Hey Jag Fam!

I just replaced the rack and pinion and tie rods on my X308, XJR. I replaced it with a brand new Rack. Everything came together well, but now the steering is a little stiff. Is it because it's a new rack and it needs to be worked in? Otherwise, any ideas why it is stiffer and should I fix it?

Many thanks all!

Hi Brook,

My first suspicion is that the electrical connector at the steering rack pinion housing may not have been reconnected properly. The ZF Servotronic steering system uses electronically-controlled variable power assist. The default mode is low assist, for driving at highway speeds. As speed is reduced, power assist is increased. Maximum assist is applied for low-speed cornering and parking. So if the wiring harness was not reconnected to the rack, or if the electrical connector is contaminated with oil or power steering fluid, your rack may be in the default low power assist mode.

At the link below you can download a section on steering from JTIS, excerpted by Jim Lombardi:

Jaguar X308 Steering Section of JTIS21

Cheers,

Don

Thank you Don B! I will lift the car again and take a look.

B

Please keep us informed.

Cheers,

Don

Hi,

I wanted to let you know that I had the same issue above on my 01 vdp/sc with the steering being stiff. After reading the above suggestion, I found that I had inadvertently pulled the red/yellow wires out of the connector that leads down to the steering rack sensor while working on getting the AC compressor out. Once reconnected, the steering worked properly again. Thanks!

It is true...the engineering on those "rinky-dink" electrical connectors
could have been improved. However I suspect the challenge was to
create a part that served the connection well enough while at the same
time allowing individual wires to be refitted into the connector.