Going to head down to my dads and put the cat on the life this Sat...

Anyone got any advice what to look for that is a common problem...

I know about the front end, and rust issues.. Will be looking over that, and drilling the proper holes...

Any other hidden items that I need to pay close attention to?

 

Offhand, I'd take a pry bar or a long meaty flat-head screwdriver and check all the bushes for play (control arms etc), see how much fluid you have in the diff and fluid colour/condition- manwich66 showed me trick to do that, poke a clean piece if cotton string in the fill hole and you can see how much is in there etc. Oh yeah, check for side to side or excessive play in the transmission mount. Apparently you shouldn't get any side to side movement.

I'm sure there's lots more stuff to look out for but there's a start!

all the best

Larry

 

So the trip was delayed. But I got the car over there and we put it on the lift...

I am stumped. For a high mileage car. 233k All the undercoating is still on the car. none has flaked off...

The SLS Shocks/struts, have been replaced...

No damage to the under side of the car, dents, curbs hoping, ext...

No major rust.. just the normal bolts, and surface rust you would see on any normal car. The front cross member that is known to rust.. Nothing. Drilled the drain hole and put the scope inside to look.... no cancer, just normal rust... Tapped all around with a brass rod and a hammer... Sounds solid and nothing flexed or caved in. All the connections to the body etc are free of rust...

Rubber bushings... Need some TLC tho.

The electronics all work.. No light issues, no dash issues, the relay for the ABS once it was rebuilt the warning cleared up...

No oil leaks, or trans leaks.. Did a compression check and all 6 were at specs per the book..

The only problems I have to fix now are the door handles and the high pressure hose from the SLS/Brake booster pump to the valve block. Has a leak in the crimp section of the hose..

Oh and the AC issues.. I took the controls out today to clean the stereo volume control. When i was there I did a few touch ups on the connections cleaned out the controls. Replaced it all, and so far it's working.. Not super cold air, but with a recharge it may be fine.

but other then then some dents in the drivers door from what looks like a hard shut. (since they are round and not creased I think they will pop out) and the few dents from parking and age.. I can't seem to find any major problems with the car....

So if it turns out I can keep the car. I be fixing the few items, and trying to locate some factory wheels. I don't like the 18inch with 40 series tires. Just seem like a harder ride...

Maybe more problems will show up over time. But I am stumped. For the age, and the miles. Seems very clean.

 

The bushings need some TLC.. Not gone, but soon they will be dead ..

The trans mounts are good and no play.. (my the drive line is massive, and that rear end is a beast...)

Fluids look as they have been changed.. Good color, not black or silver. And the string was a great tip.. i was fumbling with it for a few mins, then I remembered the tip you gave me...

 

Well congrats - she sounds not too bad down under! - if it's any consolation, some of my bushes are toast too - I'm going to tackle the front suspension and transmission bushes first and if all goes well I'll have a go at the rears.
First up will be new sway bar links and THEN if I can borrow a spring compressor for the front springs (Hello manwich66!!) I'll do the control arms etc ...

Hope you get to keep your car btw!

all the best

Larry

 

Larry,

I'd be happy to loan you the spring compressor I built, or you can easily build your own using a stack of heavy washers in place of the steel ball I used, patterned after Win's design (from the J-L forum). Here are links to photos of some of the common front-end projects.

Cheers,

Don

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

 

Wow Don, that's a great offer, I really appreciate it. Long way from Tennessee to Vancouver Island though!!!

Before I take you up on that great offer, I'm going to try and source one locally if I can. I saw Jim's (manwich66) compressor when I visited his workshop a few months ago - hopefully I can get hold of him, his tool was home made too and very similar to yours and no doubt also based on Win's design.

I don't want to get the cart in front of the horse (regarding the spring compressor) as I still need to source all the parts and look at the feasibility of doing the job myself ...I've looked through your front end albums MANY times and continue to refer to them with admiration - nothing would please me more than being able to replace the lot (as you did) but dropping the subframe and replacing the engine mounts, v-mounts and subframe bushings, well, without a workshop and engine lift it's not really a DIY option for me.

I'm just going to start with the sway bar links and sway bar bushes and see how it goes from there. Suspension work was pretty much foreign territory initially but thanks to all the great advice and encouragement on the forums, I'm slowly getting my head around the system and preparing to dive in!

Thanks again for the generous offer, Don, you're the best.

cheers

Larry

 

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Sorry, posted in wrong forum...