I'm looking at a '95 4.0 convertible, and, as part of the work I'd do to any car if I bought it, I plan to replace the radius arm bushings, anti-roll bar bushings, wishbone bushings, and other suspension rubber as well as the front springs, which are sagging. If I keep the spacers and washers already on the car in the same places, will I need to readjust the castor, camber, and other suspension measurements if I replace the above mentioned components? If so, will I need any special tools? On some of my other classics, the aftermarket springs and rubbers, made from worn factory dies, are not made to good enough tolerances to swap in without adjustment.

Also, are the special springs and dampers or any other unique suspension parts used on the 4.0 convertible of this era?

Are there good diagrams and exploded views of the front and rear suspension? I have the genuine 600 page Jag shop manual for the XJ-S, and not once does show overview diagrams of the suspension.



Related but not about suspension: the seller got upset when I lowered the convertible top to inspect its operation, as the dealer that sold him the car said not to operate the top under 50 degrees, else the hydraulic lines might crack. This, in turn, upset me, as I can't stand this kind of unscrupulous classic car dealer behavior. Instead of telling the buyer it needed new lines, they fed him this BS story. Another reason why I will never ever buy from a dealer.

 

In which case, I would be doubly reluctant to proceed with purchase.
The combination of incompetent dealer and ignorant PO who has relied on that shop, can be deadly to a Jaguar's maintenance.

Moreover, that's quite an expensive shopping list you have already planned.
Just sayin' . . . coz, like you, once bitten; twice shy.

Cheers and best wishes,

 

Normally, I would agree. But, having driven the car and looking it over, I think the work done by the charlatans at the previous dealership was minimal. Gotta love the fact that the seller said the dealer replaced the master cylinder and e-brake hardware, meanwhile the brakes are squishy and the e-brake doesn't engage. And, the seller somehow doesn't feel ripped off or like the brakes need attention. Scary to think we share the road with people like that.

The suspension rubber isn't perished, it's just not factory fresh. And, I plan to use this, or whatever car I get next, a lot this summer. So, I'd replace the body rubbers for the sake of getting a better ride. That said, the ride as is is ok. Explaining all of these issues to the seller when haggling will be an interesting experience; he's a great example of the "I know what I've got" type of ignorant seller. I estimate that this car, like the other cars I've been looking at, will require ~$3.5k in parts for me to be satisfied and confident in it's reliability.

 

IMO, yes, full alignment job will be needed.

Special tools? The official Jaguar procedure calls for the suspension to be locked at xxx-position when doing an alignment. There are unique "setting links" to achieve this. The absolute necessity for using these setting links has been debated since forever ago. I'm in the "they're not needed" camp.



No, not really. Some had "sport suspension" and others had "comfort" suspension....but that mostly comes down to spring rates and shock absorber valving. I think all the USA convertibles had the comfort suspension. The fundamentals of the suspension were the same across the board.


Spend a little time digging thru the JDHT parts catalog. You'll find some excellent diagrams

https://parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.../brand/jaguar/




Ignorance and malfeasance often have a very similar appearance.

Experiences vary, of course. Mine is that private sellers are not inherently honest and dealers are not inherently dishonest. It's all case by case.

Cheers
DD

 

The work on your list isn't terribly complicated, and can be done by yourself, just plan a couple of weekends to complete the work. If you search my posts, I've completed a lot, if not all of this work in my driveway. (I'd kill for a garage with a lift)

The only piece I did not replace because of the bear of a project it would become is the lower control arm bushing. The part is $10, the amount of work to get there is tremendous. As you said, "the suspension rubber isn't perished, it's just not factory fresh." So I have left that as the 30 year part it still is, and it seems to be holding up just fine.

I would consider replacing hoses and fluids as well. Then, of course, brakes.

If you want to save a couple of bucks, the rear wheels are not adjustable, so you don't have to pay for the 4-wheel alignment, there is nothing for them to adjust...now you might want to know where the rear wheels are at as a baseline, but no work can be done. Furthermore, I haven't found a shop willing to perform the camber settings for the front tire. It requires some shim work that needs the upper control arm to be disconnected. No one wants to do that. It'd be best to find a shop that might offer free alignments, at least for a limited time since there's a good chance it will be out of spec, and you'll have to make the adjustment yourself.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Good to know that I would be looking at doing an alignment should I replace the various front suspension rubbers. I will look in the shop manual again to see what procedures are required. I have seen and read that some people replace the ball joints, wishbone bushings, etc. in the front suspension without adding shims or redoing the caster and camber, just keeping the old shims in place. That struck me as too good to be true. I would really really hate to have to get the car aligned, as I do not trust any shops anymore, especially the kind of "alignment shops" that would do this work. I swear, service "techs" get more brainless and gormless every year. The car is bound to come out worse than when it went in.

Indeed, the rubbers aren't perished, and the car rides and steers very well, with no worn-rubber-shudders over bumps and no pull. I just have a hard time trusting what could be original suspension rubber. Also, I plan to take this car, or whatever car I get, a few thousand miles from home this summer after two months of judicious sprucing up; so, I'd like to head issues off at the pass.

Please tell me that Jaguar made replacing the lower control arm bushings easier with the facelift XJ-S and AJ6 engine by allowing one to remove the lower control arm shaft without needing to remove the steering rack and exhaust.

 

JChandler,

I'd be much more concerned about the brakes and what might need doing there.

You said it was a "1995" car but not sure if that's MY or calendar year? If the VIN is below 198335 it has Teves II brakes which can be a world of problems with a number of known recent weak spots. They don't have a separate "master cylinder" so I'm not sure what this dealer replaced7 It uses a very complex Actuation Unit but they don't tend to fail, cost well over £1000 when last available and they have been NLA for years, with no pattern alternatives, so i bet he didn't change that. And the handbrake is outboard and easy to setup. So a soft brake pedal is a concern. I'd want to know exactly what was done and price a huge margin in for resolution of this complex system.

Good luck

Paul

 

I would of course tackle the brakes. Thankfully, the chassis number is 199275, by which time the actuator assembly with the solenoid block was phased out. I have dealt with Teves on my '91; it's not that complicated once one has read through the manual. I suspect the scam artists who did the "work" failed to properly bleed the brakes; I saw no signs of leaks. They also, from what I can see, replaced the rear discs but not the fronts, which have deep lips. One might wonder how the owner didn't notice, but, considering his less than stellar attitude and the fact that his horrifyingly rotted, cracked, and flat-spotted tires have a 2013 date code, I don't think he's one of us in that department. Indeed, discs, pads, soft lines, and caliper rebuilds would be in order.

 

As far as the rear alignment goes, the camber is adjustable by shimming the half shafts at the differential. Quite a bit of work to accomplish but shouldn't be needed as long as the springs aren't sagged out. If the ride height is close to normal in the rear then there is nothing needing to be done. As far as a 4 wheel alignment goes, seems as though most shops charge it regardless. Had our live axle Grand Cherokee adjusted and wasn't any cheaper for just getting the front done. But hey, if a shop will give just the front wheels, great. Seems most don't care what you've got, they just want their money.