I have a 2005 jaguar S type with 4.2 v8 vin ending in N21884....I can't seem to get the right size ball joint for the front..........bought a pair on ebay to big, bought a pair from Rockauto raybestos 5051554 also to big!
When I say it is to big, I mean it will not fit through the hole in the lower arm!
can anybody point me in the right direction?
This is the last piece of the suspension that I need to be able to reassemble the car

 

You can't get the ball joints separately for your car. This has been discussed many times and a simple search would have saved you from ordering all the wrong parts.

You must buy the complete arm with the ball joint already installed. Maybe in the future the ball joints will come separate. Also which ball joint? Your car has upper and lower ball joints. The lower one does most of the work and tends to wear out first. The upper ones split the rubber boot first.

Please be aware there is a LOT of incorrect listing out there showing the 2003 and up S-Type ball joints. They are all wrong.
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Front lower arm ball joint.....I bought new upper arms!

 

As of now you can only get the LCA complete for the 2003 and up S Types. Yes they are expensive!!

The early S-Type from 2000-2002 share the Lincoln LS suspension and ball joints are available separately. Maybe in the future we will get them but with the 2003+ updated S Type suspension the number of cars using that ball joint is much smaller. So we might not ever see them available separately.
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I am surprised how poorly the suspension holds up! From all the work I have done.....getting to know the car ....I can truly conclude that this is my first and last jag! I thought my lotus esprit is a pain to work on....but after having worked on the jaguar I will never complain about the loti again!

 

With your one sample... you appear to have a badly treated one (some time in its 8 years, apparently). You'll see there are very few saying what you do.

 

Actually this was grandpas car. Most of the miles are highway phoenix to ft Lauderdale and back. Car was exclusively dealer maintained, which does not say much, and when the radiator gave in he gave it to my son!

I chose to fix it....so I started with head job, new gaskets, new o2 sensors, new radiator, new dccv, water pump, thermostat housing, tensioner and idler, crank aft pulley, injector o rings, maxbore bt, complete new suspension front and back!

A car regardless of make should not require new bushings in the fishbone and lower inner arm, not to mention the upper arm bushings or the cracked radiator issue! I am not even going to touch the shitty wiring which seems to be a British specialty! (My lotus is also crap)

Son should have a good ride for a while! Car does run good, fairly good pick up....I am driving to make sure that everything is good to go before giving to junior!

I will post some pictures of the build

 

Bushings are a wear and age item. Fact. It's what they do.

 

8 years I feel it is a little early IMHO! Grandmas 99 Lincoln town car still has it's original suspension and going strong!
Was jaguar under ford in 05?

 

Yes.

 

Of course the irony is that balljoints are available - to Jaguar's OEM suppliers, but not to us. They must be available, because they get fitted into the arms by those suppliers.

One day, one of them will let slip where the balljoints come from. One day................

 

Your car is not typical at all.

I have a 2005 STR and EVERYTHING is original in the suspension. No worn bushings or anything. I used Brutal to do a proper 4 wheel alignment and asked that he be very picky on what he saw and at 95K miles he said everything looked fine. The car drives straight and true and quiet.

I think you provided one clue that I have found to be universal. Grandpa's car.

DRIVE THE DAMN CAR!!!

I can't tell you how many cream puffs that turned out to be nightmares because the cars just sat in the garage their entire life. Cars are meant to be driven. They last much longer when they are.
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132k when the radiator carped out!

Anyway so far the car drives good, quiet ride, a little stiff with the B6's! Good pick up! Changed oil today to wash out anything that might have gotten in, this was the 3 oil change in 500 miles inspected the oil pick up screen...looked good, new gasket on the pan....used Motul 5w30 and new K&n filter ....tomorrow I hand over the keys to junior!

Like I said before grandpa did not have any issues till the radiator crapped out.....I looked at the receipts from the dealer, 4 months prior to the incident and they gave it a clean bill of health! When I showed them the arms....I got the penguin/ shoulder shrug!

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