03 XK8

I have had my Jag in to the same repair shop two diff times. I have a metal tapping/rattling sound from what appears the left rear end. It sorta sounds like someone has a small metal ball in a tube and they are shaking it up and down. The shop tried new rear sway bar bushing, no diff. They say they can not figure what it is when up on the rack. Could it be something in the shock? Could it be the top mount and they can't tell? The rear end is sitting properly so the shock seems to be fine. Is there some structure up under there that could be loose or broken? This is a rust free car that has never been wreck as far as we can tell.
The noise drives me nuts. Unless the radio is up or the top is down you hear it over the smallest of bumps in the road.

 

I had something similar before and after my rear end rebuild, I think t is the shock itself.

 

That is what they told me the first time they looked at it. Something in shock is broken.

 

This might not be a whole lot of help.. but I had a rattle going on in the rear quarter and I noticed the rear reinforcement bar bracket that is attached via a rivet was rattling.. I stuck a small spacer behind the bracket and the noise is gone.

Another noise problem on another car.. over bumps I was hearing some loud clanking noise especially over a speed bump and when I put the car in the air the mechanics couldn't find it. Turned out much later it was the brake pads and some brake pad lubrication and a check on the hardware fixed that..

Hopefully you can find it :/ I know that can drive me nuts..

 

My money is on the rear....

Shock mount plates
Upper shock bushings (they come along with new shocks), and are known to deteriorate.
Or the shock itself.

If you haven't changed the shocks, now is a good time.

 

yea more money into the old girl

 

Check the exhaust mount. I had the same problem couldn't figure it out until I was replacing rear shock bushings and noticed a slight gap between the rear rubber exhaust mount and the metal hanger/ rod running through it. I took the hanger out the mount rapped the rod in electrical tape and put it back in, problem solved.

 

I would find a shop that has a wireless noise devices and have them test the car with them attached. I have used them twice and it took me to the problem.

 

Shock top mount on my car. Poly foam crumbled and the upper shock washer hit the top of the mount during extension.

I have a coupe so its probably louder. It was more of a banging or clunking than a rattle.

As Anthony said, new shocks. Replace the spring cup foam while you are in there and you are good for another 10 years.

 

Sometimes its only a slack parking brake rope.................................

 

Tap the handbrake cable near the diff and see if that is the noise. A few turns on the adjusting nut and it should stop.

bob

 

My wife reported the same metallic rattling sound driving her nuts in her 2006 XK8 throughout the summer of 2014. Speed didn't matter - if the car was moving, the rear end rattled. The only time she couldn't hear it was when the ragtop was down. Turned out to be an internal valve inside the left rear shock. They tend to break off and rattle around after a few years, yet the shock continues to perform normally. New rear shocks in October 2014 resolved the issue. Good luck with yours....

 

This is what I am going with. Just no money in budget for this car right now so it will just have to rattle away.