Also the radius arm (passenger LHS) that was pointing upwards a bit when I pulled the IRS out was definitely not as tightly done up as the drivers side one.

 

While I have it the IRS out, I was pondering the 4 uni joints used in it. They are the originals with grease nipples. New unis are sealed units, thought I'd ask the question, do people replace these to the newer type when given the chance? changing them would eliminate 4 grease points, I suppose it also begs the question are new sealed unis better than the older grease fitting types?

 

You can still readily buy new UJs 'with nipples'. If your local supplier doesn't have 'em it would be a simple matter to order them

I prefer *with* grease nipples, personally. I like being able to lubricate mechanical things. Truth is, though, I've seen the non-nipple type last darn near forever so it's a toss up.

If your existing UJs have no free play, and the action/movement still feels smooth and easy with no tight spots, I say leave 'em alone, personally. There was a time when I often replaced UJs on a "while I'm at it" basis but eventually it became obvious that I was replacing an awful lot of perfectly good parts.

Others will chime in

Cheers
DD

 

i have a single piece Aluminum driveshaft, only 2 Ujoints, lighter weight , no vibrations!

theory is it also accelerates quicker, deffenatly less weight!

cheaper than 4 Ujoints and install costs!

seems one of Jaguars overengineered(like trans mount) ideas! i use a standard Chevy trans Mount also.
simple but effective.

 

I replaced all 4 while I had the rear apart. I think its worth doing. I got mine from Hardy Spicer I think they have a branch in Hobart. Don't but the cheap hollow ones spend a bit more on the solid HD units.

 

Good point, as Jaguar used high grade UJs when building the cars and, if you're not careful, you can end up making a retrograde step.

And, to elaborate a bit more on the "HD" aspect, look at the size/heft of the "+" section. Some vendors sell UJs with a much smaller center cross that what Jaguar used. Not low quality, necessarily, but under-sized.

I seek out "Dana Spicer". Not sure if that's the same a Hardy Spicer.

Cheers
DD

 

People rebuilding the IRS for use in Cobra replicas use only Spicer UJ's due to
experience with breakage of other brands.

One tip is to install the joints so that the grease nipple hole is compressed
under power rather than being stretched.

 

Thanks heaps guys. The IRS is now apart and degreased & cleaned so this week will be replace UJ bearings etc while waiting for springs and shocks to come in then rebuild time! Gotta say that I'm having a ball so far. Think Ill go with standard height King Springs and Boge shocks.

 

Hardy Spicer is not part of Dana. It was owned by GKN and is now 100% Australian owned. I do know their products are high quality.

 

Dave
Once the new stuff is in, in my experience has been that the most important thing is regular greasing of the rear axle nipples, all 10 of them. You cannot do it too often, I believe. My UJs are the originals and have no play at all after about 140,000 miles. The inner suspension pivots (the 4 nipples under the diff do them) I rebuilt about 90,000 miles ago and they are still 100%. I try to grease them at least twice a year, and certainly every 4,000, basically whenever the car is on the lift I give them a shot.
Greg

 

Nice job and great pics. I did this many moons ago to an 87 XJ6, and it made a wonderful ride even better.

 

There are different grades of universal joints. I know Spicer make extended/heavy duty joints alongside standard joints of the same fitment and size.
You don't need greaseable UV joints if you use high quality, heavy duty joints as they are built to closer tolerances and last a lot longer. They are also stronger as they have solid bodies. The Spicer ones are listed at 100k+ miles.
Sometimes incorrect greasing of joints reduces their lifespan by allowing foreign material in, swelling the seals with overpressure, again allowing contaminants in, incompatible greases used, because that's what was convenient in the grease gun etc.
Given the critical nature of the half shaft joints in the Jaguar IRS, I think replacing them as a matter of course when an IRS comes out is sensible, if the joint's age or service history is not known. Four premium joints cost me $120 when I rebuilt the IRS on my car.

 

I recently posted two part numbers for UJs, the text is quoted below. I tend to agree with Doug that the nipples are unnecessary and if you choose to use them greasing at every oil change causes more problems than they prevent. FYI both numbers cited have nipples.

"Just an FYI, As I make progress on the overhaul of my '95 XJS 4.0 convertible I do discover alternative parts from time to time.
The latest: JLM1388 half shaft U Joint crosses to GKN (GMB) 426 26002 288, I've seen prices on these from low $20,00 range to over $40.00 US and NAPA P331 for $13.99. Both appear to be of good quality (P331 is made in China). The MSRP for the Jaguar JLM1388 is over $230.00 US which is much more than a gouge!"

 

Finally got some time in the garage today to continue with the IRS.

when playing with the output area of the diff I noticed that the drivers side output has about 3mm of rotational play where the passenger side (RHD car) doesn't. Both have no up/down or in/out play. Am I correct in thinking that I am looking at having to replace output shaft bearings here?



on a lighter note the shock and springs are now ready, took the king springs and boge shocks to local suspension shop to get them to fit the springs - ended up standing there providing advice on how the boge units collets work because they seemed not to know! Glad it was their hands in and around the springs and not mine!

 

Are you sure the rotation isn't just backlash which is not a fault.

 

Righto, i have no idea what what backlash is other than comic i read as teenager in the early 90s shall do some research! But shouldn't it be in both ouputs and not just one or is that something to do with being lsd diff?

 

He, he!!! The whip, as in Zoro? A flick of the wrist to get the tip of the lash to crack?


Naah, just clearance between the teeth of the driver gear to the driven.


Usually, thought of in differential context as pinion to ring gear.


But, here it is an axle output. The inner end of the axle has a gear. it is driven by a "sun" gear. A cross inside of two or four gears. That is the differential action. lah here?


Exception. And that might be the case here. Limited slip!!! clutches of a fashion.
one just a tad looser than the other. Probably normal.


For a further understanding, I suggest "Googling" open and limited slip differentials to visualize the inner workings.


It helps to understand how any thing works before deciding if it is faulty or not, and if so, how to fix it.


Rant done!!!


Carl

 

Thanks Carl

Its all a learning curve and I have to say I'm enoying it immensely.

 

The XJS LSD is quite tight, but even so it does have slip, required so the car can go around a corner.

If there is no up/down, in/out movement then the bearing should be good.

If you jack the back of your car up and turn a wheel the other side will turn in the same direction after a certain amount of turn on the wheel you are turning. It depends on the % of slip as to how much you turn the wheel before the other one will turn.

I replaced my LSD with one from an XJ40, (It has a different center with with more slip) so I can turn one wheel almost 1/4-1/2 turn before the other starts turning the same direction.

In lay terms an open diff is 100% slip, if you put 1 wheel on ice and the other on tarmac the wheel on ice will spin and the car will effectively go nowhere. On the other side is 0% slip (locked diff) in the above scenario the wheel on the tarmac will drive the car off and both wheels will spin at the same rate. The downfall with this on a road car is going around a corner the car will not turn as both wheels will push the car forward and/or the inside wheel will chatter on the road.

In the above scenario with a LSD lets say with 40% slip the wheel on the tarmac will drive the car off and the wheel on the ice will spin faster than the wheel on the tar.

 

Thanks Warren

I read Kirby and the ROM re LSD and output bearings, what threw me was that the 'play' was rotational only and on one side. I think the bearing is OK, everything about the rear end seems tight and in very good condition, I didn't end up replacing the uni as a mate who is an old mechanic was over for a visit from the mainland and had a look and asked why i would replace perfectly good unis! Its certainly addictive to start replacing everything you can get at! The good thing is I can now bang it all back together and get it back in the car. Get the plug and lead change done then start enjoying spring/summer!