Drove car 80 miles today to my Corvette Club Progressive diner. Yeah took some razzing but the girls really dug my Jag! Really this is the first time since driving it home from Texas that I got to enjoy it! As a recap; since owning it for 1 1/2 months I've: repaired broken starter solenoid wire which caused all kinds of faults, brake job, changed trans fluid & gasket, oil change, differential fluid changed, changed coolant, new spark plugs, ABS/Traction Control Warning which luckily cleared after cleaning all wheel sensors, replaced timing chains, guides, tensioners, gaskets, all pulley bearings, water pump, belts, hi pressure oil cooler hose that blew out and soaked my alternator which began groaning so replaced that too; more oil, then fragile coolant bleed hose broke, replaced that, flushed coolant system this time, had Autozone clear all codes...and finally today took her out today and she ran flawlessly...no codes...nothing but the sheer pleasure of driving it..YEAH at last the LOVE begins...(next preventative maintenance tasks: new wheel bearing and upper poly bushings, and then Hi Perf CATs). I want to thank everyone for posting all the good advice and technical info on this site!!!

 

And this is what it is all about!

 

Glad to hear she's purring now. Nice job bringing her up to snuff. Hope you are having a blast !!

 

That's awesome! How tough was it to change the differential fluid? I'd like to do that in the near future.

 

WOW!

A summary of all the weak areas in these cars in one post.

 

And I'm looking to buy one!!!! I am certified.....

 

It's good to hear you're enormously enjoying your jag , have many happy miles
Glad, our members have help you out

 

Love is a beautiful thing....enjoy!!

 

Well the dad gum fill plug is right behind the tubular rear suspension supports, so you need a Universal joint socket fitting for a 1/2" drive ratchet wrench. Sucking it out was easy as I have a hand operated suction pump (kind of like a bicycle tire pump in reverse operation) to drain the oil from my inboard boat engine...probably can get one at Walmart, certainly a Boaters outlet...I don't know why Shell gear oil is specified since there are no clutches in the differential carrier, so I used Valvoline 75-90w Synthetic gear oil..about 2 quarts I think.

 

Congrats!

 

I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of there being a thread started where it is newsworthy to report about actually being able to start the car and drive it without incident! I guess that is the world of Jaguar

Doug

 

I can appreciate the 'defeating' of codes, especially with the amount of them he had, the mechanical repairs and curing the physical symptoms that deter from driving these cars. Now that my suspension is driving me crazy (small noise and control arm bushing deteriorated causing excessive movement of the car) it no longer is as fun to drive. I'm glad to hear others being triumphant!

 

Well written..yes it was a big deal for me, as I've had all kinds of second guessing myself for buying the car...did I pay too much, what did I get myself into, is the nickasil engine a dud (compression test after purchase was between 135-145psi across all cylinders..whew), etc. Anyway, feeling good about it now. But your comment is rather humorous since we all know what it means to own one...look at Sean B's comment...hope I haven't scared him away..

 

To H2OBoy: Someone on the Forum, I think "WhiteXKR" gave me a tip to order poly bushings from PowerflexUSA.com. I already received them at a very reasonable price...cheaper than stock and wayyyy cheaper than Paramount Performance; only $125. Anyway, he said they should far outlast stock rubber, they don't squeek and the ride really isn't compromised...the last part I can't comment on since I haven't installed them yet, but fortunately for me the roads in Central Fla are really good.

 

IMO urethane bushings might be too stiff for a convertible, but your XKR coupe will most likely benefit from the additional stiffness. The job you are doing is not that difficult.

The only word of caution is to keep very close track of the coin sized shims when you remove the upper A-arm bolt. The are of different thickness and their order relative to location set the caster on each front wheel. Often when removed they may stick in-place, or may fall out as the bolt is slide back... sometimes they stick together making it appear there is only one shim in that location.

Other than that, you need to get a shop to press out the wheel bearing, but the rest you can do in the garage with a vice and makeshift arrangements of sockets and pipes. Some with simply drop out.

Good Luck, and stop by when you are nearby Ormond Beach. (check your msg box) Gordo

 

I tried the poly on my sway bar and didn't like it as well as the rubber. I know the lower arms are different entirely, but if I could just stop having the power steering fluid leaks, my OEM bushings would last several years. My ball joints need replaced also (one boot is torn off) so I'm just going the bolt-on front and rear arm replacement method. Upper a-arm bushings were replaced by the dealer last year. They're bueno. While its apart, i'm swapping out the original shocks for good measure.

 

It wasn't me.

I too would stick with the rubber to preserve the ride.

 

I elected to stick with the rubber bushings. http://www.gusglikas.com/images/Auto...erBushings.pdf

 

I suppose some of you are speaking from experience. With the convertible there will be more flex and the stiffer suspension will translate into a harsher ride. In a coupe there won't be as much flexing, but I guess the harsh ride will still come through. I thought that since the stock rubber seems to be short lived I would have more longevity with the poly. Sort of like the dilema I'm reading when it comes to exhaust. Some like an X-pipe and some don't, as it's either too loud or low frequency reasonance comes thru. Hell I've bought them but now I don't know what to do. I guess since they're not that difficult to install I'll try em and see if I like em or not. Anyone out there who has put them in a coupe? Care to comment. Again I might add, we have very good roads and practically no pot holes in Fla; the one exception being we do have some concrete highways that get pretty bumpy over the expansion joints.

 

There was another (at least one I remember also) xkr coupe owner who did poly over the OEM rubber. He was pleased.