All, I finally got around to registering my 94 XJ12 after two and half years of ownership. I've had to do a bit of work to it since I bought it. Namely, I replaced the rear strut which was broken in half when it arrived. Maybe during transport. I also had to replace radiator that was leaking and the charge the a/c. It drives pretty well, kind of floaty like a Cadillac but very smooth. I do have an issue however where when I turn a corner, I hear a creaking sound.

Any idea?

 

Depending which end of the beast the noise appears to be coming from.

My first ask is always, "when was the last time the half shaft nipples were greased?????"
They will give the strangest creak ever ,when they are neglected.

Then your direction to the suspect area will see many more replies.

 

Hi alabbasi,

An XJ40 should not float like a Cadillac. When properly overhauled, the XJ40 is a highly-refined chassis that the auto media voted the best-riding car in its class back in the day. After overhauling all the bushings and shocks in our '93, I described the results on the forums as "nearly as comfortable as a Rolls Royce, while handling nearly as well as a BMW 7-series." Jaguar's compromise of comfortable ride and sporty handling has always been a trademark, and the XJ40 is no different.

If the sound is coming from the rear, and if you did not lubricate all of the bushings for the rear shock you replaced with lithium grease, it is probable that you are getting a dry squeak or creak from one or more of the bushings, especially the large yellow-foam spring isolator bushing (the "donut"). If the sound seems to come from one corner of the rear seat, the shock bushings would be my first suspect. By the way, it is inadvisable to replace only one shock absorber - it is prudent to replace them in axle pairs to maintain equal damping at both sides of the car.

There are many other bushings that can allow excessive suspension movement and metal-to-metal contact that can squeak, creak, rattle or knock. Many are difficult to see in situ. Using a long pry bar to test for excessive movement is often the fastest way to find perished bushings.

One prime suspect would be the large rear subframe bushings. When they fail, they allow the vehicle body to touch the rear subframe and rub while cornering. You can easily check by looking at the bushings from the side of the car to see if they are maintaining a gap between the subframe and body. Replacing them will often cure differential gear noise in the passenger cabin and improve your steering precision.

Anti-sway bar bushings are another common failure point that can creak while cornering.

A thorough inspection of the suspension and undercarriage may reveal the culprit. Any more detail you can offer may help us help you pinpoint the issue.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks both for responding. The noise is coming from the rear axle, what appears to be the rear right side of the car (from the drivers seat). I was in there when replacing the rear strut and cannot recall any grease fittings (although it was a while ago and probably hotter than hell when I did it). I'll put the car back up on the lift in the coming weeks. The car definitely does not handle like a BMW which is the type of car that you'd want to hustle around quickly. I'm very used to German cars as they are most of what I own.

This is more a wafty ride. It may be because it has KYB shocks installed. I've never been impressed with KYB and they tend to make every car that uses them a bit floaty.

More to come when I have the car up in the air.