Hi all, I'm new here and hope someone can help.

I have a 2000 XJ8 VDP with 185,000 k on it. I've owned it for 6+ yrs with few problems, always got it serviced at Jag dealership. Yesterday morning I noticed a wet patch under the car but as it was a very dewy morning I thought it was just condensation dribbling off. Didn't look too closely.

I drove it about 10k to go to a meeting with my wife (retirement planning!). On parking, I noticed whitish smoke leaking from under the bonnet, and just before I turned off the engine, the low coolant light came on. Engine temp was normal.

After the meeting, there was a small puddle under the car. My wife followed me home, drive was OK, engine temp normal. However, white smoke again, and this morning there's a BIG puddle under the car and running down the driveway.

Questions:

1. I suspect a major coolant leak (duh) but what causes the smoke?
2. Where is the leak likely to be from?
3. Am I staring at a major expense?

Thanks guys for any help you can offer.

 

You wont know till you open the hood and get down and dirty...
Visually inspect all coolant hoses, thermostat housing and the distribution pipe...

I have a 99 VDP (175k) that had the following coolant system issues over the years:

~6yrs ago - large hose from the distribution pipe to the radiator had a crack and started falling off. Got new hose, replaced OEM spring clamp with regular, bolt adjusted one (~$30 fix)
~ 3 yrs ago - distribution pipe cracked. Got a new one. $125 from dealer. Installed myself.
~ 2 yrs ago, thermostat housing cracked and started leaking at the base. I had some additional work done on the engine at the time so it was all part of the ~$1700 job, but I remember I got an aluminum housing and gasket for ~$75.
~ 2 months ago, the heater feed hose running under the manifold started leaking. Hose itself is like $15. Had to remove the manifold though, which means new gaskets for it. Total ~$300 paid at an independent shop.

If I took my car into Jag dealership, the costs for all the above fixes would of been MUCH higher...

 

Coolant is famous for leaking onto the catalytic converters from the heater hose Norma connectors or from the coolant reservoir. That creates a cloud of steam. Easiest solution is to test it cold with a pressure tester rented from you friendly neighborhood parts store. The leak will show up quickly.

Another thing that can cause puddles is the coolant reservoir cap. It is a pressure cap and if failed or failing will let coolant past into the overflow tank located behind the wheel and onto the ground.

Where is your puddle?

 

Sailortoo:
All good advice -
My only addition is:
WELCOME TO THE FORUM!
And kindly keep us posted of your outcome.

 

Huge thanks to everyone! Here's my outcome: I topped up the coolant reservoir and drove slowly to an independent (NAPA Autotex) shop just down the street. They couldn't look at it right away, but called me later to say that it's a "major" hose that will have to be replaced. Quote is $250 for the part, which has to come from Montreal and a couple of hours of labour, plus taxes.

All-in, it's going to be around $600. I'm self-employed and need my car, so I went ahead and authorized the part order and the repair.

I'm in awe of all you guys able to do so much of this work yourself, and feel like a lamb to the slaughter when dealing with repair shops...

Note to self: learn more about doing this stuff myself.

Thanks again for the support. I'm going to stay in touch here, so that I know this stuff before anything happens next time!

 

Sounds like you're getting ROYALLY ripped off!!!!
The biggest hose on your car is the lower radiator house and it doesn't cost more than $75!!!!! And it's maybe a 30min job, plus refilling the coolant...
You should REALLY reconsider, and find another shop...

 

Sailortoo- My initial reaction is the same as the mzs- Unless your time is worth about $300./ hr or more, OR if you are the biggest klutz in the world, you really should learn to do this stuff yourself. And there are plenty of us here to help!

 

Thanks everyone... I feel like a bit of a

Remember that prices up here in Canada are always higher than in the good ol' US of A - but still, that sounds like a huge difference.

I saw the hose they pulled off. It looked like a coronary artery, all branchy and stuff. It also had some old silicone around the area that was leaking, so some sneaky b*st*rd had done a cheapo job before.

Anyway. Water under the bridge, no use crying now. (the bill ended up being $700. 3 hrs labour, and when I visited, it did look like they were really sweating trying to get that thing on)

But now...

Got my eyes on a minty 2006... (sigh) only $14,500.

Can I resist temptation?

Tony

 

Is that 700 Canadian dollars???? That's still like $500USD right.... Yikes....
And it sound like they replaced the distribution pipe... Again, ~$125USD (from Jag dealer, ~$75 anywhere else) plus maybe 1hr labor... Bummer...