If I got any smarter, then, well, I'd be not so dumb. Lol.

Btw, don't think I have an air shock issue, but dang, there is a rattle in the front of the car when I hit uneven pavement that is driving me batty. You can run 80mph on nice, even paved roads and it's churchmouse quiet, but if you get bumpy it's best described as a "something in the glovebox" type noise that eminates from the front. The steering/suspension are tight as can be and when this noise appears there is no play or bump in the wheel, it's just simply annoying.

Any suggestions? Hair pulling is about to begin...

 

I had a loud rattle from the front of my car recently and it turned out to be that the anti-rattle springs hadn't been put on when the pads were changed. Lightly touching the brakes whilst going over bumps would stop it.

 

Yes, that sounds almost identical to my problem. A friend and I tried diagnosing it today by removing the front wheels, the rubber shield for the undercarriage, etc, and tightened a few bolts but to no avail. By driving slowly with the windows down, it was a rattling type sound, which is quite loud when going over the bumps. It sounds uncannily similar to what you are describing.

How might one go about identifying if these springs are indeed where they should be??

Thanks in advance, U10

 

The springs get attached to the 'wings' of the pads and press against the caliper. You should just be able to see one of them at the top of the pad. I think the bottom one is obscured by the caliper.

I was able to move the pad backwards and forwards against the face of the disk with a screwdriver. It should be held firmly in place.

 

Goobe, common on our cars (xk8 & the XJs) are the front sway bar bushings deteriorating or just plain squeezed too thin. slow speed bumps get the knock sound, high speeds no problem. In fact, my front right was the worst one. $13 a piece from the dealer gets you on your way...well, you have to replace it yourself that is.

I did a DIY thread in the XK8 section, do a search for sway bar bushing and viola!

 

You fellas are great help indeed. H20, I'd say that could likely be the case as I have dealt with it, having previously owned BMW's which are notorious for that issue.

$13 a piece doesn't sound that bad. Will I brave the repair myself? Eh, uh, hmm...I gotta go read up first, lol.

Btw, how lengthy and difficult a job did it prove to be?

 

IIRC, the job took me over 3 hours, but I was tackling it from beneath. Had to use a spanner to get the bolts off the bracket. I was told that if you have a long extension (which I didn't have at the time) you could get the bolts from the top of the engine bay, then just climb under and pull out the old bushings. U don't have to remove the fender linings that way either, but I did find disconnecting the sway bar end links made removal easier.