Hi, I have a 1995 Vanden Plas (4.0) and I’m looking for a good indie mechanic or shop in or near Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have a bad coolant leak I can’t find. Maybe up under the intake manifold.
Anyway, I’m looking for someone that preferably has years of experience in these old Jags. My old mechanic now works at a shop 75 miles away. I may have it towed that far if I have to but there are a lot of foreign car shops in Ann Arbor. I’m just not sure where to turn. Thanks in advance. Frederick Fischer
PS: Check out AAA towing. You can get one tow of up to 200 miles and three tows of 100 miles for about $117 per year. Don’t need to buy insurance from them, just the towing. It’s a good deal. Not that our cars break down on the road…ever…also it kicks in 72 hours after you buy it. Just sayin’…
FWIW I had a similar bad leak with no trace of coolant on my 1997 3.2 Sport, my mechanic found that it was a pinhole in the pipe that runs from the back of the block. The coolant was landing on the exhaust and evaporating without trace!
I believe he found it by putting my car on a hoist with the engine at temperature and running.
I’d try to locate a hoist you can use.
Neil, thanks for responding. My leak is dripping off the bottom of the engine like a waterfall. Seems to be coming from near the top, drivers side but hard to see. I’m thinking water rail or above, which would be the head gasket.
unless there’s a hose on top that I don’t know about. Engine was running fine after so maybe head gasket leaking to the outside world, not combustion chamber? Probably going to have it towed 75 miles to my genius mechanic, if he hasn’t retired or something. Thanks again! F.
Is yours a N/A. or S/C?
See:
https://www.jaguarclassicparts.com/uk/jaguar-xj-x300-parts/engine-cooling-system
Neil, it’s naturally aspirated. I can see water running off the aft end of the water rail and there is a gasket there but I can’t tell if it’s from the gasket there OR running down from above. I suppose the odds are it’s just a water rail gasket or hole, but since I was thrashing it when it happened I’m wondering if it’s an external head gasket leak. I will probably take it to the genius mechanic I’ve used in the past. I think I tracked him down at a new shop.
I did put some new batteries in my flashlight and that helped a lot! The head-block interface is just above the water rail and below the manifold and I can’t see that. Maybe with a mirror?
Also, I wonder if anyone has put UV dye in the coolant and a UV light? I might try that. The lights and the dye are pretty cheap.
Thanks for responding. F.
Frederick, jam in a plastic bag or -sheet and on the side where you don’t want to have the leak (at the head gasket) try to get a sheet of paper in. That way, when you provoke the leak, you’ll know. If the paper got wet it’s probably the expensive leak and if the plastic barrier prevented the paper from being soaked it is just a pain to repair. And you know what top deal with when you get it towed to a mechanic, and let him preorder parts if they tend to time getting there. Just make sure the paper can’t get wet from condensation or spray from pinholes, etc.
David
David, I rented a pressure tester that came with like 21 adapters, one of which fit the reservoir. I pumped it up and ducked under the car quickly with brand new batteries in my light and eventually saw a very fine stream of water shooting out horizontally from the area of the rear water rail gasket. It was a stream just the size of a kite stream. So I think that confirms that it’s a water rail gasket (known problem) rather than an external head gasket leak. What a load off my shoulders! But thanks for the advice.
BTW, I got the pressure tester kit from Autozone. About a $265 deposit which they give back to you when you return it, so it’s not a rental, it’s free!! Excellent kit too. Frederick