I live in Houston, and when the temp drops to 55 degrees, the front air bags will not raise the front of the car. ( it looks cool, but the top of the wheel is even with the fender, and will scrap if i turn to fast) .. so either i do not drive it , or i warm it up by running the engine ( 20 mins) in the garage... dealer says replace air bags, but it works at temps above 55... I want to know what is wrong b4 I spend the $3k. any ideas.. this is my third year with this issue.. otherwise, I love the car.
125,000 miles... no issues..

 

55 degrees Fahrenheit is 12.8 Celcius, and higher than it is right now outside my house in England, so not cold at all.

So I think you have a front height sensor problem, or maybe a duff air spring. Failing that there are sticking valves in the valve block in the trunk, but difficult to believe two have failed together.

Front wheels are controlled together by one height sensor, rears separately by one height sensor per wheel.

 

You may be able to do a quick leak test:

Mix a solution of soapy water in a spray bottle and spray at the two points were the arrows indicate.

The black arrow is pointing to the airline/fitting location on top of the airshocks. If bubbles appear, you have a loose fitting or bad O-rings. Tighten or replace the O-rings.

The red arrow is pointed to the opening on top of the airshocks. Be careful of shorting out the connector. if bubbles appear, your airbag is leaking. Replace shocks.

 

thx.. i did not know where to start... i'll try and get back to you. where is the connector??

 

I'll get back with you in a few, with a photo.

Photos attached:

 

A little more detail:
Red arrow: Electrical connection
Blue arrow: Air line/valve connection (where my left shock had air bubbles during the soapy water test).
Yellow arrows: Top of Air-Shock (where my right shock had air bubbles during the soapy water test).

 

very helpful.. how did you stop the leak... hot glue gun?? or what??

 

temp went to 45 last night , i looked at the top of the shock after starting the engine.. it is leaking bad enough to hear it. now what do you suggest?

 

Didn't think of that. I thought about using JB-Weld, but replaced it with the Arnott airshock.

 

Arnott sells a GREAT set for front / rear that are better than OEM. Only $875 + $100 core. Free shipping. Here they are on eBay for the front set:

New Jaguar XJ Arnott Front Air Ride Suspension Shocks Struts X350 X358 | eBay

 

if only one is leaking do i need to do this as a pair?? or can i do only one? h
i guess that was a no to the hot glue to seal the leak??

 

Honestly if it IS your seals, or bags that are leaking on one strut, the other 3 could be following suit soon. If I had the money, once one went out, i'd replace all four. If you are on a tight budget (as many of us are), you could go with a used one from eBay or maybe a forum member has one for sale in the "for sale" section. Arnott only appears to sell them in pairs.. Check everything above this post to find where the leak is coming from before you replace the struts. It could be your height sensor on the front. One height sensor on the front runs the two front struts. On the rear, each strut has it's own height sensor. You can try a patch, but I've never had long term success on anything patched. Check hoses, connections, etc BEFORE you replace the struts. Hope this helps you out. Good luck!

 

I just did that on my right front.
Put a $399 arnott on it.
Worried about not matching the oem on the drivers side.
Called arnott. No problem. Matches perfectly. Air is air. Computer does the rest.
Problem resolved. Rides perfect.
Easy install.
Happy camper.

 

 

thanks... that's my plan... next step. how do you buy one? all i see is pairs?

 

i found the singles buy page.... this was GREAT!! THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED!!

SILVERBULLET!!

XJ8 225,000 MILES... AND IT LOOKS GREAT!!

 

A quarter of a million miles???? Are you serious? I've worried about my 04 at 104K. Been thinking of letting her go due to the high miles.. Any other major issues you've had with it? Any pics of your baby? I'm impressed!!!

 

opps that 125,00 and i'm STILL VERY HAPPY!!

 

thats 125,000!! I'm 69 and have very fat fingers. Pics are february project.
P.s. It looks gr8

 

I am corresponding with "Airbagit.com" Air Suspension Pros | Find Quality Suspension Lowering & Lift Kits to have them design and manufacture Airshocks for the XJ8 series. They are trying to keep the cost down to compete with Arnott and Black Dog. They might also design a 2 or 4 wheel controller as an add-on to the shocks.