Don,

I have access to good year air springs here on OZ
If you locate the goodyear part number I will be able to get them for you not to mention I'd get some for myself

Cheers
34by151

 

Hi 34by151,

Maybe we're getting somewhere! Great idea about the part number!

Based on the way Arnotts uses the Goodyear name to suggest their rebuilt air shocks are superior to the originals, I assume the original air spring bladders are not made by Goodyear. Also, the original bladders are hidden behind a rigid dust cover at the upper end and a gaiter at the lower.

So in order to get the Goodyear part number, we would need someone with an Arnotts rebuilt unit to locate the part number on the bladder of their shock. Based on the the photos at their website, Arnotts does not reuse the original dust covers and leaves the air bladder exposed, so it may be possible to view the Goodyear part number on one of their units.

So who has an Arnott rebuilt Jaguar shock and would be willing to read the Goodyear part number off the air bladder? And is your suspension Comfort or Sport?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!

Cheers,

Don

 

The other option is to get a bad shock and tear it down
If I have the bag (even a torn one) I can send it off to get matched

My guess the replacement will be either Goodyear or Firestone branded
I ended up with mismatched bags on my 4x4 the hats were goodyear and the bags firestone. This was the only way I could get the load capacity, spring rates and travel I needed for my custom suspension

If I have a torn down unit I use the same resources to get a handle on replacements

PS Im looking for sport but that just means a higher rate from the bags as compared to comfort

I will be rebuilding my front and rear suspension soon (after I move) so getting the rates for sport is easy as I can test my shocks when they are out.
I dont have a set of comfort ones to get those rates but we can make a good guess based on available parts

Cheers
34by151

 

Don, Forget my last post, I was thinking of the Upper Shock Mounts I replaced on my 05/XK8--standard, no air, suspension. The picture looks much like those mounts from the top. Guess I had a little to much fine wine on turkey day.

PS: I see you live in Franklin, Tn., we looked at home's there in the early seventies, just as the Country Stars from Nashville started making it a spot on the map. Beautiful little town back then, Must be part of Nashville now. Was the first time I saw homes offered with a shared driveway---couldn't believe it....

Regards,

Chuck
05/XJ8L

 

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for the correction!


We've lived in Franklin 25 years and it's the only home our kids have ever known. It's not quite part of Nashville, but this Civil War town is its own very special place. In addition to Country music artists, we have plenty of Pop, Rock, Rap and Christian music stars, some actors and actresses (Nicole Kidman/Keith Urban & Ashley Judd/Dario Franchitti have homes not far away, and the last I heard Johnny Depp is trying to buy one). Several years ago Nissan moved its North American headquarters here. In 2001 the Jaguar Clubs of North America held their national meeting here, and that was an unforgettable experience, with the largest group of C- and D-types ever assembled and Norman Dewis in attendance.

But for those who are considering moving to Franklin, forget it. You'd hate it here! ;^)

Cheers,

Don

 

Got real cold here in Wisconsin last week. Last winter it was a new piston ring and new desiccant for air dryer in the compressor. Front right air shock on the '04 VDP is now blowing out air around the top as Don's illustration indicates. Obviously needs to be replaced. Should I just replace both fronts with Arnott rebuilds at the same time? It would seem to make sense.

 

Hi Ed,

It's nowhere near as cold here in Tennessee, but we've been having below-freezing temps, so after starting our '04, I've been letting it sit in Park until I hear the air compressor start and run its full cycle. On cold mornings it seems to take longer than usual for the compressor to start, perhaps as much as a minute or more. By the time the compressor shuts off, the VEHICLE TOO LOW warning has extinguished and the ride height is good. Only then do I put the car in gear. It's been working so far. You might try the same thing just to see if it could work at -40F, or whatever you're experiencing in Wisconsin these days. It might buy you more time before you have to replace one or more air shocks.

On our car, I've discovered that if I put the car in gear with the VEHICLE TOO LOW warning illuminated eventually the AIR SUSPENSION FAULT comes on, and even if I stop, turn the engine off and wait a minute, then restart and wait for the compressor to run, the ASF won't extinguish until I run SDD to clear it. I don't know why, and I may even be wrong about this sequence of events.

Sorry for the rambling thoughts, but try waiting to put the car in gear until you've heard the compressor run and see if it helps.

Cheers,

Don

 

I've owned my Super 8 for about a month, and am not familiar with all of her behaiver's yet. So I might be sounding paranoid.

Morning temps in Maine have been 0 degrees F. Sometimes first thing in the morning when started, pump will activate and pump up for 10 seconds resulting in correct height. It does not drop the rest of the day.

Am I right in thinking that this is normal for temps of 0 or below. Its kind of hard to look for leaks first thing, considering at 0 the soap/water will freeze on contact.

I would think that at these extreme temps, all air systems will demonstrate air density issues, and that I might be expecting performance that exceeds the laws of physics.

Also, many cyanoacrylate's will release at freezing temps. Thats how you get the top of a super glue bottle off. (put it in freezer)

 

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums! It's great to have you with us!

I don't always find time to get to the New Members Area to welcome new folks, so please consider yourself welcomed!

And thanks for the tip on cyanoacrylates and freezing temps!

Cheers,

Don

 

I have a rear OE comfort shock removed that I was going to send back to rock auto for my 50 buck core fee but I wouldn't mind sacrificing 50 bucks to tear it down and see how it works. Maybe I'll dig into it tonight.

 

Andrew,

You could definitely make important contributions to the collective knowledge of the Jaguar community if you were to disassemble and photograph your old OE shock. The air spring is the part that would seem to be the least dangerous to disassemble and of most interest to our DIY pursuits. The gas-charged damper itself is probably less likely to be user-serviceable and more dangerous to try to disassemble.

But if you can show us how the air bladder mounts, any part numbers or manufacturer name marked on the bladder, and how the top seals of the unit are set up, we would all owe you a big THANK YOU.

Cheers,

Don

 

Don, how about this idea. Put a silicone sealant inside around the ring and pull a vacuum on the air hose port. That might suck the silicone into any areas that are leaking. Then let it cure. Let me know how that works out.

 

The most common issue is the top seal and to a lesser extent the bag itself
Compared to the top seal a bag failure is rare

I doubt silicone will hold given the static pressure is around 150psi

PS Im still looking for a leaking set of sport units to test with


Cheers
34by151

 

Hi jpco,

Great minds think alike! I had already suggested that idea to 34by151 via PM a few months ago. I agree with him that regular silicone would be very unlikely to hold. However, I have identified a sealant that looks like a good candidate. But it's expensive, and I don't know if it will have a sufficiently low viscosity to be drawn into the leak by a vacuum applied to the air bag hose fitting.

Below is a link to the sealant, called Copaltite, which is rated for steam joints to 2,000psi and 1,200F, flanges without gaskets to 6,500 psi, and threaded joints to 10,000 psi. It is said to adhere to metal, rubber, ceramics and most plastics, and to resist vibration and shocks. I would have already ordered some but it's USD $64.00 plus shipping for a 5 oz tube.

So I've decided to let the idea gestate a little longer. After all, $65 could go a long way toward buying a good salvaged air spring/damper on eBay.

Copaltite Liquid Form (5 oz. tube) - Liquid Form Sealant - Sealants | Copaltite

Cheers,

Don

 

I think the issue with trying to draw in sealant via vacuum will be the internal check valve. That's the valve that prevents the bladder from going below a certain PSI. If you put vac on the air port on top of the shock, it will just pull the check valve closed.

 

Right. 34by151 and I had discussed simply threading the check valve out. It's the part the air hose fitting threads into. I'm still not positive this is a good idea, so that's part of why I'm still in gestation. I think I recall that the Dealer Training Manual says that if the check valve is removed the air spring must be replaced....

 

Yep and the trans is sealed for life!!!!

Well the residual pressure valve came out on both of my front struts.
Both were deflating and the issue was the air line

When I removed the compression fitting the residual valve also unscrewed. There was no way of separating them on the car

The net result was the car resting on full compression

The fix was to keep the compression fitting in the residual valve then screw in a standard 6mm compression fitting into the base of the original

IE I then had the residual, the base of the original compression fitting and a new one on top of that

So the answer is its OK but I would not drive on it!!!

Latter on my top seals developed a leak, which I repaired in a way that I cant go back from. I have a bolt on fix but need a set of leaky sport struts to test with

Cheers
34by151

 

Has anyone had a result with sealing the top of the air shock?
It's been down to almost 0 F here in Chicago and my right front shock is leaking from the top seal. (definately not from the inlet fitting.)

 

I repaired both front struts that were leaking from the top seals, although I replaced them with bilstein units anyway

Its not a job for most as you can destroy the internals if you are not carefull.

As I indicated before I have a bolt on fix but i'm not able to test it as I need a set of leaking struts

Cheers
34by151

 

Bolt on fix? Can you post a picture?