OMG!!! My S-Type has started squeeking and creaking in the rear suspension so loudly that people are turning their heads to look at my car as I drive through parking lots. It just started all of a sudden about a week ago. There are no grease fittings anywhere so I guess greasing the rear bushings is out. I kid you not the rear suspension sounds like a bed in a ***** house..........squeek squeek squeek!!!

Anybody else have this problem? Are there known bushings that cause this problem? Which ones? Any idea of the cost to repair? Can I buy the parts and do it myself?

Thanks in advance!!

"EZ"

 

I don't know if your 2003 model has the same type and design of rear stabilizer links as our 2005 model has. But if they are the same, be aware that the rubber bushings and caps tend to flatten, bulge, and crack over time. Ours did it on both sides when the car was still under factory warranty back in the spring of 2009. Our local dealership replaced the bushings and links, and no more rear-end noise after that....

Check your rear stabilizer links by looking through your wheel spokes or behind the wheels. If your bushings and caps are crushed and cracked, you will see it immediately....

 

That's good to know. I haven't had that happen yet, but its something to watch for. I had a 2001 Saturn L100 that sounded like the bottom was going to fall out. It was the links and nothing else. Problem went away for a cost of $19.00.

 

This may help:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ics-faq-55280/

 

Be sure to have a 7mm or 8mm spanner (wrench) to hold the ends of the threaded fittings whilst removing or fitting the nuts. This will also help avoid damage to the new parts during installation.

NBCat

 

Or a pair of vice grips as mentioned in the FAQ.

 

It sucks,doesn't it? Expensive car that sounds like a cheap bed.
The suspension is far too complex, Why does each rear tire need 5 rubber bushings AND 5 ball joints??? The rubber components do not hold up well over time and are extremely difficult and expensive to replace
Try this thread and watch the video. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...deo-faq-68290/
Most likely a bushing, or a seized bolt in a bushing.
If you can lube it up good, the squeak may go away.

 

I'd say not too complex because it means the car handles well round corners at any speed. Cars with cruder suspension tend to be scary/unsafe when driven hard round corners.

 

No doubt the S Type suspension is designed with performance in mind. but that performance comes at the price of shorter life and horrendously expensive repairs. In my opinion it is the poor selection of basic materials and not engineering, (plastic, rubber, composites) that is the major cause of the Jaguar's poor reputation and low resale value. The plastic and rubber on the Jaguar is of poor quality and just does not hold up as well as that of other "luxury" vehicles.
Just a few common pieces that come to mind.

Rubber ball joints deterioration
Suspension bushing deterioration
Lower Strut bearing rubber failure
Demister panel plastic cracking
Headliner de-laminating
Plastic Coolant overflow tank fittings breaking
Supercharger coolant hose leaks
Plastic transmission plug O ring failure and leakage

 

I concur with maxthrottle. After just a few years of ownership, we all learn that our checklist of components we must watch on these cars is a long one. Unfortunate (and some would say inexcusable) for such a nice bang-for-the-buck vehicle as the S-Type is....

 

As long as you're careful enough not to accidentally squeeze the tool onto the threaded parts or have them slip and 'round' the fastener end!

 

I really have no problem with the Jaguar suspension. My car just turned over 105,000 miles so I'm sure ANY suspension would need some maintenance at this point. Sure would have been nice to put a few grease zerks back there to prevent this sort of thing though.

I have no banging, thumping or rattling of any kind. The suspension is still tight. The car handles like a dream. I just wish it wouldn't squeek like this.

I find it hard to believe it is the sway bar bushings making all the noise. The car makes these awful noises doing 10 MPH in a smooth parking lot so the sway bar isn't even being used............???

 

I don't think it is the sway bar either. Is the sound more pronounced from the right rear? I've had this happen twice last year and then last week, on the STR same slow speed terrible squeak you describe I shot Some WD 40 followed by silicone lubricant and then solvent based lithium grease on every bushing and ball joint (there are 5 of each). Watch the 10 minute video. Sam says the squeak is most often the lower bushing at the base of the spindle. If you can loosen that bolt and lube it up (you don't need to remove it just rotate it to make sure it isn't seized together) That bottom bushing and the top A arm ball joint are taking most of the pressure and most likely cause of Mr squeaky in my experience.

 

Maybe a bearing.

 

I'm sure they could have spent more on parts so they lasted longer, then jacked up the price and sold fewer cars. They'd fetch more money used, so I guess I wouldn't have one. Not a win for me....

 

Is there anyway to grease ball joints? Or these car ball joints are ungreaseable??

 

There is not a simple way to grease the ball joints. The designers forgot the zerk fittings as well as the transmission dip stick. I saw a thread here for the XJ to drill and tap a port for the zerk, not sure the S has enough metal for that
I bought a universal tie rod boot kit and used the small one to replace the rotted original rubber ball joint cover once I packed the ball joint and rubber cup full of grease and put it back together.

 

So from first hand experience I can tell you that the rubber parts deteriorate very quickly, as we all know. These are some of the things I have found out:

The rear lower control arms have two bushings which need to be replaced. The thing is that you cannot but these bushings at the dealer. There is a vendor out of england, Racing Green, I believe that manufactures these bushings and sells them for a pretty penny. Their website did not have pictures of these bushings for a very long time. During this, I inspected the mentioned bushings and searched everywhere for similar size and shape. I suspect that the bushings from a XJ8 may be interchangable. I actually ordered one for about $15.00 as opposed to $75.00 from Racing Green.
Now, just to be clear, I have not attempted to replace these bushings, it is something I have in the works but am not in a rush to do. I rarely drive this car because it became such a headache.

Tell me what you guys think:

Racing Green, 96.00 pounds per pair


XJ8 Bushings, $15.00 each

 

In addition to the above, I have replaced the front steering knuckles, as the ball joints are not available separately for 03+ models
Also replaced the front upper control arms and front sway bar bushings. Before replacing, the upper balljoints were in such horrible shape that i could toggle them with my finger, there was no rubber boot left and completely void of grease.

The rear upper arms are in the same shape as well as the rear tie rods and links. Luckily those tie rods and links are rather cheap.

 

It is very difficult to tell the dimensions from a photo. It might be possible to match the bushes to other vehicles if you can measure them with a micrometer. Bear in mind that the firmness of the rubber may be quite different depending on the application the bushes are used in, which can affect handling as the suspension deflects under load.

NBCat