Soon after replacing the water pump and new tires all around on my 1998 XK8 convertible with about 99K miles I started hearing a strange noise. My first thought, based on the sound, was a pulley was going bad. I took the belt off and the pulleys appear to be solid and rotate smoothly. I then discovered when the steering wheel is turned completely to one side or the other the noise stopped. If the steering wheel was not firmly held to the stop the noise would start again. I'm not sure if the dipstick should be be read after screwing the cap down first or just setting on top of the reservoir, but there is plenty of fluid. There has been an occasional drop of power steering fluid on the floor, but the reservoir level doesn't drop. Would anything beside the power steering pump potentially cause this? Could a fluid flush and fill help?

 

There is a filter incorporated in the reservoir assy. If the filter becomes clogged, it could cause a 'flow-problem'.

 

Jaguar don't make this clear in the Owner's Handbooks. The checking procedure is remove / wipe / refit (screw down) / remove / read level.

Graham

 

As a practical matter, now that I have paid closer attention, there is only about 1/8" difference between screwing the power steering reservoir cap down or just setting it on top of the opening before reading the dipstick. I think that is probably insignificant either way for my noise issue as long as the fluid is toward the full side. The reading on the dipstick has stayed consistently toward the full side and the noise just started. Thanks for the clarification though.

I cannot find any information on a filter inside the reservoir, but a lot about an external filter that I don't see on mine. Is there some documentation regarding an internal filter and any associated maintenance?
Thanks

 

The mesh filter is in the base of the reservoir. It is NOT a serviceable item:






Graham

 

Maybe I can find a way to temporarily bypass the reservoir to see if the noise stops. I still wonder why the noise goes away with the steering wheel held at full travel either direction.

Thanks

 

FIXED I bought a new power steering pump from Parts Geek. Following the instructions to replace the pump from another post I started by loosening the pulley bolts on the pump prior to removing the belt. I found 2 of the three bolts were loose by couple of turns with the third not very tight. I tightened the bolts, refilled the reservoir and the noise was gone. There is another related thread by Neurojag who found the same thing even though my noise was different. I don't know how I missed this when I had the belt off to check all the pulleys prior to narrowing the noise down to the power steering. The bolts weren't visibly loose, but it was obvious when I put a socket on them that they weren't tight. I took two out with my fingers. I have driven it enough now to feel confident that this was a fix. As a side note most instructions I saw said the reservoir had to be changed along with the pump. I found Jaguar Tech Bulletin 211-007 that rescinds that requirement unless it is damaged or had gross contamination. Mine was fine and the fluid was clean. The new pump is on it's way back to Parts Geek who has a generous return policy. Thanks for the educational responses.

 

Do you mean like THIS?

 

Exactly like this. Just took 22 years to show up

 

What is an MY vehicle? Is a DCS Claim search something we can do as owners? If yes how do we access it, what information do we need to run it, can we run an general open search or only on a specific bulletin?
Thank you!!!
Mark

 

MY stands for Model Year.

Jaguar used to introduce the new Model Year in September following the factory annual holiday closure. Consequently a vehicle sold for example in November 2002 could be a 2003 Model Year specification. This was finally reconciled for 2014 onwards when Model Year moved to January 1st to coincide with the Calendar Year.

The situation was further complicated by the United States assigning manufactured date as the same as import date. Hence the situation where the last XK8 rolled off the production line on Friday 27th May 2005 but a late XK8/XKR can correctly document a manufactured date in 2006 in the US.

I'm not certain of the precise wording for the acronym DCS (motorcarman will know) but it will be a Dealership claim for warranty work which would be reimbursed by Jaguar.

Graham

 

Thank you very much. 1 other question, I am confused when to post in the general xk8 group or the Technical group as I see referred to?
thano you
Mark

 

When you hold the steering at full lock the pump is under full load as there is no flow through the rack. the seals are at full load so always move the steering wheel a little away from full lock to avoid stress.

 

And that could cause a grinding noise in the pump? Is there a way to check this before fitting a new pump?!

 

The lack of flow through the reservoir can cause cavitation of the fluid.
The sound is evident when the fluid level drops low enough for air to enter the system and the pump starts making a 'buzzing' noise.

The sound can also be an indication that the pump is trying to draw more fluid than the reservoir can flow.

You could remove the reservoir, pour fluid in with a catch can under it and watch the flow from the reservoir.
It should flow freely.