need to renovate a 96 X300 front suspension, it's quite rusty and needs some TLC, not sure all the nuts are going to come off without a fight.

i was wondering about any advice and what are the best bushes and parts to get?

i was also wondering if i would be better off just swapping out the entire sub frame for a good breakers one. radical i know, but thinking outside the box here.

 

Oh jeez...

I'm gonna sit tight for this one. I'm about to do exactly this.

I've already replaced all 4 shocks, along with 2 lower ball joints and tie rod ends. I've just ordered what I -think- is all the bushings I can feasibly do--so basically everything except the lower control arm bushings (nightmare), and the a-frame bushings which I couldn't even find. Not sure if the wishbone bushings are different from those, and I'm too tired of reading diagrams to check. All the subframe bushings and vee-mounts will be replaced when I find a monostrut from an X308, along with the half shaft u-joints and whatever bearings are in the drivetrain. I'm rambling at this point.

Maybe someone can chime in with the weak points of the front suspension.

 

yeah i'm going to change the springs and shocks as well but for now it's just bushes and ball joints.

would like to know which are the better parts tho. who makes the good stuff and who to avoid.

 

any advice on make of springs either to get or to avoid?

shocks too..

 

I doubt your springs are in need of replacement. The X300 isn't known for spring sag; however, I would replace the foam bushings at the top of the rear springs when you replace the shocks. You can lose ride height there.

As for shocks, everyone here recommends Bilstein Touring for the XJ6 or Vanden Plas. I can personally recommend against the brand Sensen on rockauto--much much too stiff! They are cheap but not worth the jarring! I have heard good things about Konis as well, the dual tube kind. I'm going to switch to Bilsteins after driving an XJS that was fitted with them... beautiful cruising feel without sacrificing handling.

For bushings, you're gonna want Lemforder which are OEM. I'm going to be using them for the A-frame bushings, and the rest will be replaced with Rockauto-bought bushes. I hope that helps. There are lots of guides here and on Jag-lovers. The suspension is almost identical to the XJ40 so you can look up guides for that, too. Hope this helps a bit.

 

brilliant thank you Malihide, have made a note of that.

the problem i have is that the car had been standing for a while and there's quite a bit of rust underneath and the plastic coating has come off the springs. (shame because the car is only a 60k car and everything else about the car is great it looks really good.)

i have an outside possibility that i'll need to change quite a bit of stuff but in the short term i have some knocking from just in front of the drivers position and a lessor one on the NSR wheel area. i'm going to get other people to look at it. personally i don't think this should make much difference but the garage i took it to was scared of rust i think. i don't believe this guy when he says i should replace all the springs and shocks when it doesn't seem like the springs that are making these noises, they sound like shot bushes to me and something waggling around as a result. damned if i'm going to spend hundreds of pounds (at this stage at least) and still have the same rattle at the end of it.

in the longer term, because i am in love with this car i will change them purely for beauty reasons and that's where i need to know what springs/shocks/bushes to buy and what to avoid!

thanks again for your feedback mate

 

No problem, just squash that thanks button so I look more reputable when I help people.

Be sure to find out what is structural rust and what is surface rust. Many parts are replaceable, such as the a-frames, wishbones, differential struts, control arms, etc. Basically all the points where you'd be replacing the bushings! If they are rusted through at all, replace them. Frame rust is not too common as these cars were rust treated, but I would definitely check by poking a screw driver around (should not make any holes!!).

If the car has 60k, I can pretty much guarantee the shocks are fine. However, the shock bushings, especially in the front, will have deteriorared--this is probably your source of knocking. There should be four washers, two on the inner fender and two visible in the engine bay; and a foam bushing between them, which is cheap and easy to replace. I strongly suggest you look there. You can see them under the power steering fluid and coolant reservoirs, and just over top if the tires if you look into the fender.

I'm not sure what you mean by NSR but I'm assuming it's in the rear. The big foam bushing may have deteriorated over time, but this is quite a hassle to get out. Hopefully it's the wheel bearings or differential struts-- does the wheel move if you shake it back and forth with the car jacked up?

Ask me if you have any more questions. I'm doing some more suspension work and can point you in the right direction for the most part. Though there are some things I'm wondering as well...

 

thx again Malihide. it's been seen to and there's no clanking any more. you were right that the shock bushes were gone but they found the nearside ball joints needed replacing as well and it's humming along nicely now.

going to do the offside wishbone ball joints next and he said the wheel bearings had some play in them as well (..and i think i can detect it but that might just be my imagination!), so will do all that in the near future at the same time. i need to jack the car up and waggle the wheels and see if i can detect it. i heard it's an expensive/time consuming job and in need of special tools. i might also get the wishbone bushes changed as well, just for the hell of it.

we'll also need to deal with the rust underneath (it's been standing for a while) and are going to wait for a few months until it's gets nice and hot and dry before doing that. nothing structural or load bearing is affected, it's not rot, just surface rust that has appeared where the underseal has come away but will need rubbing down and preparing before treatment.

 

No problem, glad I could help! Definitely change the wishbone bushings while you're in there. I would check the rear subframe (a-frame) bushings too... upon further inspection, mine are totally ruined. That would explain the brake shimmy and tail wag I've experienced. Check yours!

I haven't heard anything scary about the wheel bearings at all. I haven't had to do mine yet but it seems fairly straightforward.

Get that rust taken care of and be thankful it's not structural. The rust proofing on these cars is great, luckily. I wish you lots of luck and enjoyment with your suspension work. It'll be worth it. Let me know if you need any more help, you can also PM me if you want.

 

sure willdo, cheers

 

I put Sensen shocks up front a year ago, and though not bad, definitely not the best. They are stiff, and you'll notice a difference. Still a good ride, but shocks arent really that expensive to upgrade, so go with something more upscale. You'll appreciate it. I definitely will next time around.

 

Unless you have the coil spring tool or are willing to make one it is a very difficult task. I used 3/4 inch threaded stock, coupler nut and drilled hole at one end with retainer pin to install my coil springs. This car has a special slot at the top where the retainer pin holds the threaded rod for coil spring installation utilizing the coil spring pan. I used justjagsuk.com for coil springs, eurospare bushings, All Lumefurder suspension components from fcpeuro.com Billstein shocks and timken bearings. Stub axle and coil springs were aftermarket.

I measured from the ground up to the center of wheel well making sure I was centered on the wheel using the jag wheel cap to stay centered. Before the job it measured 26.5 inches. After the job springs raised car 1 1/8 inches. Car rides like butter now.

Mine is a 97 and I was hitting every parking stone and now I dont. So mine did have spring sag.

Best Reagrds,
Martin

 

Another tip unless you have a mini press or a good vise with alot of patience. The bushing job is also difficult. I broke my vise with too many wacks from hammer and had to buy a much better wise to finish the job the old style way. I found the folding the old bushings in towards the center and then using a sockett that fits inside along with spray lubricant and baby sledge was the only way I got mine out. Putting them back in was even trickier as to not bend the soft metal on new bushings. Use flat angled aluminum to protect bushings when in the vise as you compressing them back and and a little grease on the edges. MAKE SURE it is going straight in and not crooked. There are 10 bushings if you replace the shock bushings as well. There are more bushings outside of the upper and lowere wishbone arms however mine looked fine. Additionally, I had lowere and raise the steering rack on each side to get long fulcrum bolts out and back in. This is a very big job and took me several weekends to complete.

Berst Regards,
Martin

 

thx for that Snookfever.

is there a way of knowing job times? like how long should it take to replace a wheel bearing for example?

 

As far as the spring compressor goes, I recommend considering the "real deal" rather than using threaded rod. There is huge potential energy created compressing an X-300 spring and now that I am older, I am more risk averse than I was in my younger days.

I bought this one and it works pretty good:
Super price on OTC Tools 7045B at ToolTopia.com

 

I can't argue with Ross' cautions about safety. Working with standard coil springs is dangerous enough, but these bowed springs are even more dangerous, as a few owners have discovered the hard way. I'm risk averse too, but I'm also budget-conscious, so I fabricated my own compressor using quality high-strength parts from McMaster-Carr rather than off-the-shelf hardware store materials.

In case they may be helpful, here are some photos showing the front suspension work on our '93 XJ40, which is very similar to the X300:

DIY Spring Compressor for XJ40-X300-X308

Front Subframe/Crossbeam Pivot Bushing Renewal

Engine Mount Comparison

Old Front Suspension Bushes

As far as sources for bushings, the forum sponsors listed to the right, such as Coventry West, SNG Barratt and Jagbits can all provide excellent quality replacement parts, and if they don't have what you need check with Welsh Enterprises, Terry's Jags, Jaguar Merriam Parts, Gaudin Jaguar, and Rock Auto.

Don't forget the front shock top bushings while you're at it. I personally recommend the OE style yellow foam rubber bushes rather than the aftermarket hard black rubber ones, which may be less expensive and may last forever, but will make the front end noticeably harsher over bumps.

Cheers,

Don

 

Don B, you obviously have Waaaaay more experience with these front ends than I do. I simply was not afraid of diving in and tackling a very big challenge! With that said. i used Eurospare "Uro" bushings for the upper and lower control arms. Are they good quality bushings?

Thanks,

Snookfever

 

Hi Guys.


Just finished this job during the Winter.
Improved handling and feel alot. It is Worth doing. But it is a lot of work and takes quite a long time. But can be done without proffesional Tools.


Uro are good parts, Think some OEM´s are URO.
Buying OEM parts from Jaguar will be very expensive. I Went with Britishparts kit and Monroe dampers reflex(part number E5044) works great.


Just one Word of caution, your worst enemy is rust.....
So if you have alot of rust, maybe get a quote on the jobb, there are nicer jobbs to diy on your car than this one.


Just a thought.


Please post Pictures:=)




/Christian from Sweden

 

Hi Snookfever,

A lot of owners have used Üro Parts bushes, hoses and such and overall the reports have been positive. I once had a problem with a driveshaft flexible coupling (Jurid or Giubo) that would not balance and had to send it back and order an OEM GKN part, but that's the only problem I've had with a Üro Parts item.

While the Üro Parts website states that it is selling its parts directly to Jaguar Classic in the U.K., this should not be misconstrued to mean that Üro Parts is a Jaguar OEM. They are not. Üro Parts is simply selling to Jaguar's classic parts service items that Jaguar can no longer source from its original equipment manufacturers. In the case of suspension components and bushings, for many years Jaguar's primary supplier has been the German company Lemförder (Lemfoerder in English), which is now owned by the German conglomerate ZF (which makes Jaguar transmissions and steering racks and also owns Boge, a Jaguar shock absorber/damper OEM). Rock Auto carry a lot of Lemförder parts and our independent Jaguar parts specialists and forum sponsors can supply them at well below dealer prices.

On earlier cars, beginning in the late '50s, Jaguar sourced Metalastik brand rubber suspension bushings from the German company Freudenberg, now owned by the Swedish conglomerate Trelleborg AG. Off the top of my head I don't know when the transition to Lemförder occurred, but both of our XJ40s were equipped with Lemförder bushings, ball joints and probably other components (e.g. sway bar links).

Cheers,

Don

 

Sparkenzap, how was your experience using this tool working on your x300? I've seen that the factory tool removes the spring as well as the bottom spring seating plate and some kind of top plate all at once. Did you just remove the spring without removing the bottom plate? I've been working at replacing the lower control arm on my '96 Mustang so I can sell it and it's been a real struggle. That compressor was what I should have used on the darn Mustang. I need to do some bushing work on my '97 x300 and am wondering if that particular tool will work as well as the factory tool. I know that was an old post but that's where I am right now. Thanks.