I have just brought home my 2000 XK8. 102,000 miles. Now it's time to start sorting out the problems. I would like to use this thread for info and help.

I have three problems to start with first.
1. The roof does not operate. I was told that it did work. At the used car shop where I bought it, they replaced the antenna. They said after changing the antennae the roof stopped working. Upon further inspection, the hydraulic tank in the trunk is just about empty. I would fill it with fluid except I'm wondering, were did the fluid go? It's dry in the back and no sign of fluid by the front latch. Any ideas?

2. The cross braces under the car are rusted pretty bad. I would like to replace them but don't know where might carry a chassis part like that.

3. No Ac. I'm not sure of where to start on this one. I could bring it somewhere to check for a leak and recharge the system. Is there anything I could do on my own in the meantime?

I drove it home yesterday, 70 miles. It drove very well. The engine starts quietly and runs very smooth. The transmission shifts or quiet and smooth. I have a long list of maintenance items to do including the tensioners. I have a lift in the garage and it's up now. Any starting help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

Sounds like you'll be giving a lot of your spare time for this. I'm hoping you got a great price on it. Apparently some major work needed. Bon chance.

 

Look for leaking hydraulic cylinders. Remove the rear seat and back to inspect. There are several threads and DIY articles for guidelines.

 

Thanks, I'll go digging. I got it for an ok price. In the Northeast US, I found it hard to find clean cars for a good price. I looked at a few over 100 miles away and they were in worse condition than the one I got. I considered going as far as Florida or California/Texas to get one, but I wanted to drive whichever one I got. Plus the transportation cost would eat up any difference in price. I paid $7,200 for this one.

 

New problem with the child that I need some help with. I have just finished fixing the convertible top. Had the rams redone and it now works great.

I am now working on a clunk in the front end. I took the wheels off and found that the sway bar end links were clanking when moved. I ordered new ones and decided to get upper arm ball joints because one of them had a tear.

I can't get the ball joint out. I have never had this much trouble with a ball joint. I tried a ball joint separator which broke, then a pickle fork, which did nothing. I tried jacking up the wheel and placing a socket between the upper arm and the knuckle. When I lowered the arm, the ball joint broke out of the control arm. The ball end is still in the knuckle. I tried my hammer drill in hammer mode with no success. Any ideas?

The rest of the suspension looks ok. Bearings look good, etc.

 

I had a hell of a time with the upper ball joints on mine as well - but just kept at it until it broke free

Looking at the pic of your shock/spring - the upper shock mounts look to need replacing!! If you look at the top of the shock mount in the engine bay, you will probably see the foam flaking away

 

You know, since I'm going through all of this, I'm wondering if I should just replace all bushings and ball joints in the front end. The shocks are not leaking, so maybe leave that. I'm not sure. The car drove fine except for for clunk and a shaky feeling in the steering column. I was hoping that was because of the bad upper ball joint.

This is what the upper arm bushings look like. What do you think?

 

I would

 

In the process of changing my complete front suspension. Ordered all parts from various suppliers, upper & lower ball joints, tie rod ends, upper Control Arm bushings, shocks, upper shock mounts, sway bar links. Total cost for all including shipping to Hawaii $980.00

87K on my 03 bought it four weeks ago, drives fine but steering wheel vibrates bad when I hit any kind of rough road or bump. Figured for the cost I'll have a complete new front end and not have to worry about anything.

Good luck with your project, I'll be starting the tear down next weekend.

 

Looks like we'll be replacing the front suspension at the same time. The only thing I'm not sure about is the shocks. They look fine, no bouncing when you push down on the front end. They also look original, and at 102,000 miles, it might be prudent to swap them. Oh well, It's only money, and these cars are not a cheap date.

 

Jandreu,
When I bought my 2002 XKR about 5 years ago, I drove it home from San Jose to Los Angeles, about a 5 hour drive. The car had 62,000 miles on it, was in immaculate condition, and had every service record from date of purchase. Yet, on the way home, I feared I had made a mistake. There was so much shimmying in the steering wheel, I had never felt anything like it. Since I had never owned a convertible, I even attributed it to cowl shake from the open top. But as soon as I got back to L.A., I made my mechanic go through any possible source of the shakes, and we chose to replace all of the original bushings with Powerflex polyurethane ones. It helped immensely, it's not perfect (and I don't particularly care for the moaning and groaning of the poly bushings), as I still need to replace the shock mounts, but somehow I've managed to put an additional 90,000 more on the clock and have enjoyed every single one of them.

It will make a huge, huge difference in your appreciation of your car.

 

Well I figured it this way, the shocks are around $120 depending on where you buy them, I got the G4's. The lower shock bushing is around $100. The new shock comes with the bushing, go figure, it's a no brainier to go ahead and replace the shock.

 

All the front suspension parts are now ordered.

Upper shock mount
Shocks
Upper arm bushings and ball joint
Lower arm bushings and ball joint
Stabilizer bar end link
Tie rod end.

I'm not sure if sway bar bushings and steering rack bushings are necessary. The ones on the car look fine. Any thoughts?

Also some other parts have arrived. New X brace to replace the rusted one. I have new third generation tensioners, metal thermostat housing, and a bunch of hoses and stuff to redo most of the cooling system. I also have new spark plugs, air filter, and transmission filter to install.

 

Johns55, where did you order the shocks from? I'm still waiting on mine, seems the B4's have been on back order for awhile.

Also I have not order my lower control arm bushings and need to do so, what part number did you order and from where?

 

I had the same problem, I broke the first ball joint splitter and came close to breaking the second, I torqued it up to breaking point then heated the knuckle with a butane torch the pounded it with a hammer, eventually it came out.

 

Another tip, don't use the upper arm poly bush from British Parts, they are a disaster.


Also, while you are down there, why not renew everything that moves or is made of rubber, bearings, V mounts etc.

 

The shocks are coming from FCP Groton/Euro. Jaguar Shock Absorber Front (XK8 XKR) - Bilstein 24-067263 | FCP Euro

Hopefully they won't be on back order.

The lower bushings were a pain in the neck to find. I was going to get them from SNG Barret but ended up getting them from different Ebay suppliers. I couldn't find one supplier that had both bushings. One set is Meyle and the other is URO, which I hear is not the best quality. I'll check how it looks when it shows up. The lower bushing numbers are MNE1360BB and MNE1360CA.

 

Looks like I may have to try heat next. Thanks.

 

Unfortunately, I think you're right. Replace everything while it's apart. Even doing the work yourself, it does gets expensive.

 

I got a large order from SNG Barret delivered yesterday. It included the new tensioners, metal thermostat housing, and the new x brace. I had a free hour and decided to install the x brace. Of course, 3 of the 4 bolts snapped when trying to remove them. Now I have to figure out how to get the rest of the bolt shaft out. Fun, fun, fun.