Hello!
Just joined this group as I just recently bought my first car, a 2005 x-type wagon. But there are a few things that have caused some concern.
My car shakes very hard (Starts in the steering wheel and then the entire car) around 65+ mph. Was told it was a sticky caliper, had all the brakes replaced, back tires replaced, tires balanced, drivers sway bar link that was snapped in 2 replaced, and the damn thing still shakes (less but still a lot).
I've been doing some research and it seems this is a common problem but everyone seems to have a different solution. I'm replacing the front tires, getting them balanced, and an alignment tomorrow but I'm worried that won't fix it. It makes braking at high speeds pretty scary (like on the interstate) since it shakes a lot. Otherwise driving around town is smooth and unnoticeable.
Another thing is the check engine light went on and got it diagnosed and it was the P0174 error code, which from what I can gather means I need to replace my o2 sensor?
Lastly, when breaking at low speeds, my car makes this awful crunch noise that I can feel in the brake pedal. Not sure if this is a big deal, tried researching and saw it might be my abs kicking in?
Sorry this is long but I just don't want to make a million threads. Just wondering if anyone has any insight on any of these issues and any info helps!

 

Welcome to the forum.

You've got a few problems. The P0174 code is (Left-hand bank
combustion too lean) - frequently accompanied with P0171 (right hand bank too lean). While a bad O2 sensor could cause this condition, there are codes for bad O2 sensors. These two threads discuss common remedies for these codes.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...1-p0174-51596/
jaghelp.com: Jaguar X-type common vacuum leaks. P0171 and P0174

The wheel shake can be caused by several conditions - bad tire(s), bad ball joint, bad tie rod, stuck caliper ... a check of the front end suspension parts can tell a lot.

The anti-lock brakes can be a little noisy and can be felt in the petal, but they should only activate if at least one wheel has locked up during stopping, which shouldn't happen at low speeds. You can check the disks for smoothness on the outside and inside to see if there is a problem. Possibly the pads are too worn and scraping the rotors.

If you have an android phone or tablet you should purchase an Elm327 bluetooth OBDII adapter and the Torque app from Google Play so you can read your own codes and check other functions that allow you to observe what your engine computer is seeing.

 

replacing tires and and alignment should be the first priority for any used car purchase. so dont feel bad about that.
tell alignment guy to do a steering/suspension check before the alignment and state your symptoms.
likely to be a worn part but thats normal on a used car.
i also replace all pads and rotors on a "new" used car as standard... again, a good idea,
do all that and you have a good baseline to start from

 

While your guy is under the car checking things out, have him check the front wheel bearings and half shafts. Both of these can make weird crunchy noises and may cause a wobble.

 

There's several problems here. If you're getting abnormal noise when braking I'm not sure the shop that recently replaced brakes did a proper job. Look at invoice and tell us which parts were replaced. You need a thorough check of the suspension for worn parts, especially front end. Threads on lean codes are legion; they're most likely caused by air leaks in the induction system downstream of the mass airflow sensor (MAF). Study some of the threads and you'll see the most common culprits identified. Get familiar with names of the major engine pieces, as you'll see them referred to frequently on the forum. Don't replace an oxygen sensor yet; it's a relatively expensive part and can be a bear to replace on Bank 1. Last question: Where would you rate yourself on DIY ability, on scale of 1 to 5, with 5 the highest? Some of the easier jobs yield big results and can save you a lot of money.

 

MOrgy, the shaking problem that you describe sounds a lot like a bent wheel. If you feel the steering wheel shake a lot, try rotating the tires front to back and see if the shaking changes. If yes, then you have atleast 1 bent rim. Because you are getting the car used, it is hard to say what the previous owner(s) did in the way of hitting pot holes and curbs. A bent rim can still balance just fine and unless the tire guy is paying attention (which they normally don't from my experience), they will not see the slight bend in the rim. I had to actually go into the garage to show the guy how to look for a bent rim. Getting an overall inspection of the suspension is not a bad thing either. A bad ball joint can make things interesting. With the X-Type, normally the problem we see is what is referred to as the strut bearing. This is located at the top of the strut (if you open the hood of your car, right above the tire you will see 3 bolts that if they were a little longer, would hit the hood, those are the bolts that hold the strut bearing in place). When the bearing gets worn out, it will allow the strut to move around a little bit which in turn allows the tires to wonder a little bit, resulting in some shaking.

As for the P0174 code, this is caused by a vacuum leak. You will see us refer to this requiring "the big three" fix. Do not worry, the big three to fix are actually very cheap to do and if you have any mechanical ability, you can fix them yourself. Here is what they are:

1) brake booster hose: 1/4" hose running from the top center of the engine to the brake booster (black cylinder right in front of where you sit as the driver). In the center of this line is normally a gray "bulge" (actually a check valve) and with time, this will dry out and become brittle and will turn to dust if you run your finger across it. You may even see a crack in it. If you see either one of these conditions, it is time to replace it. A new one is like $15
2) PCV hose. If you open the hood, front and center you will see a black box that says "JAGUAR" on it. This is your air box. Just to the right and slightly below it, you will see a hose (about the diameter of your thumb) coming off of the engine and running straight back towards the windshield. The tube is about 12" long. It has a slight bend in it. You may have a smooth tube or you may have one that is ribbed. If you have a smooth one, I would say to replace it (presses on to fitting at both ends that a little tug and it will come off). If you run your fingers along the under side of the hose, you will feel where a support keeps the hose bent up. Right in that area, the hose is known to split, causing a vacuum leak. If you run your hands side to side, you can feel the split.
3) IMT o-rings. If you walk over to the passenger tire (for your car) and have the hood open, you will see two black circles pointing at you. Each one is held in place with 2 small bolts (8mm bolts). There is an o-ring on the inside. The top one you can replace really easy (undo too bolts, undo the electrical connector, pull it straight out, pull off the o-ring, put on the new o-ring and reverse the order). The lower one is a little more work but still easy. You will undo the 2 bolts, undo the electrical connector, then pull the IMT valve out a little bit so you can use something to hook the o-ring. From here, you will stretch the o-ring and pull it over the lip to get it off. The new o-ring will then have to be slid on by place the under side on and then stretching the o-ring over the lip. Then you can reassemble everything. If you do some looking, these o-rings can be had for $3 each plus some S+H.

As for the brakes, lets get the other stuff taken car of and see what you have. It may every well be possible that if you have say a bad strut bearing, the "crunch" that you are hearing is the top of the strut moving. If your noise is something that seems to continue throughout the process of braking, then you may have a worn pad.

Keep us in the loop. We will help you out and not send you on wild goose chases. Wish you were closer to me, I would tell you to come over, that way I could tell/show you exactly what is wrong and possibly even fix it for you.

 

You can get in a safe parking lot and try stopping at different speeds using the emergency brake only. If you still shake and have noise then chances are the issue is in the rear. If it feels fine than the issue is probably in the front.
Also when using the normal brakes, let go of the steering wheel while braking and see if the car pulls either direction, normal to pull towards the direction of the issue.

 

Thank you all so much, you guys have given me an overwhelming amount of good information. I'm going to try to fill everyone in on one reply.
First off, I'm ok at basic mechanic things, but my dad used to work on cars (work on motorcycles now) so if anything is too difficult he can help me out.
My brakes were changed by him, we replaced the rotors, pads, brake lines, and rebuilt the calipers.
After getting new front tires (car still shake), it was noted by where I got them (walmart) that my front drivers rim was bent. I'm starting to put the pieces together and it looks like the last owner hit a huge pothole on the drivers front side because the rim is bent, which is the side that I had to replace the sway bar link that was snapped in two, and the front defroster vent is also cracked on that side.
My dad's friend who works on cars suggested for now to switch the front and back wheels on that side so that the wiggling doesn't hurt my tie rods more than it has until I can either get my rim fixed or buy a new one. If its still shaking after that I'll need to replace the tie rods. I held off on the alignment until I get this rim problem fixed.
As for the P0174 code, I checked "the big three" and the pcv isn't cracked and the o-rings look good, but the grey part in the brake booster hose is falling apart (pictures attached). I just ordered one online and will replace it next week! Hopefully that will fix my engine light, if not I'll replace the pcv and o-rings for good measure. My dad's friend also mentions that that could be part of the crunchy brake issue too so we will see.
Again, thank you all so much this definitely put me in the right direction and I will keep this thread updated.

 

You might think about replacing the bad wheel. Plenty of vendors on internet for used wheels, and also Ebay. Your CEL has nothing to do at all with brakes; it's all emissions-related. Did you do a good brake fluid bleed after that work?

 

morgy, yes, your brake booster hose is what is most likely causing your CEL light. Keep in mind that the CEL will not go out immediately unless you reset it. If you need help on resetting the CEL, let us know. Easy to do. Otherwise, you will need to drive the car normally and on the 6th start, if your vacuum issue is clear, the CEL will go out on its own.

Like others have mentioned, odds are, you will need to replace the rim. Moving it to the rear will save the front end. Granted, getting a good alignment may also help with the wobbling too. I found with my car that if the alignment started to go out, the front end would get a shimmy in it when I got up in the 60ish mph range.

 

the front and rear sway bar links break if you just look at them.. lol
i recommend oem jag links as the aftermarket ones will have you tearing your hair out!