I had 4 new tires installed last week because they were needed, but also in hopes that they would cure the recent road noise issue I have. the tires are great but the noise persists. Today I had a shop diagnose wheel bearings as the problem. I was able to rock the tires in and out while the car was up on the rack. The shop said the rear two should be replaced, and the front two could probably be repacked.


Does anyone have a brand preference? I see Timken, Beck Arnley, National, and few cheaper others on-line.


Regards,
Joe

 

Most of the comments on the forums indicate staying with the best known brands is wise.

 

Global manufacturing, label-engineering, etc make it hard to tell what you're buying these days.

Timken is, or at least used to be, well known as a quality product....that's what I'd go with.

Cheers
DD

 

Just ordered the rear kit from XK's unlimited (cheapest kit out there too) and they came in yesterday and they are Timken.

 

at least it's much easier with bearings ... go with one of the big four and nothing else

 

How about SKF? I can find the front and rear kits with bearing, seals, etc. all included. Partsgeek calls SKF OEM. Are they OEM?

Timken seals, if I go with Timken, would have to be sourced from another site.

 

I ended up going with SKF kits for all 4 wheels. Noise is gone. Roll resistance is noticeably reduced, so I'm expecting better gas mileage.


So new tires and bearings on all 4 corners and the ride is very good.

 

Joe,

I've used Timken, SKF and Toyo on our Jags with great success. They are all makers of quality bearings IMHO. Also, if you know the manufacturers part numbers, you can often order the bearings from many industrial supply houses for less than the Jag specialists charge.

Cheers,

Don

 

just curious, did you take it to a jaguar shop or just a wheel and tire specialist?

 

Hi GatorJoe,

The SKF bearings should last a long, long time. One thing you don't mention is whether the rear axle nuts were replaced with new ones. Those nuts have a deforming thread insert that locks them on the axle and they are intended for one use only. At least two members of the Jag-Lovers forum have reported reused nuts loosening while their cars were being driven.

Below are links to photos I took of the rear wheel bearing replacement on our '93 XJ40, which is very similar to the X300. The second photo in the fourth album shows the axle nuts. BTW, it is possible to replace the rear wheel bearings without disconnecting the hub from the car - the lower pivot bolt can be left in place. It's just a bit more fiddly, and while you hae the axle disconnected from the hub you may as well check the pivot bearings and clean and re-pack them.

Cheers,

Don

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page
Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page
Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page
Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

 

I didn't consider this a project that required jaguar expertise, so I used a local shop.

 

I'm assuming no but have not checked back with mechanic. No issues after several days, however.


I'm curious if other x300 owners are aware of this and have replaced the axle nuts when changing out wheel bearings. Please chime in.

 

I ordered the parts from Coventry West in Georgia, and the cost of the kits for all four wheels was $150 including shipping, which I found to be a good deal when comparing my on-line options.

 

I have had great service and competitive pricing from Coventry West for many years. I just learned my long-time rep Pete Bond is no longer there. Does anyone know where Pete has gone?

GatorJoe, Regarding the axle nuts, the Jaguar service manual states that the nuts must not be reused and as I mentioned, at least two members of the Jag-Lovers forum have reported the nuts loosening while the car was being driven. Also, the torque specification for those nuts is over 200 lb. ft., which is beyond the capability of the average torque wrench to measure, so you may want to check with your mechanic both about new nuts being used and having been properly torqued.

Other than those two issues, the job is straightforward and does not require any Jag-specific knowledge.

Cheers,

Don

 

Don, from my research it looks like the nuts at issue are rear sides only, right?

About $30 ea.

Joe

 

Rear axle nuts are one time use only...OEM Genuine Jaguar at Amazon, got two from them last month. $20.82 each

 

Joe,

Yes, rear axles only. The front nuts are adjustable and secured in their adjusted position by castellated retainers, or "bottle caps," and cotter pins.

As JTsmks points out, the nuts are available at lower cost if you shop around. I have identified the nuts as Amecoil "Amelock" self-locking nuts with deforming thread inserts, as shown at the link below.

AMELOCK self-locking nut
One of these days we're going to find an industrial supplier who will sell these nuts individually for $2 or $3 each, but so far I haven't had any luck.

Cheers,

Don

 

Hey Gator....

Do you have contact information and part numbers for the kits you bought? I want to do mine all 4 wheels to? Did you think they were quality?
tks jake

 

I've read that they are OEM quality. Link below for your 1997 (same as my 1995):

1997 Jaguar XJ6/XJ12/XJR 4.0 ltr 6 cyl, Wheel Bearings

 

SKF supplies bearings for Rolls Royce and Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines and the Ferrari F1 team. Need I go on????

:-)

Cheers,

Don