Hello guys;

My car is still clunking at stops and over bumps. I can hear it's the front suspension.

I have new control arms, new sway bar bushings, new sway bar end links, all the links are tight, but my car is still clunking, and now I have been told to replace the front shocks to "see" if that helps.

The car has been up in the air at two different shops and they can not find anything loose at all. The front brake pads and rotor where changed recently too, and thosr are all tight as well.

With the car on the ground I have squeezed myself underneath to see if something is loose with the weight of the car on the ground that would not show up when up in the air and can't find anything.

Any advise? Should I go ahead and have the shocks replaced?...I have never heard of bad shocks clunking like that, so it seems like a shot in the dark

Thanks

 

Spike, humor me. Crawl under your car and follow the e-brake cable forward to where it clips into the body (just in front of the rear wheels). Is the cable held firmly there or can you wiggle it around some. If you can wiggle it, try and add some electrical tape to temporarily hold the cable tight. Go for a drive. See if your noise goes away. Make sure to check both sides. that is where my noise is coming from and there are times where I think it is coming from the front of the car.

 

Spike: If the front shocks have a lot of mileage, you may be hearing play in a worn upper strut mount. The right strut mount typically goes first on our US cars because the gutter-side of the road has more sewer grates, potholes, etc.

 

this might sound stupid, but my spare tire made a clunking noise.

 

I had a similar problem with a Camry. Chased after it for nearly three years. Finally had the struts replaced and all was good. If everything else looks OK, then the struts would be suspect. Actually, I think it was the strut mounts making the noise, but I had the whole assembly replaced. How many miles on the car?

 

A clunk noise from high mileage struts is more likely from worn strut mounts, not from the struts.

Inside a strut mount is a rubber core that holds the end of the strut rod, i.e., the piston end of the shock absorber. After umpteen thousand bumps in the road, the rubber gets stiff, and big road bumps "slam" the inner plate of the strut mount into the upper and lower plates, with a tell-tale "clunk".




Additionally, the rubber in the strut mount must flex with every turn of the steering wheel. Watch how much stress this puts on the strut mount rubber at the end of this ~3 minute video.

When they begin to clunk, it's time for new strut mounts.

 

Maybe a pair of these.

SNG Barratt - The Ultimate Jaguar Parts Specialist

Don't forget to mention Jaguar Forums for a 10% discount.

 

Bud: It's good to replace strut bearings and strut mounts when replacing front struts.

Strut bearings let the whole strut assembly rotate as the front wheels pivot left & right.
SNG Barratt - The Ultimate Jaguar Parts Specialist

Strut mounts absorb the pounding when struts compress and extend on bumpy roads, and make a clunk noise when their rubber core gets old & stiff.
SNG Barratt - The Ultimate Jaguar Parts Specialist

 

Ordered a wheel well liner replacement last month from them - very good service.
+1 for SNG

 

Thanks for your reply. The cable is firm. Not wiggling at all

 

Thanks for your help

Car is about to hit 80k.

Well, if it is the strut mounts I guess that means I should just replace the whole strut anyway, since it would not make any sense to remove the whole old strut and put it back..I imagine it all has to come out anyway

 

Yes, the struts have to come out to replace the strut mounts. And upon completion, the front end will need an alignment. So with 80K miles on the old struts, you might as well replace the struts, strut bearings and strut mounts at the same time.

You'll need to lower the front subframe a couple inches to remove the struts. One potential "alligator" is loosening the rear subframe bolts - the captive nut sometimes rusts to the bolt and requires some finesse to loosen, particularly if they've never been loosened since the car left the factory.

Suggestion: Before you replace the struts, mounts and bearings, try to loosen and retighten the rear subframe bolts using P&B Blaster, etc. If the captive nut turns and you can't loosen the subframe bolts, take a look at this brilliant solution by Paulc. I have half-a-mind to get out the blow torch and grinder, and modify my own wrench per Paul's template.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...e-free-113243/