If anyone is interested I have a set of adjustable arms I'm selling. Good arms, but I finally got my other set installed that has stiffer bushings than the ones I'm selling. PM me if interested.

 

I still have these, I'd really like to get rid of them.

 

Well...I got new shOcks. .. New upper abd Lower arms installed. . Still a little thumping in the rear on Bumps... what's left ? Would sway bar links make noise? I think that's all that's left i haven't replaced !sorry guys. ..im posting on the wrong post. .. please excuse... this was meant fior my post"looking fur control arms"

 

daniel3877: The sway bar links are easy to check, particularly if you have a set of ramps (they're only $40-50). Back your car onto ramps and slide yourself under the rear bumper. Put on some gloves and pull up & down on each end of the sway bar. The linkage should not have any play. If it does, you'll feel and probably hear a clicking or thumping noise. The sway bar acts like a huge tuning fork, amplifying any noise caused by play in the linkage.

While you're down there. Push the rear of the car up and down with your arms. If you hear any noises, try to isolate the source by grabbing different suspension members and feeling for vibrations thru your hands while you move the rear of the car up and down with your arms. You don't have to bench press 500 pounds - it usually takes only a 1/4 inch of movement up & down to generate noises & vibrations from loose linkages and worn bushings. Or have a friend lean on the rear bumper while you listen and feel for noise.

A rubber mallet is another good trick. Tap different parts of the suspension and listen for anything that is loose.

Just a dumb thought - have you checked the spare tire to ensure it's tightened down and not bouncing in the trunk when you hit bumps?

 

daniel3877: If you haven't yet found the source of the thumping noise when your rear tires go over bumps, consider this possibility....

Confirm that the brake noise dampener wheels are tightly secured on both rear brakes. It's the small rubber wheel labeled #10 and #11 in the attached picture. These are designed to supress vibrations / brake noise. But if they become loose - as one did on my car - they make a thumping sound each time you hit a bump with that rear tire. It took me a while to discover that it was loose because they are concealed on the inside, top of each rear brake. The easiest way to check on them is to back your rear tires onto ramps and slide yourself under the trunk where you can reach up and ensure they are tightly secured to the rear calibers. If one is loose, a small socket wrench is all you need to tighten it down, assuming it hasn't been loose long enough to damage the threads on the securing bolt (as mind did).

 

Upon reading this, I think this is going to fix my camber problem... The hard part will be locating the parts I suppose lol.... Thank you for this clever tip!

 

02silver: Adjustable control arms for your X-Type are available from several sources. This thread has some examples:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...l-arms-125751/

 

Is this the part you guys are talking about? Just want to double check

 

Yes, that's the part, but it's $88 for one. Here's a $93 listing for two (Left and Right use the same part):
Black Rear Upper Control Arm Camber Kit 04 07 Mazda 3 5 S40 V50 00 12 Ford Focus | eBay

 

Awesome! Thanks!

 

how was the handling after installing the Volvo arms?

 

Meouch, the handling is like it should be. You can get the rear tires back up right like they should be to ensure that the tire maintains the most amount of tread on the road possible. You start leaning the tires some and you are putting more force on one side of the tire than the other and this can result in loss of traction earlier (ie, under less G load). Other than that, the ride quality is just like the car normally had.

 

A public attaboy to dwclapp!


Clunk was driving me crazy, couldn't find any loose parts.


Yep, spare tire hardware was loose!

 

wa3ra: Thanks. Enjoy the quiet ride.

 

Usually the tires leaning in at the top // \\ IS for better handling at the sacrifice of premature wear - that's why I asked - I thought the original design was for them to lean in like that. If you say it handles better or the same with the tires straight up and down with no tire squeal on turns - I believe you and will be doing the same when the time comes... I got a terrible amount of squeak in the rear on both sides... I'm starting with new rear shocks since lube has done nothing - if that doesn't get it - the arms are next. I do need some ramps though to really check things....

 

Meouch, the amount of lean is a function of how much the car squats in the corners due to loading. Since these cars come with a fairly large (relatively speaking) sway bar and the car doesn't lean all the much, the need for a large camber is not required. Mine are currently at about a -0.6 degree setting. I know this allows my car to take any corner I want. If I start loosing traction, normally it is in a 4 wheel slide. So, I am figuring it is fairly good for what I need. If I was taking it to the track every weekend to play, then I might set it up a little different. BUt, for everyday driving, it is perfect in my eyes.

 

I know I'm beating a dead horse, but as a newbie, I have to double check.

My rears sit like this / \ So after reading this post, I'm going to order both lower and upper arms (adjustable uppers)

my biggest issue is how my car feels like the back end is wiggling on icy roads. on dry roads it's fine. taking off on icy roads and stopping on icy roads it's straight and true. It's only during normal driving at a constant speed that the back wiggles.

Can anyone give a reason that it isn't the control arms? this car has 125,000 miles and seems to be the stock arms.

 

slxj, you want to prove the control arms, it is simple. Find yourself a nice big cloverleaf (one that you take at about 25 mph). As you are in the middle of the turn, give the car some gas (in a controlled manner) like you were going to pass someone there. Did the rear end feel like it was going to come around on you? If so, then that almost confirms the lower/forward control arms are bad. To prove the upper control arms, you simply lift the rear tire off of the ground and then slide a pry bar or other suitable lever under the tire and try to push the bottom of the tire under the car. If you watch the upper control arm, you will see where arm will move but the body of the car does not.

Just to ask a silly question, what pressure are you running in your rear tires? That may have some thing to do with it.

 

That's not a silly question, tire pressure might have a lot to do with it. This is my first AWD car. I had 33/31.5 in the front two and 27/27.5 in the rear.

I took the car to an empty church parking lot last night, and started getting used to how it handled. It did seem the like the back end wanted to come around on me. but it also pushed the front sometimes as well.

I'm going out to the garage tonight after I put my daughter to bed.

 

slxj, odds are, the tire pressures you are looking at are way too low. To put things into perspective, I run 38 psi in the front tires and 35 psi in the rear tires. Keep in mind that my tires have a max tire pressure rating of 44 psi. If your tires have a similar rating, I would bump up the pressures to what I have them at and see what you have then.

If you are still feeling the rear end wanting to come around, then you may need some rear suspension work. Let me know and I will tell you more.