Hi all...

I was getting a small rattle from the rear of the car (US driver's side) and took it into a local tire shop so they could put it up on the lift...

What we found was that if you bounce the car up and down and grab the shock near the top, you can feel it loose in the top mounting plate.

My questions are:
How does the shock mount to the top plate? Does the plate just get sandwiched between the shock washers? And does the shock just go right through the center of the spring seat and insulator?

And does the spring press up on the upper spring seat and that compresses the spring insulator up against the shock mount/plate??

AND, based on my symptoms, what do you think might have caused the top of the shock to get loose (and what might I need to replace)? I assume the shock insulator deteriorates over time and both should be replaced? And maybe I should do the shocks as well (although with the "bounce test" the shocks seem fine (I have maybe 32,500 miles on the car).

Sorry for all the questions, but I haven't found any great pics/drawings of the way the top of the shock mounts to the plate...

 

Chris , type in "Replace rear shocks" in the search at the top of page and you will get lots of information. Two sponge type bushings are at the top of the shock that is bolted to the body by four bolts. Kind of a top hat to the shock.


Wayne

 

When you replace the upper shock mounts, do the same with the upper spring isolater pad which also crumbles with age.

 

Hope this helps.

Road Spring and Damper-Rear - Parts For XK8 Coupe/Convertible from (V) A00083 to (V) A30644 | Jaguar Heritage Parts AU

 

Thanks! I am definitely planning on replacing the insulator pads but was wondering if you think I will need to replace the upper shock mount as well, as you mentioned. I am not sure why the shock is loose at the top and rattling around in the shock mount...

So I am not sure if I need to replace the mount and maybe the shock, or just re-tighten the top shock nut (and also replace the insulator pad)... any ideas why the shock may have loosened up (ever hear of that happening)??

 

I had a similar problem on my XJ40 and I only had to replace the foam and rubber bits.

So, on the diagram I provided above we're looking at parts 3, 5, 13, 14, and 16 (you should always replace nyloc nuts after they have been removed).

Unless the mounting plate has rusted away (a rare occurrence) it should be okay.

 

The spring pan #3 should be okay, but the others, yes. The lower shock mount #12 is often bad also, but is harder to do and more costly.

When I did mine I noticed that one of the suppliers sold a new shock including the upper and lower mounts for not a lot more than the mounts by themselves.

 

Here's a pic of one side when I did mine this winter, didn't really have problems but did notice the flaking, I pulled them to change shock/springs anyway.

 

Thanks to all!!! I decided to replace the shocks as well (since they do come with the upper bushings as RJ mentioned)... I went with the Bilstein 24-067270 for ~$102.00 each compared to the $30+ for the 2 bushings and nut for each side. Even though I spent $75 more per side, the rear shocks seem to be a pain to do so I might as well get it right the first time... and then I bought two of the upper spring isolators as well (MMD3565AA).

So I should be all set for a little while, hopefully...

 

Please post an update after the new shocks are installed and let us know if the problem has been eliminated.