So I was watching a video recently on youtube by a shop in the UK called WRAPTOR about supercharger maintenance and changing the 2-piece plastic Y pipes to after market aluminum pipes. They mentioned they usually didnt bother with the rear crossover pipe as it rarely fails. Good to know. Any way he said something that kind of surprised me. He pointed to a "Old V8" and stated that some time around 2012 they decided to start using cheap plastic coolant pipes as compared to that v8's aluminum pipes. I found that interesting that some of XK v8's had factory installed aluminum pipes compared to plastic pipes!

After looking at my 2012 XKR built in Septermber 2011 it appears one of the top coolant pipes that is black plastic on my XE (recently updated after a coolant leak) is indeed already aluminum. Anyone looked into this to see if they have the plastic vs aluminum coolant pipes from factory? Anyone ever heard of this?

Just cant believe Jaguar had it right and then crapped the bed with horrible plastic parts!

Loth

 

Yep, it is true that in 2012 JLR changed the main/big coolant pipes on the AJ133 from alu alloy to plastic, and to compound the problem the plastic pipes were two piece plasti-welded and prone to crack/split/leak at those joins.
On my old 2010 XFR the pipes were alloy.
Around the same time they introduced the AJ126 - 3.0 litre V6 SC based on the AJ133 - and discontinued the AJ133 NA in all JLR models except the XK where it soldiered on until the death of the XK in 2015.
Then, some time around 2018/19 (it seems to vary across models), JLR updated/improved those crappy plastic pipes to smooth no seams versions which so far have proven to be less problematic. Still not fully fixed though and still some leaking reported, mainly around the seals where they plug in.

 

I was messaging wraptor customs again and he said “all XK’s have aluminum pipes???” Can anyone confirm this?! No XK, XKR, or XKR-S have the crappy 2 piece plastic coolant pipes?!?

Loth

 

Sounds plausible as JLR declined many updates to the XK which were made to other models, such as the keeping the AJ133 NA going as I already mentioned and not upgrading to the ZF 8HP70 gearbox (from the ZF 6HP28) in 2012 when all other models went to that (except for the XFR which stayed with the 6 speeder for another year).
Also, by 2012 JLR knew the F-Type was coming soon to eventually replace the XK.

 

Just did a search for XKR-S engine bay. Most came up with the top engine over on which blocks the view to see if it had plastic vs aluminum alloy coolant pipes.

One listing had the 2014 XKR-S GT. This doesn’t have a top engine cover oddly. There in plain daylight I can see the coolant pipes that goes over the top of the air intake and connects into the Y-pipe is indeed the old style plastic pipe, and not metal as is the case on my 12MY (built in 2011) XKR.

still trying to find a 13MY XKR-S engine bay pic with the top cover off.

 

No engine cover on the XKR-S GT coz JLR knew that it traps heat which is the biggest enemy of the supercharger.
Lots of us over on the F-Type sub-forum have removed the engine cover for this exact reason.

 

Just to confirm

The 2014 XK-D-R HAVE the crappy two part front welded plastic pipes, and the plastic rear heater header manifold, and the poor plastic vent line to the header tanks. The same as the other AJ133S< and Aj126S,



Top of front CW seamed welded plastic pipe.

Manufactured 4-2014 still holding up!

Rear heater header manifold, heater outlet.

Crappy vent line back to expansion tanks, hard plastic which fails.


All items purchase in Alloy (front 2 pipes, polished, and the rear header ) and prepped for install together with spare Alloy thermostat housing body.

 

this is my 2012 XKR built 9/2011.