the car and never found any leak. It does have coolant in it, and seems to have a new upper rad hose on it. I'm thinking it blow and I'm smelling the residue on the motor when it gets hot
The smell went away for about two days and today it came back again with no leaks.
Any Ideas, I'd appreciate it.

 

Sometimes this is an indication that the coolant needs to be changed.

 

You may have a very small leak and you might not see fluid under the car because the engine is burning it off before it drips to the ground.. check around the water pump and the thermostat housing.. those are the usual spots for leaks to occur and the water pump will leak when its going bad.. also the bypass coolant line under the intake sometimes leaks and it won't make it to the ground.. but... the worst case scenario is you have a blow head gasket.

 

Thanks for the replies. I hope it is not a head gasket, I just got this car a few days ago.
It was being serviced at Putnam Jaguar in the Santa Cruz Ca area so maybe I'll call them and see how everything has been doing while they had it in the shop.

 

Since it has a new upper radiator hose on it, check to see if they tightened the clamp tight enough.

 

If the engine never overheated, the chances are slim of it being a head gasket..

 

Keith, thanks for the tip. I'll check it.

Dennis, that was my thought also but it has been a bit chilly here and I just hope it doesn't overheat come the warmer weather. I checked the oil and it looks good, It needs to be changed but its not milky or bubbly.
I guess Ill check all hoses and keep my fingers crossed.
Thanks

 

What weight and brand oilwould you recommend in this 98 4.0 with 107k on it? I use Mobil 1 in the rest of my vehicles but they are not fancy cars like this.

 

Not that this will actually help except for perhaps knowing that you are not alone....

I've had a slight coolant smell from my XJR for months. I can't find a leak to save my life. Can't even see any "witness stains". It must be very, very small....just a drop or two. I never have to add coolant.

I'm just gonna wait, and hope that it gets worse just so I can find it.

Do have yours checked out, though. Coolant leaks shouldn't be ignored, even though that's exactly what I'm doing !

Good luck
DD

 

Thanks Doug. I have worked on cars for years and I have checked this thing out a couple times from the top, and I also have yet to see a stain or lose any coolant. I guess I should lift it up and get under it to continue checking. I guess from what I've read on here that there has been some problems with the thermostat housing (??) leaking, but I have not seen it yet.
I'm doing the same thing you are for now, just waiting it out. I'll be taking an 8 hour drive around x-mas so if there is a problem I guess I'll find it somewhere on the side of the road at about 5 hours into my trip.

 

Yup, that'll do the trick! At night, in the snow, withno tools, and no cell service.



Good luck
DD

 

thanks

 

Ahhthis post brings back memories! I've actually had coolant leaks on the two different Jaguars that I've owned that were both tough to find. The first was my '92 XJ6...it would continually consume a small amount of coolant, but I never saw anything dripping and I never smelled anything. I finally found the leak at the aluminum thermostat housing where it bolted to the front/side of the cylinder head. I could only see "wetness" when looking at it with an inspection mirror and a bright light. There was a large "D" shaped o-ring that wasn't doing its job. The second incident was one I just repaired on my '04 XJ8. I could smell coolant sometimes after driving, but I could never see anything. I took it to the dealer, and they pointed out the aft-side of the thermostat housing has a "tube and flange" that cantilevers aft and down and bolts to the top of the engine block right beneath the intake manifold "neck" and the gasket (again, a large "o-ring") was leaking. When I looked there (again, difficult to see and bright light required!), I could see some tell-tale orange/pink liquid! I don't know if the 4.0 V8 has a similar thermostat housing? The dealership wanted an absolutely exhorbitant amount of money to replace it, so I bought the part, intake gaskets and coolant and did it myself (the part was surprisingly cheap considering it also contained a new thermostat and coolant sensor).
Good Luck!
Greg

 

Great contribution Greg. They OP has somewhere to look now at least.

 

You are Awesome! Thank You, I'll check this out now that I have an idea of where to begin looking. I'm goinfg on a long trip in a couple days and this was my largest concern.
Thanks again

 

So did you ever figure it out?

 

Wow I guess its been awhile......sorry

No, for now I have not even checked it out. I keep an eye on the coolant level and its been fine so far. I made it to L.A. (8hr trip) and back just fine and loved every minute of the ride in this great car.

I am going to have to look into it soon though because i started smelling it a lil bit inside now so it may be getting worse.
sorry for the delay in the update, works been hell after a week off, that'll teach me to take time off!
now on to another topic... refusal to start...new thread to follow.