I discovered why my '97 xj6L feels like it leans to the right... because it does. The frame is about 1/2" lower on the right side. I need to see what it might take to fix it - if it that's feasible - might not be worth the expense.

It STILL rides better than any car I've ever had!! (The guy at the tire shop says he likes to just sit it in and smell the leather - LOVES it when I bring it in.)

Any one know if its possible to use 'spacers' to remedy this ($$$)... or does it just require fixing the frame ($$$$)?

 

Are you sure it's not just suspension height? Maybe the springs are starting to sag.

 

Measure from the center of the wheel to the lip of the fender and compare sides. It's probably spring sag like Torrid says.

 

Hi kanjag,

You may indeed have a problem with spring sag, but a common cause of uneven ride height loss is compression of the large foam "donut" spring isolator bushings at the tops of the rear shocks, Part 5 in the diagram below. The foam deteriorates with age and loses its resilience, leading to compression and loss of ride height. This can occur at different rates between the right and left sides of the car. The bushings are maybe 1-1/2" thick, so there's a lot of potential ride height to be lost.

When this bushing allows the rear end to sag on one side of the car, the stiffness of the chassis tends to also pull the corresponding front corner downward, so you lose ride height at both ends of the car on the same side.







Replacing the bushings requires removal of the rear shock/spring assemblies, but it's not as difficult as it sounds. If your shocks are still good, the only other parts that should be replaced are the top isolator bushes (Parts 13 and 14) and the lower shock bushes (Part 17). You can get the part numbers here:

Damper and Spring Fittings-Rear - Parts For XJ Series from (V)720125 to (V)812255 (X300) | Jaguar Heritage Parts UK


You might be able to test this theory by jacking up the right rear corner about 1/2" and then observing the car from the front to see if the right front corner seems to be restored to its proper level.

Please keep us informed.

Cheers,

Don

 

Well thanks again for all the good input. I'll do some more digging!