Yeah, no matter which method, it is a sure PITA

....although if one had all the equipment on-hand such as a lift, and did this procedure regularly, it probably wouldn't be such a huge deal.

But for the DIY guy in his driveway with no lift, some worn out rented tools like a set of spring compressors, and having only attempted it zero to a couple times in his lifetime.... it's a "7" on the 1-10 scaled of total time/effort invested in my opinion.

It really isn't that technically complicated though, just tough and time consuming

Hard to believe Jaguar made something so easy as a shock replacement sooo hard though. If they had just thought about some sort of access hatch through the trunk so one could get to the top of the shock, this could have all been so much easier

Ah well, "it is what it is"


.

 

Hi


I just want to say that I replaced the shocks and springs on my '96 XJ6 using this method at the weekend and it works very well.


It took about 4 hours in total. Less hassle than dropping the A frame out I think.


I couldn't get the speed sensors out of the hubs either, so much jiggling was required. I also didn't see the bit about removing the discs which made it even more tricky - still did it though, so it is possible.


Cheers


Glen.

 

Today I learned there is enough space to cut the rear shock bolt on both sides of the shock when the shock bushing freezes to the bolt after 22 years.....

Tried force, fire and grinding the length of the bushing....nothing. Cut the bolt and replace. Other side was a breeze!! Weird.

 

Great posts guys. I bought 2 rear shocks and all the bushings. Just waiting on the 10" spring compressors, then I am ready to tackle this job. Not looking forward to it but it's got to get done. Can't stand all the banging go on the rear end. I can hear something in the front as well but I guess I'll get to that when I get to that, lol.

 

If the front shocks are good the bushings are simple and cheap.

If the front shocks are bad then the bushings come with new ones....and are still easy compared to the rear.

 

Thanks for that. Yes, front shocks are good, was suspecting bushings. Is there a write up the fronts somewhere? I am assuming the rears are harder to do.

 

Start at 5:59 and he is doing uppers.....




And here:

http://www.jag-lovers.org/xjlovers/x...ocksindex.html

 

Great video. Looks very easy. Thank you sir!

 

Sorry but I would have to say that is the worst video I have seen in a long time.
Trolley jack on GRASS, no mention of axle stands.
Accident waiting to happen.

 

Agree. Just watch for the nuts and bolts part....

I have access to a lift at my fathers....spoiled.

 

Good thread. So now I have to contemplate which method--spring compressors or Black Onyx A-Frame Drop Method (That is a good write up with good photos). Doesn't sound too daunting. Just a bit of time & patience & keeping bits in order. (Unless, of course, as happened to my neighbor, that lower bolt is frozen solid......)

 

Hi,

I am starting on the rear shock absorber and upper spring bushing replacements tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for the write ups and guides. I was wary of doing this, but after reading up and watching the videos that are out there, I feel a lot more confident.
I am planning on removing the a-frame bolts only if needed as I will be using spring compressors. One video I saw showed a 'cable-tie' method to hold the compressed shock for re-assembly, which seems like a good idea.

Here is my write up of the process.

1. Jack the car up on to stands
   
2. Chock the front wheels
   
3. Remove Brake Caliper and ABS Sensor from hub
   
4. Secure Caliper and sensor underneath to make a clear removal path for spring assembly
   
5. Unbolt the 4 central A-Frame (Sub-Frame) nuts to give added clearance (Maybe if needed)
   
6. Use Spring compressors to compress the spring assembly to around 12 inches
   
7. Remove Shock bolt - May need to raise the hub to release pressure on the bolt
   
8. Push bottom of shock absorber up through the spring and secure with bolt or screw driver on bottom coil
   
9. Loosen the 4 upper mount nuts and push the hub assembly down to get more clearance if needed
   
10. Remove the Shock/Spring assembly from the car - while trying to protect the lower spring mount and rubber seat
    

Off the Car

1. Remove the shock absorber top nut and worn bushes
   
2. Keep the Spring compressors installed as they are while replacing shock and bushing
   
3. Remove the Upper Spring isolator bushing and clean the bushing mounts
   
4. Install the new Spring isolator bushing
   
5. Install the new Shock Absorber
   
6. Compress the Shock Absorber to allow the bolt to be re-inserted through the bottom coil - Use the cable tie method to keep the shock absorber compressed
   

Re-install

1. Re-install the Spring/Shock assembly aligning the 4 Upper mount bolt holes
   
2. Loosely install the 4 Upper Mount bolts
   
3. Release the Shock Absorber from the cable ties and align to the lower bolt hole
4. Raise or lower the hub assembly to align and install the lower shock bolt
   
5. Release the Spring compressor while aligning the spring to the lower spring isolator notch
   
6. Tighten upper mount bolts
   
7. Tighten the lower shock bolt
   
8. Re-install the central A-Frame bolts (or leave loose for the other side)
   
9. Re-install the brake caliper, pads and ABS Sensor
   
10. Re-install the wheel
    

I am installing Monroe shock absorbers to match the front, they came with the lower bushing pre-installed. I also have the KYB Spring Isolators and will also use copper grease on the lower bolt before installing.

 

Deleted. Forgot I wasn’t in the XJS forum

 

Just to be clear as this bad advice as is, do not attempt removing abs sensor from the hub, you'll end up breaking it and they are not cheap and neither easy to replace. Rest if fine, I can only add that after completely refurbishing entire rear end on my cars a number of times, I strongly suggest undoing at least the A-frame brackets, makes the whole job much easier. Removing a-frame isn't difficult at all and would be my preferred way to do it. That said, putting it back on the car does require 2nd pair of hands, doable on your own but a PITA job for sure.

 

just pull the pry bar with gorilla force on the a-frame and problem solved. compressor is a waste of time unless you’re dropping the whole suspension.

full rebuild is an easy one man job. hell i took out the diff and carried the rest of the suspension into the trunk of an s-type

 

The job is done. It took around 8 hours, just me and an occasional spare pair of hands.
Luckily I had already removed the sensor and it came out nice and clean then tied the sensor and brake assembly under the front of the A-frame.
I did support and remove the subframe 4 central bolts which gave enough room to remove the shock and spring assembly.

After a couple of twisty test drives the suspension is almost silent and the handling is much more precise.
Time for a beer.

 

This is where I mucked up. I removed the spring compressors and didn't make any reference marks! :/ Does anyone know what the compressed length ought to be for the XJR? Or how much to turn the screw that threads on the top of the rear shocks? Any help would be appreciated!!

Thank you for your write up

 

just impact the nut till it crushes the bushings

don’t put the spring upside down and you should be fine. never use a compressor for this job, you don’t need it

 

I leveraged OP's video as well as M. Stojanovic's Jack method for the passenger side and it worked well. I will say, after getting everything out, I had better luck assembling the new shock into the mount, screwing the mount back into the car and then slipping the spring (with new spring seat insulator) over the shock and aligning it back into place. For whatever reason, I found I didn't need the jack for the driver's side. I simply had a friend pull down on the control arm and was able to repeat the process (mount and shock, followed by spring) with relative ease. took me 5-6 hours to do both sides.