I need to bleed my brake system. I have done this many times in the past on different vehicles.

My question is: Is there any special procedures that need to be conducted with my '04 XJ8?

My pads are good. They were changed two years ago, but I am easy on them. I have seen the pads, lots of material left.

They make noise, but it is a messed up anti-rattle clip on the pad that drags against the top edge of my front rotor.

The reasoning I want to bleed is that:
First of all: They are relatively soft.
Second: Correct me if you think something else is going on, when I am moving slowly, and I press the brakes abruptly, the jolt. As if there is a gap between the pad and the rotor and the piston slaps the pad into the rotor. I have checked the pads, they are barely touching the rotor, as they should.

So, I am figuring there is some air in there causing this as well.

Hook me up with knowledge.

 

Also, when the car is been parked, engine not running, when I press the brakes they sometimes make a popping sound. I think that is just because the slide bolts are probably dry.

 

JTIS has a section appended to the usual brake bleeding instructions on "Additional Procedure to Bleed New Calipers with Integral Park Brake mechanism".

XJ 2004 - Brake Bleeding.pdf

The explanation for this is "due to the complexity of the fluid path within the integral park brake calipers, it may be difficult to achieve a satisfactory result ......."

This sounds like a pseudo-technical way of saying these brakes can be difficult to bleed in the usual way!

Graham

 

Latching on to USMC1211's post, I have a question. I notice that on my '08 when braking gently or at the point right before the vehicle comes to a complete stop and the pedal pressure is eased up, I hear a grinding kind of noise. While I intend to check this out tomorrow, just thought I'd get some tips on what could be going on... Any thoughts on what might be causing this noise?

TIA for any clues!

 

Check the "How To" section above. There is an entire section on XJ brake service I posted. I would suggest that you totally sort this out before something happens. Follow these instructions and the attachments regarding bleeding a couple of hours and it will good or better than new. Braking may deteriorate so slowly you may not notice until a major failure.

Go to this link: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...service-61323/

The rear calipers are more complex. They require a special retraction tool and special bleeding procedures. This should be very helpful.

 

Check the pads! There are wear warning clips that touch the rotors before you have "NO" pads left. After that it's the metal against metal... pad backing plate against the rotor = No stopping and rotors ruined. If you need a brake job, you can do it yourself. In the "How To" section above.

Link: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...service-61323/

If you have over 40K since the last brake job or pulsating pedal which it sounds like you do and also have and grinding noise, do the total 4 wheel brake job, new pads, new rotors and flush system with new fluid when you bleed it. Don't resurface the rotors just replace them.

 

the pads still have ALOT of material left on them. All four corners.

My pedal is pulsating. There is no shutter. they are smooth. They just jolt if I slam them at very low speeds.

I did the bleeding yesterday, There were alot of air in both of the front calipers/lines, and the rear left caliper/lines.

Breaking dramatically improved, of coarse.

The jolt is still there. When it jolts, its the front breaks. ya cant really feel it yourself, but the steering wheel will twitch about 1/2 an inch when it happens.

 

The rotors can become glazed when the pad material melts onto the rotors and causes uneven grip and the pulsating or "warped" rotor feeling. You can have the rotors resurfaced but that is a temporary solution.

Even though there was adequate pad left on my '04 XJ VDP the solution was to
basically to replace everything as described. However I also had to replace a rear caliper that was dragging, that I may have wrecked because I didn't use the proper caliper retraction tool. Just a suggestion. Good luck.

 

Our resident X100 expert for performance and cosmetic modifications XKracer says that when he has trouble with a soft pedal after bleeding the brakes, he turns the ignition to II and lets the ABS pump aid in removing the last of the air. He also has a different method for sequence for bleeding. Here is the thread.

 

Thanks for the brake noise info guys... Got new brake pads over the weekend and tried to take off the wheels, and volla!! Found out about the Jag wheel lug nut design and/or sloppy mechanic. Lugs nuts over tight and or steel cover striped because my socket was a 12-point. I know now to have used a regular hex socket, but I have one damaged that I will replace regardless and four others I cut the cover off after removal as they were FUBAR'd (the hex was good so I have reinstalled them to hold the wheel on). Anyhoo, have to replace five and the brake job is not even started yet...

 

I also have another question on the brake bleed... Does the pnematic suspension work when the ignition is off? Just wondering.. Also, as a follow on: if only one wheel at a time is off the ground for the bleed and pad change, does the battery still have to be disconnected.
I am thinking on the lines of a flat tire change, surley the battery disconnet is a PIA, as you would have to reset almost everything once the jobs done. Any thoughts/comments...?

 

NASH I have replaced all my crappy jaguar wheel nuts with chrome ones from Driven Products Kent Wa.They look very similar to the jaguar ones but much better and only $1 each.Item no D6116-oet/20 but can't see them on their web site.

 

I would follow procedure and save a lot of time. The effect of the battery disconnect is minimal and simpler than pulling fuses compared to the benefits. As you start jacking the car, it tries to level itself, additionally the Emergency Brake engages electrically on shutdown and if you don't flow the procedure you won't get the rear caliper off. Basically this procedure works. You are free to experiment. Good luck.

 

To start with, the long bleeding procedure for the rear caliper is only for NEW calipers that are empty. A normal bleeding of existing calipers is done the same on each wheel. I personally use a pressure bleeder which reduces the effort dramatically. As for what to do with the air springs, just jack the car as you normally would, the system compenates. You can jack it any way you want. No need to mess with the battery, this system in very sophisticated and can compensate for all kinds of situations.

 

Obviously I would have tried just jacking all four corners first without disabling the air leveling system. My recommendation and that of others is based on the experience doing just which resulted in a condition that was not conducive to the job and also having the electric parking brake automatically engage when you shut the car off Secondly if during flushing the system and installing new brake fluid you accidentally allowed air into the system then I would highly recommend the more complicated rear caliper bleeding procedure. I any case the experience of many is that when you have a soft pedal it may require two or more bleedings. Good Luck.

 

i changed my fluid the other day was very easy for a complicated car. my last lexus GS 430 was nice just attach pipe to rear calipers turn ignition on and press pedal then the abs would pump the brakes for you soo easy all cars should be made like that