I'm at the tire store right now getting new front tires (the rears were replaced in May). The steering has felt wobbly and "squirrely" lately. While the car was up on the lift I grabbed the wheels and checked for play. There was a tiny bit of play while trying to move the wheels with my hands in the 9 and 3 positions, but there was quite a bit of play on the left wheel with may hands shaking it at 6 and 12. What does this indicate, ball joints? Tie rods?

Also, I'm thinking about just getting all new bushings, tie rod ends, ball joints, etc. Does anyone know of a source for a complete kit? I've seen them for the older XKs, but not for the 2003+.

And... if I take the new ball joints and A-arms to a local mechanic would he have the tools to replace them, or are Jag specific tools needed?

 

6 & 12 wiggles is ball joints or control arms or both, 3 & 9 wiggles are steering. If there are wiggles at all points, it's wheel bearings and/or all the rest. It's better to put a jack under the lower control arm to do this, this takes the springs out of the equation, making a better diagnosis. I suggest getting a pro to look at it again before messing with it.

 

Here is where I bought the lower shock bushing for my 2001 XK8. They were more reasonable than anyone, even with shipping.

http://www.britishparts.co.uk/

 

noticing mine bobbing around moreso lately. My ball joint on driver side lost its boot about 6 months ago. Its not as bad as when my lower control arm bushing was squeeshed and basically non-existent, but it is starting to remind me of it, just at a lesser degree.

I am already budgeting for new control arms on both sides next year. Bushings and labor to remove and replace is going to be just as much as buying the control arms with new bushigns already installed and bolting them on; I went the former route and still don't think my mechanic did it correctly. I didn't know the new arms were complete w/ bushings at the time, nor were they affordable ($500 ea).

If you want pieces, I bought all of my bushings, upper and lower from Ken at Motorcars Ltd. Ball joints I bought from a UK outfit, much cheaper than anywhere here in the US, even with shipping from the UK. (that's the same place as mentioned in previous post to mine!)

 

I just took the front wheels off to see if I could see anything loose on the front suspension. When I jiggled at 6 and 12 the upper rear bushing on the left side was obviously shot. I could see the control arm just moving back and forth on the bolt. It was almost as if the bushing wasn't even there.

It looks easy enough to get the control arms off of the car, but how difficult is it to squeeze the bushing into the control arm? There's a big lip on the existing bushing and it makes me wonder how they got the big hard rubber bushing into the hole on the control arm.

 

I found this kit on the website that Richxk8 mentioned:

http://www.britishparts.co.uk/.sc/ms...SPENSION%20KIT

It seems to have just about everything except the upper shock mounts. Can any shop press the ball joints into the control arms, or do they need the special tools that are shown in the JTIS for pressing ball joints?

 

I have purchased parts from the same UK supplier and have been pleased with the service. You may not want to buy the entire kit though as my research suggests that changing out the lower control arm ball joints is generally quite difficult and not universally advised. In essence, buy new lower control arms. If you are going to do the upper and lower control arms you should also consider doing the upper shock mounts and the lower shock bushings. The latter are often overlooked, wear significantly and also contribute to a loss in ride quality. I have all the above parts for my 2005 with one exception and that is poly bushings for the upper control arms. I plan to do the entire front end as soon as the weather here in Florida gets a little cooler.

Cheers!

 

By the way, as a follow up to this line of discussion check out the October 2008 issue of Jaguar World Magazine. They cover changing out the upper control arm bushings on an XK8. They also provide some good information on brake upgrades for the same vehicle.

 

Darn... I let my subscription run out. Where can I find an old copy of Jaguar World magazine?