I have the CATS error and want to check the rear suspension. How the heck do you access those air shocks?

 

You have to pull out your trunk lining panels. There are a couple of small bolts holding the main flap down. Once that's removed, you can pry out the side panels.

 

Well crap, I did that and saw nothing. Maybe too many beers. I'll try tomorrow. Thanks!

 

I can't recall exactly, but there might be some foam or plastic panels also once you pull up the side linings.

 

Ok, thanks again!

 

Vinny,

The tops of the air springs/shocks are farther forward than you think, almost to the trunk bulkhead behind the rear passenger seat. You'll see four nuts that secure the air spring assembly to the body and an electrical connector in the center.

Regarding your CATS fault, do you have the capability to scan the Chassis (C) fault codes that can trigger the CATS warning? That would help narrow things down more quickly.

Cheers,

Don

 

Agree with Don, the OE CATS system is fairly rugged. What has you looking at the rear shocks?

The one time I encountered a CATS Fault was right after I installed new front springs. Arnott uses a coil (inductor) to emulate the original shock valve so the system thinks everything is okay. Long story short, the coil they use has insufficient insulation and broke down from coil to ground. This set the CATS Fault error. Insulating the coil with some tape solved the issue.

 

I had a few days where the fault would come on and go off several times a minute. It finally stayed at fault. I was thinking of an electrical connection somewhere. I checked the front shock connections and they seem fine. Then again, I'm not sure if one is a replacement shock. One side has a silver upside-down cone on the tower, where the other side is flat. Both having connectors.

 

I do not have a scanner for checking the chassis codes. Is this a different scanner than the one I use from an auto parts store?

 

You have mismatched front air struts. The silver cone one is most likely an Arnott. The flat one is either original or a rebuilt original. Without a scan for codes you are fishing with no code to fault trace.

 

The one with the stainless cone is a new manufacturer Arnott. That's what I had issues with. There are 3 small hex screws holding the cone on, you can remove it from under the hood.

First remove the connector and check resistance from each pin to chassis ground. Should have infinite resistance (no connection to ground). If it does have low resistance to ground, you have coil insulation breakdown as I did. Take the cone off, pull the coil out, wrap with 1 layer of electrical tape and reinstall.

 

The generic OBDII scanners that the auto parts stores use can read most of the P or Powertrain codes on an X350 (by law), but to read the proprietary C (Chassis), B (Body), or U (Undefined, mostly network-related) codes requires either a Jaguar dealer-level system such as SDD or a high-end third-party system like AutoEnginuity with the additional Jaguar enhanced interface. It might be worth checking to see if there's a good independent shop in your area that is equipped to read late-model Jaguar codes. Some members of this forum also have versions of SDD or the earlier IDS/WDS systems running on laptop computers, so it might be worth asking if any are close enough to you to scan your system.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks Don.


I will try to find an indy around me. There is a Jaguar dealership near me, but the service manager is a little butthole kid with a bowtie.