I've been told for the last 6 years of ownership on my 2010 XK (with original water pump) with currently 11,800 miles that there is nothing wrong with my water pump. Yet....I smell coolant from the front of the engine after a long drive and I do add (very little) coolant after a few drives. 2 Jaguar dealers and one Indy told me nothing shows at the water pump weep hole and the car holds pressure even over night. What else can I do? One of the Jaguar service managers even told me that since he can't find any leak....if he here were to replace the water pump it's possible it might make matters worse or not improve anything with my symptoms.. He insists, it's not necessarily the water pump, but regardless they can't find a leak anywhere.. I've just about given up and yet I have 2 /1/2 months left on my Easy Care Total extended warranty. It's a shame. Should I be contacting that link for the Class Action Law suit?

 

Keep in mind there are 2 known issues on these pumps and in my case, one of the water pumps is not leaking, it just spontaneously began clanking and wobbling about, an indication of the known bearing failure. The other pump started leaking daily intermittently (after a drive everything can be bone dry and then after another drive coolant everywhere) about a month ago but it is now also making unusual noises so I suspect bearings on their way out as well.

 

Contacted Tom Sobran, and left a voice message. To be continued.

 

For clarification JLR does not manufacture these pumps. Like nearly all of the parts used to build cars, they are manufactured by one of the largest parts suppliers in the automotive industry. It is not unusual for ANY car brand to experience repeated failed components.

My frustration is when there is a known commonly failed part, not due to age or wear and used across multiple platforms for many years and the manufacturer doesn’t step up with a solution. This certainly meets all of the requirements of a class action, I think or at the very least a NTSB mandated recall.

 

Your 08 should really have no water pump issues. Just the 5.0 litre.

 

Correct.

But I also have a new gen supercharged 3.0 liter and supercharged 5.0 litre which do have the same pumps. Since 2010 every petrol 3 & 5 litre has been fitted with this pump. That’s a lot of pumps.

 

Does anyone know why all manufacturers are having trouble with water pumps?? Audi actually sent a settlement.

 

Positive its Bosche pumps , well sure thats what they put in mine when i had it renewed

 

A question: Are you able to do any maintenance yourself? And if so, at what level?

I ask because there are a few things you can do yourself. Firstly, either buy a pressure tester or borrow one from AutoZone etc. and do the pressure test yourself. Super easy to do and it will tell if you have any kind of leak, I seriously doubt if there are any types of leak that this test won't find - maybe a head gasket issue but you'd have other symptoms I suspect. The other thing you can do is thoroughly was the engine with running water. I don't recall if you had a repair or leak in the past but the smell from leaked coolant seems to last forever. I when I say wash the engine thoroughly, I mean thoroughly. Engine cover off and hose the front of the engine, the back of the engine and down in the "V" under the supercharger let it run for a while and use hot water if you have it available.

Last thing I would do is just change out the pump if you're worried about it - it's a pretty easy job. Also given the age of your car and the problems these cars seem to experience with plastic deterioration, I would pull the supercharger and replace all the plastic parts with new, including all the updated parts. Again, not a particularly difficult job given the extra room on the XKR.

 

Your last sentence is the question. Unfortunately there is no published data by anyone which identifies the failure rate. So without that data it's hard to tell whether this is a major failure or just normal wear and tear. As I said in the past there is only a handful of people on these forms with this failure . How many of these pumps exist and how many have failed. No one knows.

 

2 questions......Is the pressure test done at the radiator or at the overflow tank? Also, Does autozone, etc, have the proper adapters to fit correctly at the radiator or the overflow tank (whichever is used). Thanks. I could do the pressure test (20lbs???) overnight and check it in the morning.

 

Pressure to 15 psi max on expansion tank. I used a $250 kit from Advanced but none of the caps provided would work.

 

The test is done on the overflow. Also, I've never borrowed a pressure test kit but other members across the forums have. I bought a kit since it does pressure testing and vacuum bleeding which I figured was useful to have since I do all my own maintenance now the car is out of warranty. I use 15ibs and just leave it overnight.

 

So I found some answers in an article written for techs.
By
Gary Gomson
November 25, 2013If you’ve wondered how much work a water pump must do, remember that only about 30% of the heat energy produced by combustion results in mechanical energy. That estimate, of course, is a mathematical comparison between the heat value of the gasoline going into the engine, and the heat value of the mechanical energy coming out of the engine. The remainder of combustion heat must then be dissipated into the atmosphere through the exhaust, lubrication and cooling systems.

Water pump operation is important because, if the coolant’s circulation rate is too slow, the coolant will begin to boil in the engine’s water jackets. Unfortunately, when coolant boils, it becomes gaseous and can no longer cool hot cylinder walls and cylinder heads. The result is overheating, which is a primary cause of catastrophic engine failure.

To prevent the coolant from overheating, a water pump is used to circulate the coolant through the engine’s cylinder block, heads and radiator. As it circulates, the coolant absorbs heat from the engine block and dissipates it into the atmosphere through the radiator.

Of course, coolant temperatures may vary according to ambient temperature, engine load and engine speed. Most modern engines must operate between 185° and 195° F coolant temperature to evaporate volatile combustion by-products from the lubricating oil, achieve correct dimensional fits between aluminum pistons and cast-iron cylinder walls, and to achieve optimum fuel vaporization in the cylinder head ports. To maintain a constant coolant temperature, a thermostat is usually placed at the coolant outlet on the engine assembly where it controls coolant flow into the radiator.
Want to be sure the water pump you installed doesn’t return as a comeback? Follow these helpful tips for a successful water pump installation.
Make sure the mounting surface is clean, smooth and dry, and that there is no old gasket or sealer residue, no deep nicks or scratches, and no dirt, oil or grease on the surface.

If there’s a gasket between the pump and engine, coat both sides of the gasket with sealer. If an anaerobic sealer or RTV silicone is used instead of a gasket, the sealer must be applied all the way around the bolt holes. Use only a 1/8² bead of RTV and allow it to set before installing the pump. Excessive RTV or uncured RTV can be drawn into the pump housing and cause premature seal failure.

Water pump bolt threads that extend into the water jacket also must be coated with sealer to prevent leaks.

Tighten the pump drive belt to specifications. Too much tension is hard on the belt and the pump bearings.

If the radiator has a fan shroud, don’t leave it off. The shroud is there to improve the cooling efficiency of the fan. The fan also should be inspected and replaced if any of the blades are bent, cracked or damaged.

If the radiator has an electric cooling fan, the operation of the fan should be checked to make sure it comes on when the engine reaches its maximum operating temperature. An inoperative fan can allow the engine to overheat in slow moving traffic or when running the air conditioning.



Water Pump Design
Although the modern water pump may appear simple in design, the actual coolant circulating capacity of the pump is based on mathematical models that take into account the amount of heat generated by the engine under various driving conditions. Severe operating conditions, for example, may range from stop-and-go driving on a hot day to pulling a camping trailer over a high mountain pass on summer vacation.

Water pump components include the pump housing, impeller, seal, bear ing, pump shaft and drive pulley hub. The water pump housing also incorporates one or more vent holes located between the bearing and seal to protect the bearing from coolant contamination if the seal begins leaking coolant. The impeller is designed to circulate coolant by using centrifugal force to impart motion to the coolant. Impellers are designed for either clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation so, for all practical purposes, an impeller driven in opposite rotation becomes a very inefficient coolant pump. In addition, an impeller must fit the water pump housing and engine block cavity perfectly to achieve optimum efficiency.

In the modern vehicle, water pumps are designed to consume as little engine torque as possible while achieving the greatest possible coolant circulation. Consequently, the water pump is a compromise between circulating too little coolant at engine idle and too much coolant at maximum engine speed. Too little coolant circulation obviously causes overheating, while too much circulation wastes gasoline and aggravates water jacket erosion. Most passenger car water pumps may be designed to deliver approximately 10-gallons-per-minute flow at normal engine speeds. Here again, the flow depends largely upon the engine’s size and average load. Many manufacturers also boost water pump performance by installing molded plastic impellers, which may operate more efficiently than stamped alloy steel versions.

Failure Profiles
Leaking shaft seals, which are the most common water pump failure, usually reveal themselves by leaving a coolant stain around the vent area. Shaft seal leaks can be difficult to diagnose because they can be intermittently temperature and pressure sensitive, and can be aggravated by rust and other particulate contamination in the system.

Shaft seal leaks can often be diagnosed by using a cooling system pressure tester to pressurize the cooling system. In most cases, however, a visual inspection is the most reliable method simply because most intermittent shaft seal leaks are detectable only by the traces of coolant around the vent area and surrounding parts.

Noisy shaft bearings are usually the second-most common water pump failure. Most shaft bearings fail due to normal wear in the bearing or due to the normal oxidation of lubricant on the bearing surfaces. In rare cases, bearing failure can be hastened by over-tightening conventional accessory drive belts. In many cases, a water pump bearing also fails because it supports an unbalanced fan assembly that also may have bent or misaligned blades. Water pump bearings also can fail because an amateur mechanic diluted the lubricant by washing the pump in a solvent tank! The third and most rare water pump failure is the impeller slipping on the water pump shaft. Since the impeller and shaft is a press-fit assembly, slippage occurs most frequently on remanufactured water pumps. In other cases where a plastic impeller is used, the plastic material can degrade through sustained heat and age. In any case, slippage can be intermittent in nature and can depend greatly upon the temperature and speed of the engine. Last, some replacement impellers can be manufactured from inferior metals that are susceptible to rust corrosion. In most of these cases, impeller blades begin to break away from the impeller due to a rust-through condition, which results in decreasing pumping capacity and an increasing presence of rust contamination in the cooling system.

When to Replace
Water pumps have become an important routine replacement item largely because the water pump may act to help tension timing belts or because it may be accessible only after the timing belts are removed. Since a water pump replacement essentially requires the same labor operations as a timing belt replacement, it’s more cost-effective to invest in a new water pump when timing belts are replaced. Because the service life of most water pumps averages between 100,000 and 150,000 miles, it’s good to recommend replacing any pump in that mileage range, especially if it’s part of a repair or new engine installation service.

Installation Precautions
Since most water pump failures are caused by leaking seals, it’s important to inspect the cooling system for the presence of abrasive rust or sand particles. Rust, in particular, will cause early seal failure because of its abrasive qualities. Although rust is difficult to remove, it should be flushed from the system as thoroughly as possible before the old water pump is removed. Adequate flushing is aided by removal of the thermostat, which allows for a maximum water pump circulation rate.

In rare cases, the presence of dirt or loose core sand left over from casting the engine block also may cause repeated seal failure on water pump replacements, especially if the vehicle is driven on extended trips. Last, but not least, remember that many vehicles require application-specific antifreeze to prevent corrosion in the cooling system and prevent premature water pump seal wear.

Before installing a new water pump, always compare the fan or belt pulley flange height with that of the old pump. If the height isn’t to specification, belt alignment may be adversely affected. To ensure the pump has the correct rotation, compare the impeller for similarity of configuration and size. Also, make sure that the old gasket has been completely removed from the engine block in order to maintain correct tolerances between the pump impeller and engine block mount and, of course, to prevent leaks. Before bolting the pump to the block, test for insufficient block clearance by holding the pump against the block and turning the impeller. When all dimensions and clearances have been checked, the water pump is ready for installation.

To prevent damaging the new water pump seal, make sure that the engine is completely filled with new coolant before starting the engine. With that done, always warm the engine until coolant circulates freely through the radiator and all air is bled from the system. Last, inspect for leaks and check the coolant level before releasing the vehicle to your customer.

 

Ted I came across something by coincidence and may have found why you blow these pumps.
Its something you said in this or another thread- you had to add a lot of water after the water pump change.
That means that the system was not bled. And according to some you have now already ruined your pump.

Read this thread.
https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...d.php?t=154461

 

This was a real eyeopener.
“ AASA cited that if a “full flush and fill” of new coolant was not part of the service repair process, post-replacement premature failures rates were found to be as high as 95 percent for water pumps and 40 percent for radiators. No wonder water pump and antifreeze manufacturers are increasingly rejecting warranty claims when improper service is evident.
MOTOR Magazine | eNewsletter | Reboot Your Cooling System Service Practices ? Archaic service procedures can initiate premature failures

 

Would you happen know if they have an available adapter cap to fit the overflow tank for the 5.0 Jaguar?

 

Not sure if you mean in the kit I bought or AutoZone. This is the kit I bought from Amazon:


I had a problem with the original kit pressure pump so they sent me a complete new kit. As a result I have 2 of the caps that fit the overflow tank. I can loan you one if you need it but all the kits on Amazon look identical. The pressure pumps all seem to connect to the adaptor with the same type of connector. I'd lend you the kit but it comes in a huge box and I'm planning on pulling my supercharger in a couple of weeks so I'll need it. PM me with your details if you need to borrow the adapter.

 

TXfireblade Thanks so much for your generosity. It’s much appreciated. I’ll stop by autozone to see what is available. Thanks again.

 

Called my local Advanced auto parts. They don't lend out the pressure kits and what I've read from Jahummer above, the adapter was not available for our cars.I'm not sure what kit I should be purchasing. TXfireblade.....the kit you purchased on Amazon is no longer available.