About a year ago I had the front suspension redone: Shocks (actually shock assembly), control arms, ball joints, sway bar bushings/links.

When I first started to drive the car after that I would get a knocking sound over speed bumps or swales in parking lots and turning into parking lots with an incline. It was simple enough to figure out as I could place my hand around the sway bar on the passenger side and bouncing the car you could hear the knocking/popping sound and definitely feel it in the sway bar especially near the passenger bracket. After inspection at a local down the down the street garage we found that the bolt on the the driver's side bracket towards the bumper had been cross threaded. We also put on another set of sway bar bushings, fixed the bolt issue and everything has been fine.

About a month ago I was getting a rubber squeak from that area when going on speed bumps. To test I sprayed some silicon ion the drivers side sway bar bushing and it went away.

Yesterday, it came back but starting making a great knocking sound (and very annoying) and easy to feel coming from the sway bar. So I took it back to the same guy that fixed it and he replaced the bushings, but did not solve the problem. They called Jag and the comment from the service dept is that when they do sway bar bushings at the dealer they also replaces the brackets and the bolts. (to me a little unusual). They also checked all around the suspension and could find no related cause.

So I called and ordered from an online Jag dealer the factory bushings (previously I had put Euro part bushings on), 2 new brackets and 4 new bolts. The dealership agreed with me that the sway bar is good for the life of the car except in cases of an accident (which I have had none) or some tow truck hooking to a sway bar and I have not used any tow trucks on this car ever. Before I had them originally changed a year ago- never had an issue with the sway bar or the bushings and surprisingly the ones that came off the car were not, at 100K, worn that much and maybe only a touch dry.

So the cause has been easy to narrow down.
I am waiting on the parts to get here next week.

Has anyone had this sort of problem and found a solution and does it make any sense that the brackets/bushings/bolts could just be off enough to cause the problem

Any ideas and suggestions are appreciated.

Tom in Dallas/Plano
2005 S-Type 3.0 114k

 

Could the structure be loose where the sway bar brackets are attached? Just guessing, but I’m thinking it’s something like a sheet metal channel spot welded to underlying structure. Perhaps several of those spot welds have worked loose or the base metal cracked?

Just a thought, mostly thinking out loud.

 

Yep,

Went the Euro path way back with both S Types, OOPS>

The bracket was an issue with the very early cars (memory), and there was a TSB about it.

Yours being a 2005, I would not suspect brackets, but with the issues you are having, good decision.

OE suspension bushes are my only parts supplier now, the double/triple labour, albeit mine, is just silly.

 

Thanks. I have to believe that the problem is something going on that is missing doing it's job by several millimeters or centimeters. We had the problem fixed and then it came back and to just keep replacing the bushings does not make sense. Yesterday i check the bar links and they were more than fine and I really did not think they were the problem.

Thanks- glad to know I have company with the problem.


Tom

 

Thanks. I have been under the car when on a lift and we have looked for that, but when I get the parts in, I will have them look again, but the nature of the noise, sound and feeling the bar when it happents tends to say that would not be the issue, but we will go on and check regardless to rule out anything else.

Thanks for reminding to do a complete job when we do it.

Tom

 

I made the same mistake, buying Euro Part. After about six months the obnoxious squeaking started. Pulled them off, they look fine, but replacing them with OEM was an instant fix.

Its not a hard job, but one which inevitably takes a fair bit of skin off my knuckles, so I really object to doing it twice within six months. So definitely an OOPs purchase.

 

Biggest bug foe me was the Heater Tap and its bracket blocking any real access to the RH top bolt.

Took the tap off, and reshaped the bracket, got the socket on, and 1 full turn more, and I thought it was tight.

As you said, crass threading them is TOO easy, and that will cause issues.

Remember, this is a 31mm bar, so HEAPS of strain on everything related. My V12 cars (I know very different), are 19mm and 21mm bars, and they have similar issues, and its radiator out to replace them, so wrong spec parts is a no no.

 

Thanks. No not a hard job and I have a garage in walking distance that is going to do it again. Much easier on a lift. Here is one reason potentially why the Euro, which are much cheaper fails. Attached is a TSB that does NOT apply to my 2005, but talks about the Lincoln brackets that were installed and had to be replaced. Inside the TSB is the following info:
The new front stabilizer bar bushings are self-lubricating and do not require any grease to be added to the stabilizer bar or bushings when they are installed. ... 7.Install new stabilizer bar bushings on stabilizer bar.Note: Do not grease new bushings.

Thanks for the support that I am on the right path. Frankly the sway bar is a simple situation and with the links being fine. I checked them on Friday to make sure. That does not leave many options to the problem. So new Jag bushing, brackets and bolts and we will see.

Thanks again.

Tom

 

Grant: Thanks. I think you and the other are right and my links are fine (checked Friday) and there is no underlying issue were the brackets are to go. there as been no accident in the car and no tow truck has ever towed the car at all, much less attaching as some might to the sway bar, so I know the bar is fine. That only leaves brackets, bolts and bushings and new ones are going on on I get them. Well aware of that damn DCCV valve. Just a nuance item in the S-types in general. From the TSB I post, which does not apply to my car , but hidden within is the potential difference with the Euro and Jag bushings: The new front stabilizer bar bushings are self-lubricating and do not require any grease to be added to the stabilizer bar or bushings when they are installed. ... 7.Install new stabilizer bar bushings on stabilizer bar.Note: Do not grease new bushings.

It would appear the Euro ones are NOT self-lubricating and thus the squeak that develops.

Tom

 

I should clarify, in the spirit of fairness to the respective companies, I checked my records and the aftermarket bushes I purchased were Uro Parts ones, not Eurospares.

The Uro Parts bush has fibre lining in it, which is supposedly the self-lubricating material. The one obvious difference I could see from the original (which it turns out was fine, but I had changed because I was chasing a clunk that turned out to be a shock absorber) was in the overall dimensions of the bush: the hole diameter was the same (~32mm), but the distance from the base of the bush to the bottom of the hole was 11.5mm vs 10mm for the original, and the overall height of the Uro bush was 52.5mm versus 48.5mm for the original. I wonder if the new bush was simply over-compressed in the bracket?

 

Wow thanks- that could explain much. Mine were Euro Pats as well. I will do some measurements once I get the Jag Bushings and report back if it is the same. Mine is clearly in the sway bar. My hand on the passenger side bushing when pushing the car up and down leaves no doubt it is the sway bar. I had been thinking they were too loose and it would make sense that they were too tight and not rotating exactly the way they should and thus it is like a slight binding. Most interesting as Spock would say.

Super thanks

Tom

 

I ordered new Jag bushings, bolts and brackets. Had them installed this morning and the noise is gone. Probably did not need the new bolts and brackets, but thought I would eliminate all potential causes- knowing the links and the bar were fine. Clearly several sets of Euro Part bushings did not work.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.

Tom in Dallas/Plano