Hellaahh everybooodyyy (think John's 'to the garage' accent)
I'm starting this thread for a few questions I have on my xkr.
1/what is that bottle/container (see pictures)
2/are the screws of the head can cover all the same? (See pic)
3/So I looked inside of the wheel arch it shows that the tire rubbed right above it also hitting it. It's local, about 2 inches long, was at a bad rebound. Some plastic was shaved off the mud guard. I remember hearing a bang while driving over a dip at 70-80 mph. It fell like there was no resistance from the shock that time. On the rebound downward, the wheel must have touched the wheel arch/mud guard. Seeing that upper mount (see pictures below) makes me wonder. Is that due to the upper mount being dry though still pretty thick...Could it be the springs losing that much support/resistance? The struts seem ok , no signs of leaks for. What I know and see...
I took a few pic of the upper mount, could it be the reason? Or the springs, or both?

1/

What's that bottle? US passenger side, just behind the front headlight.

Another angle. Says 'Bundy' on the bottle.

From above. There's a black cap too that spins opened easily. I didn't try to all the way thinking it could be under pressure
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2/

Is it normal to have 2 different types of screws to this driver side (USA) head cover? Also , for some reason, I can't remove the oil cap. It is not turning anticlockwise..it does a click going clockwise though.Like a gaz tank cap.. Any idea why? Engine was still hot.
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3/

How centered need the tip of the shock be? The upper mount is extremely brittle but still pretty thick when I was expecting flattened. In any case ready to be changed.

Another angle. As you can see the rubber is still deep, no signs of flattening.

Rubber to powder on the top layer.




What makes the connector not centered?


Thanks.a lot. Stay safe please.

 

Hi,

Here’s some answers.

1. Front engine bay - passenger side - silver cylinder with pipes coming out - that’s the AC drier. If you ever evacuate the freon in the AC system, you should replace this as it dehumidifiers moisture from the system.

2. Your suspension is bad. Looks like your riding too low if the tyres are hitting the wheel well. Check all bushes too including the lower shock Bush.

3. Your Upper shock mounts definitely needs replacing. Should be Centre too. Change it out as part of a complete front suspension refresh.

4. Springs are known to age and compress over time. Bear in mind that the XK8 convertible spring is heavier Spec than the coupe version. Counting the coil turns, looks like my previous owner had installed the wrong one on my car.

 

I agree 100%. David knows his stuff. It must feel like your driving on ice. The whole of your suspension needs replacing. Shocks. Stops. Upper and lower bushes. If your top bush is as knackered as that then there is no doubt it needs a good overhaul.

 

Not sure which side of the engine, but one of the cam cover bolts is a different material so as not to interfere with the knock sensor. Maybe that is what you’re seeing. Nothing to worry about.

As for the oil filler cap, it’s lefty loosy aka anti or counter clockwise (depending on which side of the pond you live) but may need a bit of jiggling (which isn’t an unusual problem) to work loose.

 

Engine was hot,just after a drive. I've read today it's common to have difficulties removing it when it's hot. That's odd. I never had that issue on the Mercedes, but that's reassuring for sure.
Thanks.

 

You have your work cut out for you but have come to the right source. Lots of good info here.

 

That's for sure. Now to get the parts in this economy... Shipping from England is going to be a bi..h!

 

The two rearmost bolts on both banks.

 

So weird! Either there's a huge vacuum, either it's a security thing, idk. But the oil cap was impossible to open when the engine was hot but extremely easy when cold... anybody noticed that , maybe it's on the 04 xkr only...

 

oil cap on my 2000MY is same way - won't open until engine cools down a bit

 

Hey guys,
I got my parts for the shocks ready to be replaced... Ended up getting new....well... everything for a tune up.
One thing got me perplexed though. If you look at the pictures, the lower plate/pane whatever the name is, needs to be installed against the ridge on the strut itself on which it will block it from sliding down.
See in the pictures, the 'ridge', is what the lower pane assembles on. Now this pane is basically holding the spring compressed between it and the upper mounts. If I'm not mistaken the pressure from the spring is quite enormous.
How the heck does such a tiny "ridge" like that will prevent the pane from sliding any further down the strut absorber? How can it be strong enough to hold such pressure?! I was surprised by how small the contact area is. I mean the ridge is maybe less than 1mm thick. To the spring pressure, add a spring compression due to driving over a bump. The pressure is even bigger. Reciprocally, let's say the ridge is strong enough, then how can the pane inner circle hold the pressure and not bend? The enormous pressure is basically bound to a very small ridge and the inner circle of the pane without which it would slide down. I'm just appalled as I'd expect something stronger, bigger to handle such a task.
BTW, shouldn't there be some kind of o ring between the pane and the ridge to damper contact? Sounds like it could help protecting the ridge.

Any thoughts on that? Anybody experienced that pane (lower plate) sliding down the strut as the suspension ages?
Thanks.


See the ridge with the lower pane above that will seat on it.

Pane and strut assembled . Spring will seat above the pane giving this a huge pressure, even more so over bumps and such.

2 parts, see the inner edge (inner circle) of the pane, and see the ridge on the strut. Seems so small for such a capital function.

 

That "tiny ridge" is actually a snap-ring. It is separate part from the shock assembly. As to how it holds up, I suspect that, because such a small amount of its diameter protrudes from the shock's surface, it prevents significant flexing. If it were larger, that is extend outwards more, the force the spring exerts would act like a larger lever that would unseat it from position. Yes, it's scarier to think that the tiny ridge is actually a separate part from the shock's body. It works, despite common sense dictating it shouldn't.

Don't go removing the snap ring from position. Any dirt that resides in the groove before fitting the snap ring in place will not allow it to seat completely. If that were to happen, you would be at the risk of the snap ring sliding out of its groove. You can thank Bilstein for that design. They also use it on their off-road height adjustable shocks. On my XKR, there are actually two grooves for the snap rings, potentially giving me the ability to adjust the ride height with them.

 

Thanks
Just for curiosity purpose, how do you remove the snap ring, unscrew it? I thought it was molded on the strut. In any case it would be hard to remove no? And to what purpose? Adjust maybe? I'm not sure I can with this model.
How about having an o ring in between the snap ring and the plate to damper the surface contact of the rings?
Just the idea that it could slide is scary. I wonder how many time it happened in practice...
Thanks s lot.

 

The snap ring isn't going anywhere. It is held in compression by the lower shock plate when everything is together.

I have seen the lower mount fail from corrosion, but even then the spring isn't going anywhere (far).

 

I may be being a bit premature but, l think you have the spring seat collar (spring pan) on upside down in your mockup.

 

Ha. Good eyes Baxter!

 

Just to be clear. I meant: How can the lower pane (lower mounting plate) hold in place on the strut with such a small edged ring to stop it from sliding down (see picture for the latter) ? That ring seems easy to remove, it spins freely too. And won't even go all the way around. That's scary sh@#$...

Baxter you're right the pan was upside down on the picture. It should go slightly inside the spring.


Edge on the strut that worries me. It seems small to stop the force of a spring imo. But what do I know?!

 

That circlip and the slot for it are plenty strong enough. The spring pan design will exert an inward force on the ring keeping it seated in the slot. The force needed to shear it off would be way beyond what the weight of the car can exert.
you worry for no reason.

 

Baxtor you're SOOOO right! I do worry about everything!!!
Ok, then, how about that one, should I worry?
I've attached a recording of a noise from my brand new front brake (new disc, new pad, new bolt). Every time you hear the noise that's when I hit and release the brake (in 1st gear). Now my shocks are shot and I'm changing them this week. In general, when I brake hard, the car has way too much forward rebound motion, so more than time to replace the set. (That's another story)
However I wonder, what's that noise I'm hearing every time I brake? Could it be because of the shocks being bad? I was at stop, lift my foot from the pedal brake up, car moves a few inches, then brake again, and again a few times so I could hear that noise. Check it up please let me know what do you think guys. Now, should I worry?
Thanks in advance.

 

I will move this to another thread. Thanks for everything.