Personally, I think you shouldn't be able to see the ground through the floor of a Jag, or should you? This is the rear right side underneath the seat. Looks kind of terrible... And it is.

 

Scary part, is that other than a slight clunk when the axles shift from fwd to reverse when they tension up, and upon slow acceleration at a tight right corner from a stand still, it makes virtually no noise while driving. It only recently became apparent that it was a bigger issue than an annoyance when I noticed that the right rear seemed to be sitting a bit low and cambered while parked, compared to the left side. I originally thought the shock had blown out on that side, but finally got around to jacking the car up to look. Certainly was a little surprised! We won't get into how long I had actually been driving it this way....

 

Today I fitted new front sway bar bushings. They are cheap ($5.95 each) and pretty easy to install. I jacked the car up on each side just to give some working room. You have to remove the front under-valance which isn't difficult, and I found there was one torx screw missing so I got to replace that with a philips head I found on the junk drawer.

The right (passenger) side) bushing was easier than the left (driver) side, because on the driver side one of the A/C lines to the condenser is in the way of the top bolt. I ended up tying it back with zip-ties while I threaded in the top bolt.
.
Does it feel any different?........of course............ it is smoother, quieter, quicker, more comfortable, does 4 mpg more, and 20 mph faster, just like when I wash and wax the car!

In truth, the old ones looked just like the new ones, but the old ones were 17 years old, new ones are cheap, and easy to install, so no harm in fitting new ones.



.

 

I think maybe those bushings are made out of the best material available! haha

I replaced them front and rear on a 2003 XJR with 123,000 miles and the old ones were just as shiny and pliable as the new ones. I also replaced all four on my 2002 XJR with 99,000 miles and I had to be careful to keep them separate so I wouldn't put the old ones back on, they still looked brand new. I couldn't tell them apart!

Like you I figured, they're cheap and easy to replace. And, the originals are about 16 years old so why not?

No difference noticed here either, although the "wash and wax" comment made me laugh.

 

The original Jaguar sport ones cost less than after market stuff ans are firmer and more durable... You just need the larger (33 mm) ARB in the first place

 

Passed the 200k mile mark this morning, that was the extent of my achievements today.

 

I used a black tinted car polish this weekend to hide a few stone chips on the bonnet. It turned out to be a disaster, after using numerous new micro fiber cloths after applying the "wax", it was almost impossible to get a shine back. So I used Turtle Wax cleaner to remove the black wax and then applied "normal" wax and it turned out fine. 2 hours later.

 

Having a tough time finding someone to install my passenger side puddle lamps. Soon as they hear the door panels have to come off they frown up & decline lol. Not trying it myself as everything I touch in there here lately tends to shatter, hence why the puddle lamps need replacing lol.

 

Surprised they won't touch it, they're very easy to remove, with the only casualties being if any of the clips are too brittle and snap, but even that is only a minor setback. I have a whole bag of them on my shelf for just-in-case moments myself.

 

1st clear day after a week+ of rain, I plan on detailing her complete w/ clay bar & polish if the weather holds.

 

Well the rear end moan's back w/ traction on or off, it's there. I'm going to replace both rear differential output shafts if that doesn't remedy the moan then I am seriously @ wit's end. Such a lovely machine but the constant needs coupled w/ rarely driven is becoming taxing.


The saga continues,

 

Finished taking the XJ apart. Everything I could get off which was worth getting off has been removed and boy, did I find some rust!

- rear right sill end gone inside and outside
- right side sill rotten from front to rear
- front inner wheel arches both had the shock reinforcement plate rust
- front footwells had rust in the outer most front corners
- main chassis box which rest on the front subframe was rusty (though sorted 2017)
- under scuttle board was rotten around 10x8 cm on the passenger side, 5x3 cm on the driver side
- front reinforcement plates near radiator had massive corrosion
- reinformcement plate when main chassis goes under the body had some bad rust on it
- under nearly all the underfloor protection was rust
- cross brace under driver seat had corrosion all around it
- left and right lower corner of the rear screen had surface rust
- under right rear light was more rust

BEST decission of my life! Worst was ro buy it. Second worse ro invest in it.

​​​​

 

Currently hunting down new or refurbished output shafts, so far I've found a source w/ one new OEM unit but I'd rather do both while it's opened up. I'm not a quitter (the blessing & the curse lol) so I will sort this rear end out before I'm through lol !

 

Post removed by author, not sure why I can’t remove the screen shots

 

I'm not quitter. But to get my XJ back to a good condition, it would involve a full tear down, paint removal, loads of welding, ... That would be something like at least €10.000 to have it done here. I can't afford that to be done and as I already have one car, which needs a little bit of welding, I don't fancy having two like that...

 

Yet another night where I thought I might have made progress towards the eventual fixing of all the little things, and all I did was go backwards...

I decided I needed to finally replace the O2 sensor to rid myself of the P1646 code I was getting, as the only two codes I had were a P1000, and P1646 after my last. I managed to replace it, and thought that was well.

I also noticed that I had the connector to the brake fluid reservoir unplugged. Maybe I forgot to plug that back in when I replaced the booster, maybe that's why I've been getting the Low Brake Fluid message? Ok, plug that in, maybe that fixes that.

Also while at it, decided to spray and brush out any dirt from the TPPS on the TB to see if maybe, MAYBE I can get lucky and that will stave off the 1121 common issue that is sure to creep up on me more as the weather stays hotter, at least until I can get a rebuild. Zip-tied the ends of the vacuum line that went to the... bypass valve, the one that comes off the supercharger and down to a near the underside of the TB on the passenger side. Anyway that hose had broken and I had replaced it but noticed it had popped off the end. So I tied those up, and figured that solves THAT issue too.

All in all, sounded like progress, right?

Start the car, figure ok, going to clear the codes right off, and then see...

P1000, P1646, P0340, P0341 all light up instantly. Now, I haven't done a hard reset (a lot in the trunk right now), and I did this all with a semi-warm engine which hasn't gone through any cycles. But to say disheartened, would be an accurate statement. Now, the O2 sensor I bought, was following a prior post about someone who had used one from an X-Type and worked fine - so it's possible that they got lucky, and it just really doesn't work that well, and my attempt at saving a couple bucks to see if I got lucky also, just failed.

I'm also a little annoyed at the P0340 and P0341 codes. I can only assume it's related to the half-melted plug that I had posted a picture of in another thread, and was told that it shouldn't matter for my engine either way. Color me skeptical now, since that's the only thing I can see that a) is even in the region I was working on and b) certainly looks like it is in horrible shape. And since I believe the passenger side on a US XJR is considered Bank A, and seems like it would be in an appropriate location for a camshaft sensor... maybe? In either case, I taped the wires up, keeping them separate so they can't touch or cross, and.. well to be honest at that point, I just closed the hood and came inside.

 

 

You ain't kidding! Nights like this are when I remind myself, It's paid off in 7 more months, and then...

 

I'm playing my own game of Jag dominoes myself lol, rear end's moaning , center wood ejects randomly w/ broken vent tabs & today whilest driving my overhead console decided to drop in on me lol.

That console is really designed oddly. Mine comes loose about twice per annual.

 

There is a TSB on removing the bearing retainer so you can DIY and to install the new undersized / pinch fit you can put the items in a hot oil bath or find someone for just that step saving alot of money .

Be sure to flush out the whole differential grease to rid of the failed bearing metal .