Just curious as to how it should feel. Should it ride more like a Cadillac or should it be stiffer? There are no faults with my air suspension but it seems like it rides very mushy. Is this normal?

 

Hi Vinny,

I would definitely not compare the ride of our '04 XJR to the classic Cadillac "boat float." While our car does have a slight amount of "float" going down the road, it feels on the stiff/tight side around curves and over bumps. It is very controlled. Issues with the air suspension are very common, so you should check yours out. If you don't have the "Vehicle Too Low" or "Air Suspension Fault" warnings on the dash, you may still have some Diagnostic Trouble Codes stored in the computer memory, which will need to be read by a scanning system that can read the Jaguar-specific codes (usually a Jag dealer or well-equipped independent Jag mechanic).

I just rebuilt the air compressor on our car and it has helped a lot to charge our system more quickly, but I still have a leak in the front right shock that I need to address. Another known issue involves the valve block that apportions air to the front and rear shocks. In a recent thread on this forum, edobernig reported that the exhaust valves in Lincolns are known to stick, either closed, so the system cannot relieve itself of pressure (and the car rides high and hard), or open, so the compressor cannot fully charge the system (and the car runs low and loose).

There are a few other air suspension detectives on this forum and I hope they will join in with their thoughts.

Cheers,

Don