I replaced the two sway bar bushings today in hopes that some clunking I'm hearing at the front end would go away. unfortunately it did not work. I am being told by my independent british car service that the car needs new shocks in the front. I inspected the shocks myself and see no leaks but he said that the bushings and inners are gone .

Before I fork out the cash. should I try to do the sway bar end links?

If it's the shocks.
Where can I find them at a good price?
Should I look for an after market shock perhaps something a little stiffer?
What are the options out there?

Thank you,

 

Those little bushings make a lot of noise...

Get bilstien shocks, best for our cars

 

Yes you should change the anti sway bar links 1st. Also the lower shock bushings can be replaced separately as can the uppers as well


You can test the shocks without removing them by jacking up one side of the front, then remove the bolts holding the upper shock plate, then slowly let the car back down. The shock tower will rise up from the body and then you can press down and release it the tower and shock together. You will be able to test the shocks and the upper and lower bushing this way

 

I found the best deal for Bilsteins at Turner Motorsport; clerk will suggest best choice for an XJR. The new shocks come with lower bushings (these tend to fail before the shocks). You might need new upper mount bushings (price has come down, need to search the various suppliers, Welsh, Barret, Amazon, eBay, Motorcar, but not the dealer unless you like wasting loads) or rebush themselves -- easy to do with lots of opinions. I found the sway bar links made a big difference as well. Finally, maybe the sound is from bad body mounts -- Motorcar Ltd supplies fronts, rears, and Vee mounts at reasonable prices. Finding a tech to do the switchout is tougher, since it is lots of heavy work.

Let us know what works.

 

Definitely check/replace the sway bar end links first, it was the problem on mine. But it's probably not a bad idea to replace your shocks anyways if they have more than 40-50k miles on them. I got mine from Rock Auto for a pretty solid price. When/if you have the shock out, I HIGHLY recommend replacing the upper bushings with polyurethane. I used the Welsh kit, went in super easy, was fairly cheap, and was a major improvement. And it's really hard to beat the factory spec Bilstein Sports. for shocks. They really are almost perfectly damped for sporty daily driving.

 

Thank you all for the replies. A quick search on the billets website turns up part number for the sport suspension without CATS of

Part Number: 24-023726
Series: B4 OE Replacement
Position: Front
Descriptor: Sport Suspension without CATS
Old Part Number: F4-BE3-2372-H0

Replacing the bushings might be the way to go before hand... Do the bushings on the shocks (lower) need to be pressed out?

Thanks

 

yes, but they don't need much force. You could probably press the new ones in with a workbench vice or using a bolt/spacer/spacer/nut combination

 

Bump.

I ordered the Bilsteins from Rock Auto at a great price, and also ordered the top shock bushings from Coventry West. I am awaiting delivery.

After reading my thread again it's got me thinking that I should have ordered the sway bar end links. Coventry lists one type but if you look on Rock Auto they list tons of them. Is there a certain one / brand / type, that I should be buying?

I figured since I'm changing the shocks and top bushings might as well change the links.

Cheers!!

 

I bought "Prothane" brand polyurethane bushings for upper and lower control arms, sway bar end links, and sway bar mounts. Polyurethane bushings make no noise unlike rubber and they are much smoother.

 

can someone make a list of the bushing needed for each side. are there two upper and two lower? one or two sway bar end links per side, and ball joints one per side? if there is a good diagram I cant seem to find it or understand it.....do new shocks come with the new bushings? I have some one who will do the work NC if I can figure out the needed parts and order them as a learning experience.....2003 XK8