XJ XJ6 / XJ8 / XJR ( X350 & X358 ) 2003 - 2009

Has anybody seen this before?

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Old May 31, 2019 | 08:07 AM
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Dear Forum,

I appear to have an orangey-red (something) bubbling up out of my front drivers side air shock? It's dry and crumbly/powdery? The shock is not leaking, but obviously I am concerned that it might be a deteriorating seal or something like this? It looks a similar colour to my Oats Coolant, but I do not have a coolant leak either?



Anyone have any ideas, please?
 
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Old May 31, 2019 | 10:11 AM
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could it be a corroded electrical connection?
 
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Old May 31, 2019 | 10:13 AM
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I don't know - seems to be coming up from well beneath the electrical connector?

But thanks, I'll disconnect it and give it a good spraying with electrical contact cleaner...

Maybe I should jack her up and remove the wheel and wheel well arch...Take a look from underneath?
 

Last edited by EsRay; May 31, 2019 at 10:23 AM.
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Old May 31, 2019 | 10:25 AM
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It is the mount bushing starting to break up.
 
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Old May 31, 2019 | 10:29 AM
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Thank you.
Please excuse me but I thought the mount bushing was in the control arm at the bottom of the shock? I am not aware of any bushing at the top?
And why orange/red?
Lacking in knowledge and confused.....
 

Last edited by EsRay; May 31, 2019 at 12:56 PM.
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Old May 31, 2019 | 05:10 PM
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Is very odd looking to me, that much corrosion, would take a LONG time i m h o.
You would notice it long before that much built up.
No idea what it could be, but i am curious, ALMOST as much as you.
Your guess about the seal, is as good as any i can think of.
 
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 03:33 AM
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About a year and a bit ago I had my transmission replaced because of a cracked Drum. When the drum heated up and the crack expanded, it would jam and confuse the engine (via the Can bus connection I would imagine); the result was a dense cloud of whiteish grey smoke!

The 'mechanic' who fitted the recon trans used red trans oil. I wonder if maybe I have a very tiny hole in the top of the flexible part one of my trans cooler lines? I think they pass directly under the air shock well? Could it be that a very fine spray of red trans oil is being directed up that well and then the heat of the engine bay dries it out to a red powder?

Please, does this even sound plausible?
 
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 04:33 AM
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Car looks as if its done a huge mileage judged by the corrosion on the tower and the nuts securing the spring unit, so if it were me, I'd take off the spring unit for inspection.
 
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 04:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Fraser Mitchell
Car looks as if its done a huge mileage judged by the corrosion on the tower and the nuts securing the spring unit, so if it were me, I'd take off the spring unit for inspection.
Thank you for your post, Fraser.

Car has done 164,000 Km. That's not corrosion on the tower and nuts it's just Dubai dust. I need to get around to cleaning my engine bay, but it's a bit like painting the Forth Railway Bridge; as soon as it's done, you need to start again!
 
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 05:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Fraser Mitchell
Car looks as if its done a huge mileage judged by the corrosion on the tower and the nuts securing the spring unit, so if it were me, I'd take off the spring unit for inspection.
Fraser, at least by making me feel guilty I have now given my engine bay a bit of a wipe-over.....But only a bit 'cos it's 50 degrees C down in my basement car park!!

To save further wasting anybody's time with this, I have cleaned the deposit out, sprayed the connector with contact cleaner and I am simply going to wait to see if it reappears

 

Last edited by EsRay; Jun 2, 2019 at 05:44 AM.
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 06:55 AM
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A used car hack is to put (eg radiator) sealant in leaking air struts. The oldest rad sealant known is essentially oatmeal. How long have you had this car?
 
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 07:02 AM
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Thats TOO HOT, 50c=122 degrees, too hot for me to do much, as far as work goes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks great EsRay, like another car with all the crud scraped off.
 
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 08:20 AM
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Originally Posted by hisport
A used car hack is to put (eg radiator) sealant in leaking air struts. The oldest rad sealant known is essentially oatmeal. How long have you had this car?
I've had the car for nearly two years.
 
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 08:37 AM
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Flax seeds were used in the past for radiator leaks.
I never heard about oatmeal though.
 
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 08:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Wingrider
Thats TOO HOT, 50c=122 degrees, too hot for me to do much, as far as work goes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks great EsRay, like another car with all the crud scraped off.
Thanks Wingrider
Unfortunately it's a constant battle with dust - But that's what living in a city on the edge of a desert does for you!
 
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 09:11 AM
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Here in the rust belt we have another set of issues to deal with.
Heating my garage, makes working in winter much more pleasant.
So i can hopefully, avoid working in the summer heat.
You need air conditioning to work on yours, as it's hot instead of cold.
Wondering if an old window air conditioner would be enough to cool my garage.
With the insulation i put in the rafters, it stays pretty warm.
The furnace doesn't have run a lot to keep things warm.
I leave it set @ 45 degrees, till i want to work, then can bump it up if needed.
 
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Old Jun 2, 2019 | 09:45 AM
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I would imagine that if it is well enough insulated to prevent loss of heat in the winter, it would also be sufficient to prevent 'loss of cool' in the summer!
 
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Old Jun 3, 2019 | 10:33 PM
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It has a similar color to the top seal of the strut which often fails and turns into an orange dust, as pictured below. This is the most common failure point on the front struts which causes an air leak. I've never seen anything like you've posted though. If that is the seal breaking down, then surely that strut would no longer hold air.

 
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Old Jun 4, 2019 | 01:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Brewster411
It has a similar color to the top seal of the strut which often fails and turns into an orange dust, as pictured below. This is the most common failure point on the front struts which causes an air leak. I've never seen anything like you've posted though. If that is the seal breaking down, then surely that strut would no longer hold air.
John, thank you for your post.

And yet it does hold air?
However, it would appear that it is on borrowed time!
 
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Old Jun 4, 2019 | 07:55 AM
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Looks as if heat takes our shocks out differently than cold, but in the same place.
Warnings appear a bit different, that things are not well, that the top seal is rotting away???????????????????
 
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