Hi, I’m trying to get an XJS (Model Year ‘94) into the road in New Zealand, so I’m in the process of putting it through a compliance inspection.

It’s been flagged as having vertical (top of the wheel can move in and out) play in both rear wheels.

I’ve been told by a few that this type of isolated play is expected for an XJS but I need to find evidence in an official jaguar document.

What I’ve found is that models with inboard brakes have a wheel hub bearing(s) end-float tolerance specified, which could account for the play.

However the service manual supplement I have says that models with outboard brakes (Model Year ‘93.5 and beyond) have a bearing preload, and I’m trying to work out if I would still expect vertical play on the rear wheels if the correct preload was set?

So my question is:
Is a small amount of rear wheel vertical play (top of the wheel moving in and out) expected/normal for an XJS with outboard brakes?

And if it is, is there anything official I can trace it back to that says it’s normal?

Any help would be much appreciated, I’m really keen to save this car if I can, and I’m sure someone with more experience with the Jaguar IRS with outboard brake will have a better chance of solving this than I do.

 

Vertical play is most likely to be caused by the hub lower outer fulcrum bearings (where the wishbone attaches to the hub) being worn, assuming the UJs are not giving up. It can also be caused by the lower wishbone inner bearings being worn, or, a distinct possibility, the inner fulcrum casting, which is bolted to the lower side of the differential, being loose.
If you get the rear in the air, and have a helper rock the tyre top to bottom, you should quite easily be able to find by feel and by sight, where the play is.

 

You wont find evidence that this is normal becasue it's not normal. You need to check the U Joints and rear wheel bearings but the most likely culprit will be the bearings in the stub axles at the diff. This is a very common issue on the facelift cars. If this is the case you will need to remove the stub axle from the differential and have them rebuilt with new bearings, crush washer and seals. Not an easy job at all becasue the stub axle shaft nuts are extremely large and tight and there is no great way to clamp and hold the stub axles to get the leverage necessary to do the job, You'll need a shop with a very large and secure vise and it may be necessary to make a fixture or use an very industrial and large impact nut socket and driver.

 

I had this problem on my old XJS eons ago. The play was so bad that it caused an actual driving problem: the rear wheels would tip inward enough to cause some squirrely behavior around corners

But I've had the fulcrum issue described above as well

IME it's best to have two people asses the problem: one rocking the wheel while the other is underneath carefully observing from where the slop is originating

I have not checked recently but several of "the usual vendors" used to sell rebuilt stub axles on an exchange basis for $250 each or so, which is a bargain all things considered

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks for the replies.

So long story short, based on the summary of above, it could be coming from a number of places, lower control arm bush, the hub bearings, the UJ’s or the short axle that protrudes from the diff, and it’s worth making sure the source of any play is clear before replacing specific components. When I had a look myself, I thought it was of the opinion that it might have been the UJ’s if anything, but I wasn’t using a hoist and not an expert.

I’m just always sceptical when I have two failures, on each side of the car, that are identical, especially when a number of people have told me that the amount of play is normal for the XJS.

 

"Normal" can have different meanings.

It can mean correct or proper.

Or it can mean common or typical.

Every morning I have some pain in my joints. This is not correct or proper. It indicates a problem. But it is widely considered "normal" and "typical" for a guy to have joint pain when he's pushin' 70 years old !


Cheers
DD