I recently moved and had to drive the car approximately 10-12 miles to the new house. This is the most I drove the car since I bought it. The problems I knew prior were that is had a bad oil leak from the valve covers (that I didnt have fixed yet). Can someone give me some hints of where I should start to troubleshoot as well as make sure the engine was not ruined? I am pretty sure a good radiator flush and treatment can be a good call. Anything else?

Submitted by nathan.gallowa… on Tue, 06/13/2006 - 14:45

Steve

Cheers and many thanks for the post (and reassurance :) ) I am going to look at getting the above components mentioned. I live in California so I am hoping there is some performance or OEM parts carriers near by. Matter of fact I may start a thread asking about where is the best places to get parts.

Thanks

Submitted by NE52-32043 on Mon, 06/12/2006 - 16:33

Nathan,

The problem with overheating is that you might drop a valve seat. But generally, it has to be a very serious overheating situation, not just running a bit hot, and usually for an extended period of time. If you dropped a valve seat, you'd know it. The engine would sound like a garbage disposal chewing up a pile of bones, if it ran at all. Chances are, you're fine.

Removing the mechanical fan and installing a high capacity electric fan is a good move. Make sure it is wired so both the main fan and auxiliary come on at the same time. Otherwise, the fan will pull air back through the auxiliary fan and lessen it's effectiveness.

Also, I agree -- don't bother flushing the radiator. Pull it out and either have it recored or get a new one. Don't bother having it "rodded out." If it's clogged up, just get a new, high efficiency core installed. And be sure to change the hoses, especially the lower hose from the radiator to the water pump. That hose can get soft and collapse under suction from the pump, cutting the flow to nothing. You should also have both thermostats changed, making sure that they are replaced with the correct type of by-pass stats, with the jiggle valve on them.

You might also want to pull the water pump off while the radiator is out and either replace it or have it rebuilt, and replace the impeller. Over time, the old impeller can be eroded and lose effectiveness. Check Terry's Jagaur in Illinois. They do rebuilds and use a high capacity impeller. Coventry West may help with this also.

When you refill the system, be sure to use distilled water and anti-freeze in a 50/50 mix, and add in a bottle of Red Line Water Wetter. It will help keep the system working efficiently and help keep temps lower. If you are doing the work yourself, be sure to check the manual for the proper filling procedure and bleed all the air out properly.

Steve Weinstein
'70 XKE FHC, 69 XKE OTS
Former '89 XJS owner

Submitted by nathan.gallowa… on Wed, 06/07/2006 - 11:08

Nope, no noise at all. Still runs smooth and quiet. I am considering replacing the radiator all together, and getting a electric fan as well as the thermostat and new hoses.

Any other tell-tale signs I should look for? Oil still looks good (just leaking).

Thanks

Submitted by dougdwyer@adel… on Tue, 06/06/2006 - 20:47

Is it making any awful noises ?

Forget flushing the radiator. Take it out and have it professionally cleaned.....and replace the thermostats on general principle.

Doug Dwyer
Longview Washington USA
1987 XJ6 Ser III
1988 XJS V12 Coupe