This may have been asked before, but my 2002 XJ8 (X308) comes up regularly with SUSPENSION FAULT on the dash but if you switch engine off, open doors and restart it usually goes out! The car has standard struts (no fluid or air) thus cannot understand this, but it does have a wire at the strut head.
Anyone got any thoughts on this at all?
Thank You

 

As soon as you have wires coming from the top of the shock absorbers, you have adjustable shock absorbers. These are made from Bilstein and are gas pressure shocks.

Either you can check if all connections are tight and clean or you can read the codes, so that you have a clue what to look for.
Checking the connections will only work for the front shocks, as for checking the rears you will have to remove them from the car.

 

Many thanks for your quick response and will check this out. I didn't know that about the wire either.
Best regards

 

I had the "suspension fault" warning when the top nut of one rear shocks came loose and allowed the piston rod to rotate. This made the shock's wiring harness wrapping around the shock so that it was loosing connection intermittently.

 

Thank you and will check this out also. Best regards

 

See the picture for details how the rear CATS shocks look like. Instead of rubber sleeve/gaiter, the CATS absorber's sleeves are metallic. With the car on the ramp (or jacked up) you can grab the sleeve and try to move it. Try to move it with the car on its wheels too. In either case it shouldn't turn or move, unless with a fair amount of force (don't try that, otherwise you risk loosening the top nut).
The upper shock nut (which locks the sleeve in place / which counters the sleeve) is tightened down to 16-18 Nm (vehicles w/o adaptive damping 30-40 Nm) - so it's likely that it might have become loose with the above mentioned symptoms of wrapping the wiring harness around the shock.

 

 

Thank you all so much everyone and looking in to these things just now. I also have a 1968 Ford Cortina 1600E and its like Chalk & Cheese between that and the Jag for maintenance issues, but its all good fun (I think?)
Best regards to all