It isn't often that I put everything back together, close the hood and go have another beer, but this was the time.

I tried from the bottom, from the top, removed front wheel well lining and tried from the sides, all to no avail. Anyway, I still have the new bushing in the box.

The reason I'm trying to replace them, is an attempt to get rid of a "clunk" when ever I go aver a dip in the road or a pot hole. The bushing look fine---no indication of looseness or deterioration--just a starting point.
All other rubber (bushings) look fine.

I'm wondering if the shocks in the air shocks could be bad? The air part still operates as normal, car still rides level, and if slightly low on startup comes back up in a few seconds. Have no idea how to check just the shocks out--ideas???

So----- I'm after some advice. Any help on either point would be appreciated..

Cheers.

 

This was my situation last summer. It took me months to get it sorted.

First, I replaced a whole bunch of front suspension bushings...clunk went away for a few days but came back with a vengeance.

Next, I replaced the sway bar end links...nothing.

Next, I replaced the front shocks...clunk was 50% gone.

Then I went after the sway bar bushings. It took a lot of trial and error but I finally got them changed...clunk was 75% gone.

Then, acting on some internet advice, I decided to unbolt the sway bar end links from the sway bar and drive around the block. I discovered that the clunk disappeared completely with them removed. I couldn't figure out the problem...until I noticed that the nuts on the new links where they connect to the sway bar were not flange-headed like the old OEMs were. So I put on some washers, bolted everything back up, and BAM! No more clunk! Clunk free for over a year now.

I can't explain why the washers made such a difference, but it did. And I can't pinpoint what the exact cause of the clunk was because I tried so many things. It could've been a little bit of everything. So, I suggest you try removing the end links first to see if your clunk goes away. It might not be the bar bushings after all.

 

XJ8JR (if that is his real name) is spot on in the test. you're assuming the bushes are bad. I wouldn't. Two relatively easy tests are needed.

Disconnect the linkage as XJ8JR did. tie the sway bar loosely so it doesn't clank or jam anything during a test drive. Drive around a few blocks and hit a few dips, manhole covers etc.

Is it quiet now? No? The the problem is not your sway bar or links.

Is it quiet now? Yes? You have either faulty bushes, faulty links, or both.

Now eliminate the bushes. With the car in park and shut off, Lift the car and support it (SAFETY FIRST), remove the wheel again. Grab the sway bar and try to push it forward toward the front of the car, then try to push it toward the rear. Now up, then down. If you have movement forward or aft, you have bad bushes. You should only be able to rotate (Spin) the sway bar.

If you can't move it, then your problem is only the linkage.

If you can move it, put the beer down and get back at it. The bushes can be had from the top with wobbly head extensions or wobbly head sockets or both. Use about two feet of extension bar.
Get help from someone who can lay under the car and place the socket on the nut. It's realistically the best way to do it.

Linkage. The linkage might be sloppy once disconnected. It might not. Linkage is about $35. If your bushes are good and the noise went away, there's little point in inspecting the linkage anyway since it's probably the culprit at this point. Replace it.

If the noise didn't go away, these videos are S Type suspension checks but principals and parts apply:


Lastly, this is more of a rattle issue check, when going over bumps and she rattles, try lightly applying your brakes at the same time you're driving over the bump. If the rattle went away, the anti rattle metal on top of your brake shoes it the culprit.

Best of luck

 

Sean and JR............
Thanks for the suggestions. I thought about each one while I had the thing apart, but was just so frustrated by that time, I didn't try either, so will do so again.
The main problem with the bushing bolts is that damn front BAR that runs across the front of the car and is right on top of the bushing brackets. I had thought about disconnecting it on one side to get the added 1/4 inch needed to get to both bolts, but after some thought decided against it thinking that it may have been put there with some support tension and getting it back would have been major. Its held in place on each side with two through nuts and bolts which can be seen and accessed with not too much trouble.
Anyway, I'll give both your suggestions a try and will report results later...........

Cheers

 

That bar is no big deal. Just unbolt it and move it aside. Very easy to remove it and put it back.

 

Chuck,

Just to echo the excellent advice you've already received from XJ8JR & Sean, try disconnecting your sway bar links first. I just went through this on our XJR and the left link was the source of our knocking sound.

Replacing the links is fairly easy (you need a 5mm hex or Allen key to prevent the top ball joint stud from turning while you loosen the nut - a ratcheting 15mm box-end wrench/ring spanner speeds up the process). The lower end of the link is fastened by a long bolt with I think a 13mm head and 15mm nut, but I may be wrong. I used a ratcheting wrench on the head of the bolt and a deep socket on the nut since the bolt protrudes through the nut far enough to interfere with a standard socket.

Installing the new link is pretty simple, but I found that I needed to use a bottle jack to raise the suspension so the lower end of the link would align with the bolt hole. Other than that, it's straightforward.

I hope it's that simple for you.

Cheers,

Don

 

This definitely. Separately jacking up the suspension is a must.

 

I just removed my 06 SV8's sway bar links and unfortunately can feel play in at least one of the sway bar bushings, but here's my question. How did you secure the sway bar when you test drove it without the links?

I removed my end links with the front tires on low ramps but the car is not level and the right one was in a bind and hard to remove so I don't think I will be able to get the link back on and I need to drive to our club's shop to put it on the lift to put them back. In the mean time I'd like to just leave them off but it looks like the suspension might hit the bar if I secure it as high as it will go and it might bounce around if hung somewhere in the middle.

BTW, the manual I downloaded calls it a stabilizer bar if anyone needs to look it up, and it says you have to lift the engine to replace the bushings; I believe there is a post telling how to do it from the top, but it is not a trivial operation and not one I am ready to try today.

BTW 2, the bolts and nuts on my links are flange headed and were very tight on the old link.

 

I would not suggest driving far without the end links. Just driving slowly around the block for 10 minutes was enough for me to realize the clunk was gone. I did not secure the bar to anything; I just drove very carefully.

Removing or installing the links with the tires still on will probably be very difficult. I suggest jacking up the car at the specified jacking point, removing the tire, then using an additional jack to lift the suspension knuckle. This is will take the tension off the links and you'll be able to line up the bolts much easier.

There is definitely no need to lift the engine to replace those bushings. Do a search for one of my old threads where I detail how its done from the top.

And if you use new nuts on the links, be sure they're flange headed to the same size as the old ones.

 

Thanks for the advice. I removed the links using a creeper underneath - not hard except for the mosquitoes. I used a length of stiff copper wire to secure one end of the sway bar mid way and took a short drive around our very bumpy rural half block and it still clunks about as before, so there is apparently something "perished" more seriously than the sway bar bushings, although they are definitely loose also. Sigh!

At least the links look good and one is new, so they can go back on after the bushings are done. I'll look up your post again and decide if I am up to the bushing replacement to at least have that out of the way - I do have some very long 3/8 extensions and a good set of sockets (BTW, a 5/8 6 point deep socket fit better than a metric on the link nuts)

Otherwise it looks like this may be a $$$ job for the shop. Fortunately there is a fellow who is good with Jaguars in our area and I will see if he can give me an estimate on the work and cost to get this car back to riding like a Jaguar should. I sure was hoping it was a simple fix, but like Hope and Change, sometimes things just don't work out that way.

 

Phil, I just tied the link with some rope from the upper wishbone, enough to keep the bar @ mid point and avoid striking anything. You only need to drive it a block or two and take it over a few manhole covers. If you hear knocks @ 10mph with it connected, that's all the faster you need to go with it disconnected.

If you're not hearing any knocking until you hit say 40mph, avoid testing the sway bar via test drive.

 

whoops, you beat me to it. Yep, you got the idea.

 

The test will only rule out the links, not the bar bushings themselves. So it could be that your actual sway bar bushings are the culprit, especially if they're loose.

 

Here is the thread:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...solved-124412/

 

Thanks, It doesn't sound too hard unless a bolt gets cross threaded.

Do the bar bushings slide onto the bar from the ends or do they fit over the bar where they get clamped?

I see them listed on Mirriam's web site for $40 - I assume that is a pair? Do any of the usual sources give a discount to jaguarforums users?

From the parts diagram it looks like there are half a dozen bushings that cauld go bad after 127K miles. I am beginning to understand why the Ford dealer in Houston sent this car to auction.

 

Very good info. I do have a soft clunk from the front, seemingly under the dash, when going over some bumps. All bushings "look" ok.

When I finish removing a broken bolt on my truck manifold I will look at doing this procedure.

 

The bushings have a split through which you slide it onto the bar itself from on top, not the sides. Then the clamp goes on top of that.

I got a pair off ebay for around $20 I think. Exactly the same as the ones that came out.

 

There some very good advice here. I have the identical problem and that is the only one I have not been able to resolve yet. Bushings look good and did the end links removal test but the clunk is just as loud. It has been getting louder too over the last 2 years.

Could the engine mounts be another factor to consider?

Once I am done with my current project (timing chain on my '73 Cadillac) I will be solving this one way or another.

 

If its still clunking with the endlinks removed, then there's a good chance it's probably the bar bushings themselves.

I don't know if engine mounts would create a clunking noise. Watch the engine while you have someone rev it. If you see it really move to one side or the other, then your mounts are bad.

Btw, I love your Series II. I've really been wanting one of those...I'm afraid I might actually get one!

 

After doing most test suggested here, by some very bright folk---who I thank loads---, my "CLUNKING" sound remains. So I have come to the conclusion, after calling and talking to Arnott, that my problem is not bushings at all, but the failure of the shock inside the air-shock it's self.

The airbag portion of the air-shock is still doing it's job of keeping the car at the correct height and ride, but the shock is just along for the ride. Each time the wheel hits a low spot or hole in the road, it bangs against it's stops and causes the clunking sound..

The part of the shock that can be seen below the airbag, does show a dampness as if the oil in the shock has been slowing oozing it's oil for some time. There is no large amounts of any loss of oil, but compared to the other side, which is dry as a bone, it is moist. This concerned me in the past when I first tried finding the reason for the noise, but I (wronging) just assumed that if the shock was bad, the whole airbag thing would show up as bad.

This of course means spending more money, but in a bigger chunk, but I won't know the answer to my problem until the system is replaced. I asked about a Senior discount, but the fellow said they don't offer one, but do offer a Military one. When I order the unit Monday, I'll find out for sure and pass on the info.

I'll post results after-----


Cheers