Duckbill water ingress

[silverback mike]

Hi all. I’ve had a good gander on the web and wondering if anyone has knowledge of another way to fix rather than dash out.

(Xk 4.2)

[reddiesel]

silverback mike said:

Hi all. I’ve had a good gander on the web and wondering if anyone has knowledge of another way to fix rather than dash out.

(Xk 4.2)

No luck pressuring the system Mike ? Apart from this then its the usual Dash out or Transmission dropped . I have heard in the past of People managing to prise the drain open but sadly never seen this done .

[8bit]

Some folk have managed to cut the blocked end off the offending pipe by getting a scalpel blade or similar in above the gearbox. I can't remember which side the air intake pipe is on a 4.2 XK, if it's on the driver's side (or in the case of an XKR with one on each side) then you'll need to remove the plastic section from the back of the engine round to the front.

Plenty of threads on this on www.jaguarforum.com, go to the X150 XK/XKR section and search there for "duckbill".

EDIT to add - I had this very issue on my 5.0 XKR, on the 5 litre cars there's an additional piece of flame-retardant matting above the gearbox which makes access much more difficult. After numerous failed attempts to resolve it that way I gave in and took it to Prestige Jaguar in Glasgow, they replaced the pipe by removing the dash to access the HVAC unit, 11 hours labour to change a part costing about £8...

[silverback mike]

reddiesel said:

No luck pressuring the system Mike ? Apart from this then its the usual Dash out or Transmission dropped . I have heard in the past of People managing to prise the drain open but sadly never seen this done .

Holding pressure beautifully. Freezing cold air con but slightly damp feet 😁 I’ll see if the indie I have it booked in can shed some light on it!

[silverback mike]

8bit said:

Some folk have managed to cut the blocked end off the offending pipe by getting a scalpel blade or similar in above the gearbox. I can't remember which side the air intake pipe is on a 4.2 XK, if it's on the driver's side (or in the case of an XKR with one on each side) then you'll need to remove the plastic section from the back of the engine round to the front.

Plenty of threads on this on www.jaguarforum.com, go to the X150 XK/XKR section and search there for "duckbill".

EDIT to add - I had this very issue on my 5.0 XKR, on the 5 litre cars there's an additional piece of flame-retardant matting above the gearbox which makes access much more difficult. After numerous failed attempts to resolve it that way I gave in and took it to Prestige Jaguar in Glasgow, they replaced the pipe by removing the dash to access the HVAC unit, 11 hours labour to change a part costing about £8...

Sadly I have hands Of a gorilla so doubt if i can get my mits in. Love the car so I’ll get it sorted maybe the new chap I’m taking it to for a service will have a bodge •cough• fix

[8bit]

silverback mike said:

reddiesel said:

No luck pressuring the system Mike ? Apart from this then its the usual Dash out or Transmission dropped . I have heard in the past of People managing to prise the drain open but sadly never seen this done .

Holding pressure beautifully. Freezing cold air con but slightly damp feet ?? I’ll see if the indie I have it booked in can shed some light on it!

I think what he means isn't about the a/c gas pressure, there's a "fix" which some folk have had luck with, albeit temporary I think. Turn the fans up to max speed using the dial on the upper center console and close all the air vents. The idea is that the air pressure from the fans has nowhere else to go but out of the drain tube, so forcing it open and hopefully clearing the blockage.

I tried that with little success. In some cases bits of fluff etc. can cause the blockage in the pipe which can be cleared this way but in the main I think it's just that the design of the pipe and the fact that it's rubber means it can't flex open as it should once the rubber gets old and stiff. The new pipe has a more open-ended design.

silverback mike said:

Sadly I have hands Of a gorilla so doubt if i can get my mits in. Love the car so I’ll get it sorted maybe the new chap I’m taking it to for a service will have a bodge •cough• fix

Some independent garages who are familiar with these cars have been able to get something on to the end of the pipe to trim the bottom section off, worth asking certainly. I suspect any competent garage should be able to get the dashboard out enough to be able to replace the hose on the bottom of the HVAC unit.

[reddiesel]

8bit said:

Some folk have managed to cut the blocked end off the offending pipe by getting a scalpel blade or similar in above the gearbox. I can't remember which side the air intake pipe is on a 4.2 XK, if it's on the driver's side (or in the case of an XKR with one on each side) then you'll need to remove the plastic section from the back of the engine round to the front.

Plenty of threads on this on www.jaguarforum.com, go to the X150 XK/XKR section and search there for "duckbill".

EDIT to add - I had this very issue on my 5.0 XKR, on the 5 litre cars there's an additional piece of flame-retardant matting above the gearbox which makes access much more difficult. After numerous failed attempts to resolve it that way I gave in and took it to Prestige Jaguar in Glasgow, they replaced the pipe by removing the dash to access the HVAC unit, 11 hours labour to change a part costing about £8...

11 hrs , heartbreaking !

[FezSpider]

To give your self more room to get at the duck bilk. Jack under the engine, remove both engine mounts from under the car and lower the engine a few inches.
Of course raise the car first and use suitable stands.

[8bit]

reddiesel said:

11 hrs , heartbreaking !

Yes, and I'm Scottish so tighter than two coats of paint Other than a set of tyres last year (which are consumables after all), it's the first sizeable bill I've had on either of my XKRs in almost eight years though - I do a lot of the work myself - so I can accept it that way.

BTW, are you the same reddiesel that used to frequent jaguarforum.co.uk?