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So my 52k mile 03 V8 S-Type has the steering wheel squeak. Before knowing any different I was curious to see if it was plastic trim somewhere near the wheel. Before digging into it I did some searching here at JF's. Of coarse I then found out about the real cause and the Jaguar friction modifier.
So I bought some from a dealership and before I added $30 worth of Dr Jag's elixir I wanted to flush the system and get all new fluid in it.
The old fluid didn't look to dirty but it's 15yrs old and should be changed anyway. I used dexron III high mileage fluid because it has conditioners for seals in it. (same goes for HM oils)
So I jacked the car up, filled, cycled, and drained the power steering fluid twice. (cycling = turning the wheels back and forth (while on the jack stands) about 8 times and varying rpms. Then going for a 2-3 mile drive)
To my surprise... I observed two positive things.
1. When turning excessively quick (up on stands) the stiction is gone. It's now smooth now matter how quick I turn it.
2. The squeak is 100% gone. (I've not added the friction modifier yet)
Since you can't do a complete flush this way I'll do this 2 more times before calling it done. (100+ miles in between drain, cycle, refill)
I'll update this post if the squeak returns.
Last edited by wydopnthrtl; Oct 9, 2018 at 08:25 PM.
I've been under the impression "high mileage" oils have the ingredient that swells seals and gaskets to stop oil leaks.
That's my impression too. I like and generally use mobil 1 synthetic products. In this case I had some product from WM sitting on the shelf and so I used it.
Here is a link where they describe some of the effects for High Mileage oil https://mobiloil.com/en/motor-oils/m...1-high-mileage
A boosted level of seal conditioner to protect engine seals because, over time, rubber seals can harden or shrink, resulting in oil leaks
Formulated with a unique combination of premium base oils and an enhanced additive system including seal conditioners and shear stable modifiers
Automatic transmission fluid provides increased protection for higher mileage transmissions
Helps condition transmission seals to prevent leaks
Super Tech transmission fluid helps improve and maintain smooth shifting longer than conventional transmission fluids
Meets requirements for use in GM, Ford, Toyota, Mazda and other transmissions where DEXRON-II, DEXRON-III, and MERCON fluids are specified
btw... Wife has driven 70miles so far and zero squeaks. By next weekend it should have over 100 miles on it and I'll drain & refill again (I always try to flush as good as I can when I buy a used car)
Last edited by wydopnthrtl; Oct 14, 2018 at 05:14 AM.
Before you change anything you need to see this official Jaguar Technical Bulletin regarding the Squeaking noise from the S-type power steering and the recommended repair procedure:
All you need is an empty car park!!
I am assuming that my 2004 jaguar XJ8 takes the same power steering fluid. I need to do that flush too . My Jaguar has 223,456 miles on it.. Never done anything about
the power steering but I have a little squeaking on my steering wheel when I turn but not always, I never added the additive either.
Can you post more information about which are the power steering hoses under the car?
RF69,
1. The steering rack is in line with the rear of the front tires. On the S-Type you'll need to drop the plastic undercover to get to this. (I assume an XJ is the same)
2. In the top picture I posted you can see the two metal pipes that go to the steering rack. The one on the right (US passenger side) comes from the bottom of the PS fluid reservoir.
3. Put a catch pan underneath & loosen the PS fluid cap
4. Loosen fitting w/a 12mm wrench. When its fully loose pull straight out on the pipe and fluid will start to drain kinda slow.
5. Drain until is starts dripping slowly
6. Reinstall pipe and snug fittng (don't over tighten as the hex can round somewhat easily)
7. Refilling the reservoir will take right at 1/2 a quart.
As for fluid type your owners manual should say what spec the fluid must meet. (the S-Type can use dexron III)
Can you post more pictures of where the hoses for the draining are located under your car. I am assuming that it would be the same location for the 2004 XJ8
RF69, the top picture shows it clearly. You can see exactly where the rack is. You can see the right front tire, the transmission pan, transmission bell housing, ect.... crawl under there and remove the plastic panel that covers the bottom of the engine and you'll see it.
So 200 miles of around town only type of driving and there is no squeaking.
Yesterday I replaced the DCCV and while I was under there I drained and refilled the fluid again. (1/2 quart).
The fluid that came out looks new.
I think its flushed good enough for now. From time to time I'll post status here.
Thought I'd give a cold weather update.
Last night our family car read 16F and the Jag showed 18F. The roads are clear (no salt) so I thought I'd get her out of storage and put a few gallons of fresh fuel in as well as put a few miles on it to keep everything working properly.
The power steering had no abnormal feel and no squeaks. Efforts weren't any different and didn't change much when cold vs after being driven 10 miles. It feels 100% smooth and works perfectly.
4/20 update: Getting ready to put the S Type into DD service and before putting my under covers back on thought I'd drain and fill one more time. (it's "free" at this point)
Fluid drained looked new and steering still feels perfect and... no squeaks in 70F temps.
Update 7/16/19 I may have stumbled across something...
Very shortly after the 4/20 flush we started to notice the squeak again. Maybe 2-3 days afterward. It was very subtle though. Had to turn the radio off and AC down to hear it. I also noticed the steering was slightly jittery. My wife didn't notice but I did. We let it go for about 1500 miles and it didn't get any worse. It was inconsistent though. Sometimes no squeak and sometimes a little noise.
There were two things that I did differently that time and it's had me wondering if...
1. The fluid was different (I used up the one pictured above and so I bought the "same" stuff but it was only available in a 1 gallon bottle)?
2. I didn't purge the air out? (I just filled and dropped the car because I was in a hurry)
Yesterday, I had the car up on stands so I decided to flush it again and this time do exactly what I did the first time but using the new fluid. That was to drain, fill 1/2 way, then turn the wheel from lock to lock about 10 times (wheels off the ground). I did that and noticed the fluid level dropped where as the 4/20 flush didn't. I also noticed there was jitter and some resistance at the same time when turning the steering wheel about 270-360 degrees. Then after about 5 complete Left/Right turns there was a decrease in resistance and it started to get smooth.
Only driven about 30 miles so far and its back to no squeak and smooth turning (like a new car). Going on a trip next weekend and I'll watch it closely.
btw..
- I'm thinking I had not purged all the air out.
- The fluid looked slightly darker than new
- Ambient temps now are in the low 90s. (The squeak doesn't seem to be air temp dependent)
Last edited by wydopnthrtl; Jul 16, 2019 at 01:51 PM.
Steering wheel squeaking - interesting observation
