[xj40] Radiator plastic inlet broken

Hello all,

I have a cracked ‘plastic’ fitting on my xj40 radiator Yes, the
upper hose coming from the expansion tank. I am familiar with
removal and allowing a radiator shop to replace this ‘inner’ tank
however, I would prefer repairing this. Has anyone successfuly
accomplished this and would care to share the material you used? I
repaired it last year with JB Weld however, it has since come off
again.

Many Thannks.–
tribal2
mich/mich, United States
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In reply to a message from tribal2 sent Sat 31 Jan 2004:

I hate to say it, but you’re going to have to break down and buy a
new radiator. If it broke twice already, it surely will again.
Any fix you do will only be temporary. These radiators will all do
this over time. Take it from me, bite the bullet.

Shortly after getting my Jag, I was driving home from work on the
interstate. In a matter of about 1/2 mile, my temp gauge went from
the middle to almost pegged on hot. I pulled off the interstate
immediately and shut the engine down. I popped the bonnet and
discovered that my upper radiator hose had completely seperated
from the radiator. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the
nipple for the upper radiator hose had broken off inside the
radiator hose. I was left try to get the hose on the little nub
left on the radiator and fill the thing with what water I had
available to get home. Obviously, that was not fun, and I wouldn’t
recommend it to you either.–
wylde8
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In reply to a message from tribal2 sent Sat 31 Jan 2004:

This quite a simple and longlasting repair to this frequent problem.
I used a brass fuel outlet connector commonly used in marine
applications. The plastic on these radiators is thick enough to
make a thread to accomadate the above. Make a hole just smaller
than is needed and apply a small amount of plastic padding to
ensure a permanent seal. I have used this remedy many times and has
never failed.–
The original message included these comments:

I have a cracked ‘plastic’ fitting on my xj40 radiator Yes, the


geoffrey jupp
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In reply to a message from geoffrey jupp sent Sun 1 Feb 2004:

I tried the above suggested repair and it worked really well.

Pictures here:

http://www.jag-lovers.org/v.htm?1091322303

Total cost of repair was about A$20 including tools required.

Tips - make sure the hole you dril is clean (I bought a new drill
bit especially for this - and that the hole is exactly
the ‘‘internal’’ dimension of the fuel brass fuel pipe fitting.)

Certainly a lot cheaper (and easier) than a new radiator

Thnaks for the tip :)–
The original message included these comments:

This quite a simple and longlasting repair to this frequent problem.
I used a brass fuel outlet connector commonly used in marine
applications. The plastic on these radiators is thick enough to
make a thread to accomadate the above. Make a hole just smaller


1990 XJ6 MYU41A (My Euphoria)
Baulkham Hills NSW, Australia
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In reply to a message from tribal2 sent Sat 31 Jan 2004:

I followed this tip (the boat fuel part) …

With great success :))

8 dollars AUS for the part - 10 bucks for right size drill bit -
job done in about 20 min’s.

Beats a new radiator at $XXX - even a secondhand one.

Make sure the drill is the same size as the internal thread
diameter, so you get a really tight fit when threading in the brass
fuel line part.

Pictures here:

http://www.jag-lovers.org/v.htm?1091322303--
The original message included these comments:

however, I would prefer repairing this. Has anyone successfuly
accomplished this and would care to share the material you used? I
repaired it last year with JB Weld however, it has since come off
again.


1990 XJ6 MYU41A (My Euphoria)
Baulkham Hills NSW, Australia
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !

I also have used this trick but wanted to pass along one caveat.

The plastic and aluminum rads have a finite lifespan in my experience, due
to age- and heat-induced embrittlement of the plastic end caps. In my
opinion it is a mistake to think that these radiators will last forever.

VWs and Audis were notorious for having the large hose nipples break off, to
the extent that Audi actually sold a repair nipple with special glue for
repairing the 5000 radiators. We even used them a few times where I formerly
worked. But in almost every case, once we repaired one nipple, the other
main hose nipple would subsequently break off. After this happened a few
times, we stopped bothering to repair these radiators.

This is also why I feel it is a poor gamble to purchase a used radiator of
this type. It’s hard to put a number on the lifespan but here in our hot
climate I would hazard that it’s about 15 years, give or take four or five
years.

Best regards,

Gregory Wells 800-331-2193 x103
Coventry West, Inc. Atlanta, GA
Jaguar & Land Rover Parts
(New, Rebuilt & Used) www.coventrywest.com

mikec123 posted:

In reply to a message from tribal2 sent Sat 31 Jan 2004:

I followed this tip (the boat fuel part) …

With great success :))

8 dollars AUS for the part - 10 bucks for right size drill bit -
job done in about 20 min’s.

Beats a new radiator at $XXX - even a secondhand one.

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !

In reply to a message from geoffrey jupp sent Sun 1 Feb 2004:

Boat shop - brass inlet $8
11mm drill bit (new and sharp) - $10

Half an hour careful drilling…tap with brass fitting - the
plastic is soft enough - take things SLOW and steady - ensure tight
fit, no sealent needed…

Pics here:

http://www.jag-lovers.org/v.htm?1091322303

Beauty - been working 8 weeks now.–
The original message included these comments:

This quite a simple and longlasting repair to this frequent problem.
I used a brass fuel outlet connector commonly used in marine
applications. The plastic on these radiators is thick enough to
make a thread to accomadate the above. Make a hole just smaller
than is needed and apply a small amount of plastic padding to
ensure a permanent seal. I have used this remedy many times and has
never failed.


1990 XJ6 MYU41A (My Euphoria)
Baulkham Hills NSW, Australia
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–

Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !