The reason why front struts are more sensitive to damage than the rear may be higher temperature under the engine bonnet.
That demands heat-proof o-rings.
Has anyone purchased o-rings for the air suspension system of a durable material like Viton® (FKM, FPM) or knows where to buy some ?

Thanks

 

Hi LeoJagger,


In the U.S., McMaster-Carr (McMaster.com) carries a wide selection of Metric, SAE and Military-spec Viton O-rings. They all seem to be rated to 400F. I would assume there are similar industrial supply companies in Germany and throughout Europe.


Just google "Viton O-rings."


If you disassemble your front shocks and replace the O-rings, the rest of us would be grateful for photos! :-)


Cheers,


Don

 

I beg to second that ...

 

Thank you Don, I found some, but before I let someone disassemble my XJR in his garage I need to purchase the fitting o-rings.

If anyone already knows the measures, especially the inner diameter and the thickness of the o-rings or the outer diameter of the o-rings of the spring struts, the compressor, the pressure reservoir (air accumulator tank) or their air lines, please answer.

I am about to exchange them all.

Thanks

 

The end connector nuts are 4 mm (small - rear) and 6 mm (large - front) - I thought I saw a post with a O-Ring size but not 100% sure.

Hope this helps...

 

These are o-rings :

Does anyone know the inner diameter I.D. and the thickness W of the air suspension o-rings ?



There are different sizes :



Pics pinched from O-Ring and O-ring - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks

 

LeoJaguar, clearly I think we all know what O-Rings are.. but thanks for the lesson...

My premise for supplying the end connector sizes was to assist in narrowing down the approximate size of the O-Ring that would be needed.

Might be a best bet to start off with a "assorted metric O-Ring set" as other members have done in an effort to replace worn or ruptured O-Rings on the end connectors.

When you pull off an O-Ring - take measurements via your previous post and get back to us with your findings...

 

I think the reason LeoJagger felt compelled to post the photos and diagrams was that none of us had been able to give him specific answers to his questions. If I recall from the Jaguar manual, the front air hoses are 4 mm O.D. and the rear air hoses are 6 mm O.D., but the O-rings on the brass fittings must presumably be significantly larger. See photo 7 in the album at the link below:

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

What LeoJagger needs to know is either the I.D. and O.D., or one of those plus the cross-sectional diameter or thickness of the O-ring body. A simple matter of removing the O-ring and measuring with a caliper.

Leo also needs to know the sizes of any O-rings inside the air shocks, which is what I am most curious to learn.

It appears that LeoJagger (or anyone else contemplating this work) is a pioneer going ahead of the rest of us without the benefit of prior knowledge.

You can do it, Leo! And please share your results with the rest of us who are not as brave and daring! :-)

Cheers,

Don

 

I tried to find something useful at ReBay, but the Item I found fits to an Audi Allroad (331054125205). For the X350 there are air spring repair kits offered without shocks (181004674786), but they are rear ones, not front, and I'm not sure that I need them. There is a fine instruction at
Audi allroad Front Air Spring Replacement | Audiction.com
They advise 6: "With all bolts removed, separate the shock tower from the air spring by simply pulling them apart." That sounds too simple, but Audi uses Bilstein as well, so maybe...

Thanks

 

Thanks for finding that link, Leo. I'm wondering if any type of kit exists for the X350 fronts and/or rears along the lines of this kit for Mercedes:

Mercedes Front Air Suspension Strut Shock Repair Kit Genuine w O ABC 220320 2538 | eBay

It appears to come with a large rubber seal, a metal circlip, and a replacement air pressure retaining valve (to maintain a minimum air pressure in the air spring so it doesn't collapse).

Is anyone aware of such a kit to fit our X350s?

Cheers,

Don

 

Guys, regarding the air pressure retaining valve. I had to remove mine to get the M6 valve stems the previous owner installed to manually fill the front struts with compressed air. I observed a special looking O-Ring style washer on the end of the threaded stud... just an FYI

 

Guys, regarding the air pressure retaining valve in that picture. I had to remove mine to get the M6 valve stems the previous owner installed to manually fill the front struts with compressed air. I observed a special looking O-Ring style washer on the end of the threaded stud... just an FYI

 

Guys, regarding the air pressure retaining valve in that picture. I had to remove mine to get the M6 valve stems the previous owner installed to manually fill the front struts with compressed air. I observed a special looking O-Ring style washer on the end of the threaded stud... just an FYI - I also agree - life would be great if there was a kit for our Jaguar's.

 

LeoJaguar - I was going through my tool box and came across the following: #6 O-Rings (7/16" O.D x 5/16" I.D X 1/16") - just matched one up to the 6mm end connector O-Ring and they are essentially identical!

The manufacturer of the O-Ring kit I have is Danco.

I slipped the O-Ring onto an old 6mm end connector I had laying around (no O-Ring - destroyed and frayed) and it fit in the groove nice and snug!

This would be a good start I believe...

I wonder if the #4 O-Ring kit from Danco (measurements) would be identical for the 4mm end connector O Ring?

Once we get the 4mm O-Ring measurements sorted - we all should be good to go as these are the 2 sizes of all lines at compressor, accumulator tank, control head and lines...

 

The Front air hoses are 6 mm OD and the rear hoses are 4mm OD. I have replaced my O-rings and the kits are reasonable from any auto store or hardware center. My O-rings had no heat damage but did show signs of being over tightened. They were easy to match with O-rings from the kits so I did not take any measurements. I posted several photos on a previous thread, will post photos here if I can locate them.

 

We might need to do a little more research on the Danco O-rings. Danco is a manufacturer of water plumbing components, and their O-rings are made of Buna-N (Nitrile), which is rated for potable water supplies up to only about 248 deg. F, compared to 400F for Viton. Whether this would have any real-world consequences in our air suspensions, I can't say, but in his OP LeoJagger expressed his concern that under-hood temperatures may lead to premature failure of the front shock O-rings, which is why he was specifically looking for Viton.

I'd never thought about a #6 O-ring being a 6 mm size, but that makes sense! But I'm trying to figure out which dimension of those O-rings is 6mm. If my math is correct:

5/16 in. = 0.3125 in.
7/16 in. = 0.4375 in.
1/16 in. = 0.0625 in.
6mm = 0.2362 in.

6mm is a little less than 1/4 in., 5/16 in. is greater than 1/4 in., so I'm not sure how the dimensions match up....

Help me, abononano! My brain is in a twist! :-)

Cheers,

Don

 

I guess this is a discussion on the orings where the lines are connected to the special fittings??
I seldom have leakage there just a fyi, most leakage is from the center top mount plate(sometimes slowed or stopped by tightening the 17mm nut on the shock stem)
and also from blown bags, forget it and replace
and lastly from the lower bag mount,
none of which i have seen a fix for but all ears(and eyes)

 

Removed my air-line fittings to get the correct sizes:
Air-line fitting O-ring: 8mm ID x 12mm OD
Air-Valve fitting O-Ring: 6mm ID x 8mm OD

Photos to follow.

Note: If heat damage is a concern, you may use Fuel Injector O-Rings of the same size. Brutal is correct in that if the leak is from a worn Air-Bag, replace the complete unit as you would need a properly equipped shop to repair the assembly.

 

Hi reyesl,

Does the 8mm ID X 12mm OD size apply to both the front and rear air line fittings?

Thanks,

Don

 

Hi Don, I grabbed the measurements right off the Danco box. I was fiddling in my tool box for something unrelated and thought of this thread when I saw the O-Rings and said - what the hell - let me slip one on...

I was thinking maybe a Viton 6mm O-Ring would do the trick. Brutal is correct in these fittings at the struts usually don't leak (unless of course someone over tightens them ruining the integrity of the O-Ring) - I believe they are only supposed to be tightened to 5Nm (which to me is hand tight + 1/4 turn)

I'm getting 0.2362 for mm conversion to inches...so yes

For the 4mm size - 0.1574

I don't believe there is a 8mm O-ring anywhere in the air suspension system. (According to my sources reyesl) Only 6mm and 4mm