So my state inspection is coming up and I've put off a couple things over the winter. Now that the weather is breaking and we're at home more these days, I decided to finally tackle these items.

First thing was the ABS speed sensors. My ABS light has been on and the car won't pass inspection with any warning lights on. I repaired the Left Rear harness a few years ago. The insulation had cracked through, and the braided shield was corroded. Another section has apparently failed, so I decided to rebuild the entire harness. I pulled the large Amphenol-style connector off and probed the connectors, following Jaguar's diagnostic flowchart. Right away, it was clear both rear speed sensors were not reading the correct resistance. Both were measuring increasing resistance while the meter was connected. Wiggling the harness would cause the resistance to stabilize, but often it would be above the limits.

I removed both harnesses and noticed that both had exposed shielding right where the wiring enters the body of the sensor itself. The sensors are plastic fused to metal, so I sawed the top "cover" off the sensor and melted away the plastic around the original harness to expose the internal signal and shield solder joints. I used the most similar cabling I had on hand, which was black exterior grade Coaxial cable. I realize solid core copper really isn't the best option for an over-the-road vehicle, but it's what I had on hand, and ended up working perfectly.

I soldered the shielding and signal to the original sensor and sealed the sensors and new harness in place with JB-Weld epoxy, as the original covers I sawed off would not fit. It looks pretty sloppy but now they both ohm out correctly and the Teves computer likes what it sees. I saved myself about $600 in parts alone. Each is approximately $300. Used sensors would have had the same deteriorated insulation. If I have to do the job again in 5 years, so be it.






Another issue was my Front Right lower ball joint. A highly annoying squeak was heard any time the front right suspension traveled up or town, and also when turning the steering wheel. I didn't hear it until driving with the sunroof open one nice day a few weeks ago. Every little bump would cause this squeak. I replaced the deteriorated foam shock insulators with aftermarket rubber ones and investigated the noise at the same time. Lifting under the lower control arm, then letting it drop would cause the squeak. I used my stethoscope and found the noise was coming from the lower ball joint, which also had a torn boot. Both upper and lower joints were original, with 104k miles.

I ordered 2 sets of Lemforder 1179401 and 1179301 ball joints, but once I got them in, it was clear they did NOT include any hardware. I had heard horror stories about the four lower ball joint securing screws snapping, and I did not want to even think about starting the work without new bolts. I had to wait another week for DHL to arrive with my $60 order of bolts and nuts for the job. The problem was I had to order the upper and lower ball joint nuts in quantities of 10, and the lower joint bolts in quantities of 5, which is perfectly fine to me.

I sprayed the lower ball joint securing bolts with penetrating oil and heated them up with a propane torch. I used an impact gun on them, and they came right out... What a relief! I was too afraid of the spring exploding out (my floor jack sends to sink a bit...) so I did the job in place after removing the brake caliper, bracket and rotor. Looking back, I'm not sure if the lower control arm could've dropped low enough for the spring to explode out since the shock absorber limits travel, and the sway bar link is preventing movement as well, but I was still scared of it and didn't want to remove too much at once. I replaced the upper, loosely secured the nut, then worked on the lower.

I am pleased at how easy the upper wishbones are to remove, and I have new bushings already in my parts bin ready for replacement. I am getting a ball joint press in the mail in a couple weeks, so I will definitely be tackling those as well, the LH side ball joints, plus the lower shock mount bushings. I tried replacing them a couple years ago but the threaded rod/washer setup I was using to press the bushings back in was not strong enough, and the one side I did ended up not seating flush like it should. I'd like to correct that now.

I didn't take many pictures of the ball joint work, but here's the shot I like best: Four INTACT lower ball joint bolts!




Once the front end work is done, I'll be able to get the car aligned, and get the current snow tires off and replace them with a nice set of quality All-Seasons. Both front tires are worn on their LH shoulder, which seems a little odd. Left Front tire is worn on outside shoulder, Right Front tire is worn on inside shoulder.

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the newly found time to get little projects done

-Nick

 

Nick,

Outstanding work! And thank you for taking the time to report and post photos!

BTW, on our '93, the hex-head screws for the lower ball joints were not metric, they were SAE/Imperial (inch fractional). The threads were 5/16-24, and the heads required a 1/2 inch socket. I think I recall that those ball joints were also used on several GM vehicles. I used new Grade 8 screws from our local hardware store. I'd be curious to know if your screws were the same thread.

Cheers!

Don

 

Thanks Don!

I will check the thread on the bolts with my die set and report back. I used your Photo DIY for guidance, but when I cross referenced the part numbers for my '92 and your '93 through Jaguar Classic Parts and they were different, so I decided to play it safe and just buy them and wait for them to arrive from Europe.

Should I have been that worried about the spring exploding out when replacing the Upper and Lower ball joints together? The shock and sway bar link were still connected, and in Jaguar's procedures for the two jobs, I see nothing indicating it would be an issue. It would've made the job go a bit faster if I wasn't so preoccupied with making sure the jack was keeping pressure on the spring pan.

I just checked the cameras, I started at 2:30p and had the car on the ground at 4:30p, so 2 hours to replace the two ball joints. Not too bad in my book!

Nick

 

The spring is technically constrained by the shock absorber, but what if the shock decided to fail? You were prudent to keep the bottom of the spring supported just in case. The accounts of the springs launching out of the car are truly frightening!