Hey guys!

I've got a strange kind of question. Today I noticed a rather large oil spot under the car for the first time. It appeared to be motor oil. I put the car up on ramps and had a good look around. The "leak" seems to be coming from the left front lower arm rear bushing? The engine and tranny are dry, I mean bone dry with dust. I saw no evidence of leakage from the engine or oil cooler lines, and nothing above the bushing was wet, just the bushing and the frame support under it. Granted, it's tight in there, but I would think a leak big enough to make a puddle would have wetness or some engine splatter at the very least.

Is the bush oil filled? Or is somebody having me on? Or is there a hidden oil line that can leak without leaving a trace? Or did the SWMBO just run over something in the road? The oil appeared darker than what is currently in the motor.

I'm stumped on this one, and I don't like oil leaks. If it is a leak I will have it fixed immediately, but I don't understand WHAT could be leaking. Thanks!

 

Ozzle, what you are describing sounds a lot like a prank. While the bushings do have a certain amount of lubricant in them (normally impregnated into the rubber), it wouldn't be enough to cause what you are seeing.

The only other "possibility" that I can think of is you have a slight oil leak at the oil filter and it is collecting on the underside of the tray by the radiator and you happen to park on a slight incline or something and all the oil rolled over the tray and dumped out by the bushing in question. But, that would be a first in things happening to an X-Type.

Another thing just hit me, how is your brake fluid level doing? Is it low? That could possibly be it since you are talking about the rear bushing.

 

Ozzlefinch, you'll see that the rear bush in the front control arm is, despite its appearance a hydraulic bush. The bushes are not available from Jaguar, only the whole arm, but some other parts suppliers do the bush separately and some even refer to it as a hydraulic bush.

Jaguar emphasize that the control arm should not be allowed to drop excessively when manoeuvring it in or out for repair work to avoid damaging that bush.

Looks like you need a new arm or bush.

 

Thanks, that is the information I was looking for! And it makes sense, I have been hearing a kind of thump when going over rough roads, I'm sure it's that bushing. In a way it's a good thing, it's easier to change a control arm rather than an engine seal. It will give me something to do on Saturday. Any good suggestions on where to buy?

 

Ozzle, as I'm UK based, I'm not in a position to advise you on suitable sources in the US, but I will say that some of the non-OEM parts that are available cheaply can be dimensionally inaccurate leading to steering alignment problems. Usually it's the camber reading that is out and is non adjustable.

Personally, I use Jaguar OEM parts for that reason, plus I think they last longer, but if a tight budget demands something cheaper, just be careful it's dimensionally spot-on.

 

Right. I've been looking and there are a lot of choices for the arm. Jag arms are available at the premium price. Aftermarket new runs about $150-200. Used units are running about $70, but I'm concerned about the durability of a unit with 100K already on it. Loose bushings also run in the $70 range, but do they simply press out or is there another gimmick to it? There is also a seller on evilbay with a complete set of lower bushings, two front, two rear, for $60 with free shipping direct from Taiwan, but I'm not sure Chinese parts are what I want- but isn't everything made in China anyway?

Anybody ever dealt with replacing just the bush? I know it's way easier to simply change the A arm, in and out and done, but I have a press and it seems cheaper to replace just the worn part rather than the whole unit.

 

Ozzlefinch,

A different point of view to chew on. I work in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. I think it may not be accurate to equate "made in Taiwan" to "made in China." And, the thought, "all things are made in China" meaning they are poor quality also may not be an accurate belief today. As Astromorg says, it is all about the exact dimensions and manufacturing quality. Remember when "made in Japan" meant it was poor quality? Thanks and good luck.

 

I got my new arms from Rockauto.com very pleased with the quality.
also check out Amazon.com

A good tip is get some spring compressors from the local parts store so you don`t damage the new seal trying to get the ball joint in.
Plus it makes the job so much easier.

and don`t forget you will need an alignment when you are done and also how long until the other side goes may be an idea to do both sides.

 

Make sure to tighten bushes up with vehicle weight on them or the front one will wear out quite quickly.

If using quality parts I don't see a reason for an alignment as there is nothing that would need adjusting, unless you've had an alignment done with worn out parts which is always a big NO-NO.

If looking for new bushes or for the whole arm I would go with Lemförder. When you buy a suspension bushing, an A arm or a ball joint form Jaguar it is actually made by Lemförder but has a Jaguar logo on it. Over here brand new Lemförder lower arm is like 70-80€. Make sure to change both sides.

 

Please don't misunderstand by position. What I was referring to was the fact that since most companies have a factory in China making their parts, would there be any difference in simply buying direct?

In any event, I got the arms from RockAuto and they should be delivered today. And yes, I am doing both sides simply because I've learned that only doing one side means that in 6 months I will be hauling out all the tools and jacks again to do the other. Doing both sides at once will save lots of time and effort.

Thanks for the advice on compressing the springs. I do have spring compressors already and I will use them. Thanks for the tip!

I probably won't get to do the job until next week, but I feel better having the parts on hand. The car doesn't seem to have any ill effects other than some noise going over rough roads, the handling and steering track is fine. But that's the way I like doing repairs, at my leisure and BEFORE they become emergencies.

 

Ok then. Anybody have an insight on Meyle parts? I've searched the web and what I get is a lot of opinions based on hearsay and rumor, but nothing solid. From what I've gathered, factually, is that they are a large company (120 countries) that supplies aftermarket parts for European cars, mainly BMW and such. They have factories in Germany and China. From what I have gathered the people that have actually used the parts say nothing bad about them, the people that haven't used the parts say they are so-so and the only thing is to buy OEM. So who has actually used the parts and can say out of experience if they hold up well or not?

The question is, are they a quality part that can be used with assurance, for as much as anything made by man is assured? Or are they just another 120 country global company making cheap ****?

 

Just an update and a resolution to the control arm issue. This morning I installed Meyle arms that I purchased from Rock Auto (under the Beck/Arnley name). I was concerned about the brand Meyle simply because I have never heard of it before, although it's a big name in Europe. Internet searching and forum searching didn't reveal any useful information, so I contacted Meyle directly.

I was surprised to receive a response from the engineering department of Meyle direct from Hamburg, Germany. It was clear that a translator program was used, but the information I got was very interesting and extensive. It appears that Meyle is not some fly by night company and they are very interested in the design and quality of their product. They even went so far as to reformulate the composition of the solid rubber bushings on the A arms to duplicate the ride quality of the OEM oil filled.

The bottom line is that I installed the Meyle A arms, a relatively easy job that only took 3 hours with a break for lunch, using new bolts from Jaguar. The ride, as far as I can tell, is no different, but that is going by "butt feel" and steering feedback. I can't tell a ride difference at all and as far as I'm concerned that is good enough. But the litmus test was when I took it to my mechanic for an alignment (hey, there are just some things I can't do myself!). The car came out 0/0 dead nuts on factory specs with the aftermarket Meyles.

So the end of it all is that yes, Meyle A arms ride well and fit well for about 1/3 the cost of OEM replacements. I will report back in a few thousand miles if anything changes, but judging by the data the Meyle engineer sent me, I can be confident that the arms will last for quite some time.




PS: Thanks for the spring compressor tip, Paulc732. I forgot about it and struggled with the first side until I remembered what you said. I used the compressors and the ball joint came out no problemo. Thanks again!