Tony the Liger
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- USA
Posted this in a couple other forums. Just wanted to get as many opinions as possible.
I have a '00 XJ @175k miles. I've owned it for a couple years now, but have barely driven it. Bet I haven't put 500 miles on it since I bought it. I'm losing coolant, but I can't figure out why. My immediate worry was the dreaded head issue, but aside from the coolant loss, nothing else suggests that I have a cracked head. Last winter, when I first noticed this, I checked the oil fill cap and did see some nasty looking foam. I was pretty convinced at the time that I had a head issue, all things considered, but I did some research, talked to some folks who are more knowledgable than me, and described what I was seeing to every mechanic who'd take the time to talk to me, and they all said that what I was seeing was condensation in the cold months, and not coolant mixing with the oil. FWIW, the oil I could see looked fine, I couldn't see a crack, and I haven't seen any of that foam/condensation since. Runs well, doesn't knock or rattle, stays cool, doesn't smoke or smell, exhaust looks normal. Last year, I had a coolant leak that I could see; I had it pressure and compression tested (to help find the leak and check on the head); didn't find any issues with the head at that time, but my water pump was leaking. I replaced the water pump, fan clutch, thermostat and radiator cap, and I haven't seen any leaks since. I haven't driven it much at all since then, so while I know crazier things have happened, the idea that I somehow developed a head crack after having it tested and little driving seems pretty wild to me. Still, I'm losing coolant somehow, so I took it to my mechanic last week. He ran another pressure test and couldn't find any leaks, but he says based on the way it runs, sounds, smells, etc., nothing makes him think there's a problem with the head.
So, where's the coolant going?
I have a '00 XJ @175k miles. I've owned it for a couple years now, but have barely driven it. Bet I haven't put 500 miles on it since I bought it. I'm losing coolant, but I can't figure out why. My immediate worry was the dreaded head issue, but aside from the coolant loss, nothing else suggests that I have a cracked head. Last winter, when I first noticed this, I checked the oil fill cap and did see some nasty looking foam. I was pretty convinced at the time that I had a head issue, all things considered, but I did some research, talked to some folks who are more knowledgable than me, and described what I was seeing to every mechanic who'd take the time to talk to me, and they all said that what I was seeing was condensation in the cold months, and not coolant mixing with the oil. FWIW, the oil I could see looked fine, I couldn't see a crack, and I haven't seen any of that foam/condensation since. Runs well, doesn't knock or rattle, stays cool, doesn't smoke or smell, exhaust looks normal. Last year, I had a coolant leak that I could see; I had it pressure and compression tested (to help find the leak and check on the head); didn't find any issues with the head at that time, but my water pump was leaking. I replaced the water pump, fan clutch, thermostat and radiator cap, and I haven't seen any leaks since. I haven't driven it much at all since then, so while I know crazier things have happened, the idea that I somehow developed a head crack after having it tested and little driving seems pretty wild to me. Still, I'm losing coolant somehow, so I took it to my mechanic last week. He ran another pressure test and couldn't find any leaks, but he says based on the way it runs, sounds, smells, etc., nothing makes him think there's a problem with the head.
So, where's the coolant going?