Hi Guys. I recently bought a 2003 XKR convertible. Has done about 100k mls. I notice the front suspension bangs & crashes over irregularities on our rotten roads. Have read that this is a problem area for these cars. Have done a lot of maintenance work myself on other cars, but never messed with suspension. I know sway bar bushes & shock bushes but couldn't tell a wishbone from a ball joint.
Questions are what should I look at first with regards to this problem, and are there any resources you can point me to to learn what I need to know to fix these things?
Thanks Folks, look forward to your advice.

 

Please follow this link for repair video's on all of your aforementioned suspension issues; or just click the sixth link labeled Sticky: 'HOW TO' Videos above your post on the main page.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-videos-77768/

 

Sway bar bushings, end links, upper control arm bushings, Upper and lower shock bushing, ballpoints, that's just for starters. A lot of the time the first thing to fix would be the sway bar bushings. Mine did not look bad on my 100k 03 but after having them replaced it settled down the front end somewhat in terms of noise.

 

at that mileage you probably want new bushes everywhere, although the worst ones seem to be the upper wishbone bushes. Assuming you can work out which is the upper wishbone :-) the wishbone is easy to get out (if you're lucky! sometimes the long bolt passing through it can be an issue), the bushes not so much. You can cut them out yourself but a press makes life a lot easier.

I can recommend putting in *well greased* powerflex bushes as they should put an end to the bush replacement cycle, and as a bonus don't need a press to go in.

aside from bushes, the ball joints are also possible areas of concern.

Another area to look if its feeling a bit unsteady at the front is the vee mounts between the front subframe and the body. These are almost certain to have decayed. In theory they can be replaced without dropping the front subframe but in reality most people (myself included) seem to end up having to remove it.

 

Thanks Guys. Will look thru the how to videos, then probably start with the sway bar bushes.

 

Just in case your 2003 XKR Convertible did not come with the Owners Manual, mine did not, or any other related literature, it can be downloaded along with a bunch of miscellaneous maintenance procedures, drawings, schematics, parts lists, part locations, repair instructions, etc., in the fifth Sticky link titled: Sticky: XK8 & XKR 'HOW TO' / DIY Repair & Maintenance Links / Facts & Data

Pay particular attention to the dreaded 'Green Shower' in this Sticky, and many other common problems with easy fixes.

 

So, the consensus seems to be start with the sway bar bushes, and then wishbone, shock & any other bushes, then perhaps ball joints etc? Is that the most sensible order to do things?

 

So. Finally got the replacement sway bar bushes (were on back order). Spent a great deal of time grovelling around under the car & finally got them swapped out. It has helped the noisey front end a lot. There is however still a knocking sort of sound when I go over slightly larger potholes etc. The steering is all absolutely fine. What should I be looking at next? Upper control arm bushings? Or is there something else I should look at first?
Cheers Jeff.

 

Jeff, the top shock mounts fall apart, if you see flaky bits on the top under the cone cover, that would be a bad sign. The lower shock bushing is weak and with that mileage replacing the whole thing while in there sort of thing.
The poly upper mount that is already put together is the way to go. Off of Ebay.

Wayne

 

What Cjd777 said.

jagsjagsjags (welsh enterprises on E-bay) has the best deal on upper shock mounts. Get new Bilsteins for about $110 each to fix the lower mounts.

While everything is apart you can check the condition of the other parts like upper and lower wishbone bushings and ball joints.

 

Thanks for the good advice guys. Will check out the seller on ebay.

 

Do you have a link to where I can buy the bilsteins? As its an XKR I guess I need the adaptive shocks?

 

Jeff, look under the hood at your shocks from above. I remember reading that adaptive cats have a wire protuding in that area. I just realized that you have an R, as far as I know yes they all have CATS shocks. Someone will correct me if I am wrong.

Where to buy ? Google 2003 jaguar XKR front shock. You'll get many options. The adaptive CATs are very expensive compared to the $105 normal bilstiens.

Before you buy contact your chosen seller and ask if they are in Stock, when you can expect to get them. Even some of our esteemed sponsors websites do not show true in house stock levels. This way you have no surprises.

I've had great luck with Parts Geek for price, fast shipping. But do not expect any tech knowledge or advice with them.

I used powerflex poly upper wishbone bushes. Price was about the same as stock rubber bushes. Many threads discussing benefit of these polyurethane bushes. I like them a lot.

 

With the Shocks/Springs out to do the upper mounts, you can check the lower shock bushing to see if they are in good shape. On CATS cars, you can just press out the lower bushing and press in a new one (about $40 each).

This will eliminate a potential clunk source and keep the adaptive shocks.

On non CATS cars is just easier to put in new shocks.

 

Thanks Guys. Are the upper shock mounts the same for the adaptive/non-adaptive cars? I notice Welsh Ent. lists upper shock mounts for 2003 XK8. Do I need different ones for my XKR, or are they the same in both models?

 

They are the same and both go bad. The Welsh ones are even better than the Factory XK8/XKR mounts.

Seems to be a bit of price war going down on E-bay. The Welsh mounts are now $119/pr with free shipping. That is crazy. Makes me want to go out and buy another cheap XK8 to restore.

 

So for the shopping list I'm looking for upper shock mounts (Welsh Ent.), lower shock mounts, & probably the powerflex poly upper wishbone bushes given what John said above. Does anyone have part numbers or links to the best suppliers for the lower shock bushes & powerflex upper wishbone ones? Welsh only listed lower shock bushes for XK8 - MJA2153AB. Thanks again

 

The lower shock mount should be the same for XKR. Rockauto.com has them for the $22 Each plus shipping.

For Powerflex bushings, go to their Website

 

To make the care ride as it should you should put in place a plan to replace all the bushes as well as the subframe V mounts, doing it all at once is a bit of a hit to the wallet but you will thank yourself afterwards.