SuddenTransmission Leak

[xauthenticx]

Hi,
I am new to this forum and was very concerned about my 2000 Jaguar S-type that i have had for about a year.Well to get to the point, yesterday i was changing my snow tires/rims and putting on my summer ones and i just realized that a red fluid is leaking out from under the car. I assume its the transmission fluid because that is the only fluid from my understanding thats red. Well to my knowledge it wasnt leaking previously, what coudleve caused soemthing like this. Thank You
Any help would be appreciated.
P.S: I try to pinpoint the leak location and i cant seem to find out where exactly its leaking from.
Thank You

[appledell]

jag coolant is red, could be from expansion tank?

[Tony427]

I second the expansion tank suggestion. It appears that the S Type expansion tank has a finite life of between 5 to 6 years and will leak like a seive dribbling either orange or red coloured coolant water under the car. In common with most other S type owners I have had to replace mine on a 2000 3ltr 70,000 miles.

[xauthenticx]

Thank you guys very much for your quick response!
Yea i have right around 70000 miles(69,6**) so it might be time to replace it. My leak is towards the front of the car like mentioned above. Where is the expansion tank so it might help me pinpoint the leak?
Thank you

And also the fillup point for the coolant if im not mistaken is towards the driver side towards the firewall correct?

[xauthenticx]

appledell and tony...u guys were right it was the coolant...thank you.

I still didnt figure out WHY it leaked but i know its the coolant...i even checked the reservoir and it didnt seem to have any cracks in it ...nor were the hose cracked.

[Tony427]

You wont see the cracks from the front but when you take the tank out you will see lots of little cracks in the plastic, a temporary fix would be to put in some leak/radiator sealant to forstall the situation getting any worse.

Btw if you are DIYing the repair the water fitting at the bottom of the tank is a bayonet type and the new tank comes with a new fitting so dont worry about trashing the old fitting as its a pig to get off. Also buy some new clips that hold the plastic cover below the screen on, you'll break them getting it off and they are pennies to buy.

Chers,

Tony

[xauthenticx]

Tony427 said:

You wont see the cracks from the front but when you take the tank out you will see lots of little cracks in the plastic, a temporary fix would be to put in some leak/radiator sealant to forstall the situation getting any worse. Btw if you are DIYing the repair the water fitting at the bottom of the tank is a bayonet type and the new tank comes with a new fitting so dont worry about trashing the old fitting as its a pig to get off. Also buy some new clips that hold the plastic cover below the screen on, you'll break them getting it off and they are pennies to buy. Chers, Tony

Hey,
That is very helpful! I ended up cracking two of the clips that hold the plastic covers. Well the wierd thing is that its not leaking anymore, i put a piece of old clothing under the car overnight to see if anything is leaking but nothing at all, and all i did was just pull the tank out a little to inspect it.
I am worried and happy at the same time, im worried because i dont know what the cause of the leak but at the same time im happy that i did something(although i dont know what) to stop the leak .
If anyone can think of a cause for the sudden leak then it would be great because im totally baffled.
Thank You