I just noticed the front end on our '95 VDP looks like it is sagging a bit, and that the passenger side is lower than the driver side.

From the center of the wheel to the wheel arch, it's 14" on passenger side and 15" on driver side. On the rear the difference is only about 3/8".

Looking at the workshop manual and searching the archives, it looks like the only way thing that determines ride height in the front are the coil springs. On the rear there are apparently spring isolators that can compress over time.

How hard is it to replace the front springs?

Does anyone know a good source for replacement springs?

 

Mine is doing the same thing in the passenger rear, plus it looks like I have a toe in issue too on the right rear. The upper spring seat has a bushing that deteriorates. This is most likely not the only issue but a hidden contributor.

 

Hi everyone, bumping this because I still haven't found a inexpensive source for the front coil springs and I'm hoping someone will chime in with a suggestion.

Thanks!

 

If the sag is in the rear, I'd suspect the coil spring upper bushing before I'd suspect the springs are the issue. The foam bushing deteriorates over time, and if yours have never been replaced then they are almost certainly nearly or completely gone, and they are over an inch thick, so it would be noticeable.

.

 

Someone suggested on another thread that a single faulty or missing spring insulator on the rear can make the front end look out of whack (apologies that I can't remember who to give them credit).

I went out and did some experimenting and they may be right. The right side rear is about an inch low, and pulling it up an inch both lowers the left side front corner but also raises the right side corner a bit. So it may not be my front springs at all.

Should I replace both right and left spring insulator, or can I get away with just doing the right side?

Any hints on how to do the job?

Thanks

 

wondering why people could not help the issue of Mac and instead starts to talk about some other irrelevant topic, the issue of Mac is the front suspension height PERIOD.

Mac check your coil spring mountings and shock absorber of your front suspension

 

don't see it this way at all.

 

Correct, the weight of the car is suspended on four points, and if any one of those four points is problematic the overall suspension of the car can be impacted. Sometimes that may seem to exhibit itself at one of the other three locations, but changes in geometry on one will often change geometry at the others and cause collateral impact.

So, while it is possible that the front is sagging on its own, or in combination with other corners of the car too, it is also possible that the commonly worn rear shock upper bushings could contribute. It is definitely worth checking all potential causes.

The front doesn't have the spring bushings, so if the front is sagging, the only real culprits would be the suspension bushings themselves which one can visually inspect for the most part or the springs themselves. If one suspects the springs, I'm not sure how you would easily test that other than removing them and measuring, or renewing all bushings 100% and measuring ride height to spec.

I've read (but not heavily researched) that the X300 springs aren't known for 'wearing out' and sagging a great deal, so I'd suspect front or rear bushings first as they are known to wear out..... the yellow foam ones at the tops of shocks and rear springs being the most notorious.


Here are some threads that touch on rear shock/spring work:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ent-how-62143/

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...replace-86739/


Some front info:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...market-109819/

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...estion-117507/




Good luck!

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Thanks Al,

I think what I'm going to do is just tackle replacing all 4 shocks, and both of the rear spring insulators.

I rarely drive the car, but now that I've started to look into it, the front shocks definitely need replacing and if I have to tackle the spring insulators, it probably makes sense to do the rears while I'm in there.

 

Thought I was going to be able to tackle the rears today, but the spring compressor tool I've bought (and will now return) is too large and bulky to fit.

However, look at the attached photo:


My spring seems to look quite different than the one in al's link above:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ent-how-62143/

Or the spring in the Tech link:

Tech

Does the VDP have springs that different?


Second, rather than try and find the right kind of spring compressor, I wonder if I shouldn't instead try the 'drop the A frame' method. It seems like it might perhaps be safer?


This is a tougher job than I imagined, so any help is appreciated.

 

Just thought I should post a follow up.

Last weekend I finished replacing all four shocks, bushings, the rear spring insulators, and a loose tie rod end.

However, my ride height issue isn't 100% resolved. The rear is now even, and the left (passenger) front is significantly better, but now only between a 1/4" to 5/16" lower than the right.

It is no longer obvious looking at the car, and it drives so much better that I'm not sure there is any more to do. Replacing the front springs is not only a pain, they are very hard to source at a reasonable price.

If you are going to tackle the rear springs/shocks, I highly recommend doing the 'Drop the A Frame' method over the workshop manual procedure. Here is a link:

Tech


On my '95 there were a couple of differences to the parts as seen in that link. The A frame on the '95 had a slightly different bolt scheme on the forward edge -- two inner were the same, but the two outer were bolts on the top that screwed into the A frame from above. Also, the 4 nuts at the top of the shock/spring that secure the unit to the chassis were 13mm, not 14mm.

 

I *think* I recall that there are different thickness shims/isolators for the front springs available to adjust height. So that's an option.

Or it could indeed be that one spring is more tired than the other. Other than taking them out and measuring them (if that would even indicate a difference, as maybe they only exhibit the issue under load), I'm not sure how you would verify the springs.

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