things are good here, except for my 996TT just blowing whole bunch of coolant all around the engine pulleys. I was pulling into my office parking, when low coolant warning came on, temperature stayed normal, engine ran perfectly fine, however when I cane out I noticed steam coming from engine lead and a lot of leaking along the trail of the car.
Everything in engine compartment was wet and no coolant in expansion tank.
I waited couple of minutes, started engine, it ran perfectly normal, however whole bunch more coolant started to drip down along with more steam.

Mileage is about 59K, all morning car ran like a champ.
Are we looking at new pump, or is there something specific to check?

Thanks

 

That was a bold move.

Sounds a lot like when one of my engine coolant fittings gave way.

 

I had a crack in my expansion tank that made it look like a money-shot all over the engine bay.

The water pump sits at the back of the car with the pulleys. It's also possible a coolant line fitting came unglued.

 

Yeah, like stop doing that. Whether it's the expansion tank (lesser of two ills) or a blown fitting (the much much worse ill), you have a calamitous loss of coolant to contend with.

Reading into your statement that "it ran like a champ" on the way to the office, I'm gonna guess you got on it a bit (as we all do), which, although not a sure sign, would lead me to guess that you popped a fitting.

Whichever the case, thank whatever force or deity you credit for your good fortune that it happened as you were in the parking lot a familiar place, and that you evidently still have some coolant left, meaning you didn't run it dry along the way. The temp gauge is meaningless once you lose a certain amount because it measures coolant temp. If there's none to measure, then it just hangs on the last known temp while your engine cooks itself.

Have it properly flatbedded to a shop you trust for evaluation. Brace for a ~$1,000+ repair if it's a coolant fitting, but for that money you're buying peace of mind.

Good luck and let us know.
-V

 

Hi there, thanks for the update.
My coolant tank is nearly new and was redone by previous owner.
I did not get on the car prior to popping, I am driving like old lady and was frequently criticized for that. However, I doubt that I had a chance to cause any damage to engine in that minute or so of leak.
My business is where my leisure shop is, I already pulled her in, will lift shortly and get assessment of the situation.
Why is fitting failure so expensive, is it one time quick connect of some sort?
Is it at the pump somewhere?

 

Fitting failure requires engine R&R and either re-epoxy it back or pin and weld the coolant fittings. If you are doing one, do them all.

 

My guess, one of the three pipes just above the water pump. These are the ones that fail often... It can be done with the engine in place.

 

I will get her up soon, just need to throw back exhaust on my XJS, so I could get home.
I figured that something that leaky and steamy has got to be minor issue.

 

Stinks hopefully just hose or fitting that can be reached without pulling motor. I would plan on motor pull with fitting repair if one has already popped.

 

It is on my todo list, clutch and mounts and such...

 

If by minor you mean major, then yeah, it's minor.

If it's a coolant fitting, then it should require the engine to come out in order to do them all, - NOT just the one that's popped, even if it's reachable with the engine in. Doing them all is the only way to ensure the reliability of the remaining fittings.

You'll get differing opinions on welding versus pinning. I went with welding, which seems to be the stronger method. Besides, pinning introduces additional holes, and I figured less holes means less chance of leaks.

-V

 

So I checked, this is one of those easy to do things, correct?

 

Failed coolant fitting.

Time to drop the engine and weld 'em all. There are 8 (if I recall correctly) in total. It's not difficult for an experienced welder to do it. Just requires time, skill, and the money to pay for it all. The surfaces need to be cleaned, prepped and welded. Then it's worth a pressure test prior to reinstalling the engine, just to make sure you've got no pinhole leaks.

 

That is one of the ones jpflip pointed out. you can get that piece out with engine in the car. in your second pic the pipe you can see is coming out too. that hose should be down on the casting with no pipe showing.

 

Do all eight. They are all a ticking time bomb. R&R of the engine, removal of all manifolds and welding will come to $3500 or so, give or take. Better than being stranded somewhere or crashing when coolant starts to spray onto the rear tires...