When my SV8 bottomed out on the front it was a broken wire at the left front level sensor (the only level sensor on the front) and when driving home that way it bumped and thumped but did not clunk, so I too am thinking the Arnott air shocks that were installed at the car lot just before I bought the car could be the source.

Can anyone recommend a good way to test the shocks for the clunk sound and feel? Must they be removed to do so? I bought the car 8 months ago so the shocks should be less than a year old and have less than 6000 miles on them.

 

After many new parts, the clunking sound at low speed is finally solved. Along the way I replaced the following: sway bar bushings, front shocks, lower front control arm bushings and upper control arms. The XJ8L has 153,000 miles and I am the original owner. The sway bar bushings were a little loose, but new ones didn't solve the clunk. The shocks were still working, but probably were nearing their useful life. Replacing those with new Arnotts didn't solve the clunking. The lower front control arm bushings fell apart when I took them out. After pressing in new bushings, that still didn't solve the clunking problem. The new upper control arms finally solved the clunking sound. It turned out to be the front bushing on the right hand side. It was broken and had a little bit of movement. I couldn't detect any movement until I took the control arm off. While the arm was on the car it felt rock solid, even with the connecting arm to the hub detached.

What a nice ride to not hear that clunk every time I hit a small bump at slow speed. I am sure there are some other bushings that need replacing, but for now I am happy that the clunking sound is gone.

 

ndw where did you get your upper control arms?

 

I purchased them on EBay for $78 with free shipping. Actually all of the parts I purchased on EBay, even the shocks. The only difference between the new control arms and the OEM arms was that the bolt coming off of the ball joint is about 3/8" longer. Other than that they even had the same mold markings as the original part.