^^ Good thing it did not leak. That dragon's blood is extremely toxic to anything it comes in contact with....

 

work performed July 2, 2022:

yesterday was brake pad day. The temperature was going to be under 100 F, (38 C) until noon that is. So I got an early start hoping to be done as early as possible. I was going to just do the front pad replacements, but once I got going…… I talked myself into doing all 4 wheels. Today my back is calling me an idiot, and worse !

My back is only 72 years old, but has triple the usual “mileage” on it due to numerous 2 wheeled accidents 40-50 years ago.

In fact, back pain is why I gave up my classic Shelby’s and bought a “modern” comfortable car, also known as a 2002 Jaguar XKR. I didn’t know I was shopping for an XKR, but my only criteria was the “….best car, I could find in the USA for under $10,000…”, with performance and styling important considerations. I searched nationwide and the X-100 series kept moving to the top of the list. Four years and 61,000 miles later, no regrets.

Ummm, enough of the backstory, and back to the job;

From looking at the old pads thru the wheel opening I was guessing they had about 3 mm of friction material left, and although they were still working fine, I didn’t want to let the wear get too much lower and have to change them in the late July or August heat , which easily ranges from115-120 F (46-49 C) on normal days.

This will be my 2nd set of ebc red stuff pads on this car. And have been using them for 10-15 years on numerous different performance cars, both vintage and modern.

I’m still enthusiastic about them. For my needs they are the best pad I’ve tried. They last long enough, provide a dramatic improvement in stopping power over the OEM & Hawk performance pads, and don’t create a dust issue by my standards. Oh yeah, they are very easy on the rotors. I had been ready to have the rotors resurfaced, but they were 100% flat, and the wear was negligible, if any at all. I had put the rotors on at the last pad change, so they have 50,000 miles (plus) on them.

Cars current Mileage: 177,007

The ebc part numbers referenced below are for the base Jaguar ATE brakes, not the optional Brembo’s.


front pads: ebc redstuff pads # DP3689/2C )

rear pads: ebc redstuff pads # DP31198C

Mileage on old ebc red stuff pads

Front: 58,857

Rear: 51,628

Also Changed brake fluid, used DOT 4

Z

 

z - ebc your recommend for daily driver? Good performance w/o dust is the goal. I drive at generally (altho not always) legal speeds. No race track stops from triple digits needed. Current pads (brand unknown) are bad enough that I have to clean the front wheels every time I drive. Another recommend was Rock Auto for pads that generate minimal dust.

 

In some cultures it is very bad luck to compliment a person on a baby’s beauty or cleverness, so people speak of how ill-favored, possibly deficient the child is… so as to not tempt fate.
I believe that is the tact I will now take with my ‘97 XK8.
Nah, kidding. Passed the 60k service with flying colors, just under 60K. “Preventative” is my middle name. Seriously, it’s says so on my birth certificate.
I am finally very comfortable driving this red beauty on my 3-4 hour trips, alone(me and AAA Premium).
Am still learning little tricks, interesting quirks. I doubt that will ever abate. Smiling a lot(okay, not at the gas pump).
So many automobiles that look alike, no style, no personality. This isn’t one of those.
I will make a sacrifice to appease the fates , for not speaking badly of my car. But after I get back from my trip in a few days.
Cheers!

 

The XKR is my daily driver. I would describe my driving as “spirited”, with about equal amounts of highway and stop ‘n go in town.

Pad dust is a somewhat subjective subject.

ebc describes the red stuff compound as being “low dust”. That would be my assessment as well. There has to be some dust, but to me it’s not noticeable or a distraction. YMMV.

That said, I’ve never cleaned the wheels, then gone for a “dust test ride” to check up on the amount of dust produced.

Z

 

Been running Wagner ThermoQuiet brake pads on all of our vehicles for more than a decade now. Low dust, silent as a tomb, good bite, long lasting, and very affordable. Works for me....

 

you can get better stopping performance by paying more for friction materials. If one feels that’s not an important consideration, that’s a choice.

But not one I can live with. I’ve had too many close calls due to the Inattention of other drivers. I need my cars to stop the best that is possible. Until one has compared the different price points in brake pads , you can’t know what you are missing out on.

Some years ago I had the opportunity to test several brands of brake pads on the same vehicle; 60 mph to zero and 100 mph to zero. The pricier brake pads consistently stopped the car in 2-3 car lengths in a shorter distance vs the OEM pads. That was a huge eye opener for me. The OEM pads do feel like they perform well, until a side-by-side comparison is made. Then the OEM pads shortcomings are revealed.


Z

 

I have a battery cut-off switch on my battery because I am still looking for a parasitic battery draw.
Luckily I test my mechanical switch before I disconnect the battery. It had stopped working. After
watching an episode of "To The Garage" on YouTube. I removed all boot trim to get the boot lock
expecting to find a broke cable. No so. Each lock cable has what looks like a lead ball on end. The cables
have a plastic grommet that goes around the cable at the bracket that holds them. They had broken
off. My solution was to take a small tie wrap and attach it just behind the metal ball. It now works.
I am not recommending this for a long-term solution, just a quick fix to eliminate a single point of failure.

 

Since my original one had started to drip on cold starts, I went about looking for a replacement.
After some fruitless results for an "easy" fix, I decided to fab up my own replacement FPD
Used all aftermarket parts with -6AN fittings and the appropriate AN to Ford quick release adapter fittings.
Worked out great. Car runs perfectly fine and to boot, I think it dresses up the engine bay nicely.
Now I guess I need to do some cleaning in there to brighten the rest of it up a spec

 

nice!! something I noticed and it may be me but looks like the upper shock mount is off center - could be failing

 

I noticed that as well.
Gonna get up in there and see what's going on. Car is handling fine though with no noises or anomalies that I have felt.
Thanks for keeping eyes open for such things as I am sure there are many occasions where a owner doesn't notice something is amiss.

 

Yep, your front upper shock mounts are toast. What is the measurement in inches of the distance between the center point of your front wheel center cap to the top fender's bottom edge directly over the tire? Measure that distance for both front wheels. Normal is right at 15 5/8 inches....

 

here is the chart:





Z

 

Thanks Lads,

I replaced the donuts on the shocks 3-4 years ago and have never had any issues. Guess they don't last like they used to lol.
Will have a look under there for sure

 

2 jobs today.

Finished swaybar bushings. Did both from under, my lhd drivers side was very difficult to get the bolts back in. Purchased ricochet brand poly from eBay. Had made in USA all over the packaging but the bushings themselves were marked uro. I've never seen a uro product made in USA.

I also had a loose steering column in the y axis. Determined there are 2 t30 torx that set lash on the gear from the adjust motor to adjust gear. Mine were way too lose but too tight and the motor will bind. Have to adjust and check

 

Finally got around to replacing my supercharger oil - after 100k miles,it certainly needed it

 

I change mine every 25,000 miles, and it always looks like hell and smells worse.

Same goes for the rear end lube. I last changed it at the 40,000 mile mark amd
am not satisfied with that duration either.

Z

 

Replaced brake pads and rotors and flushed system with pentosin super 4 5ml
Pads : EBC red stuff , amazon 150.00
Rotors : Dynamic Friction premium ,Rockauto 200.00

 

Replaced brake pads and rotors and flushed system with pentosin super 4 5ml
Pads : EBC red stuff , amazon 150.00
Rotors : Dynamic Friction premium ,Rockauto 200.00

 

Also Painted Calipers