Hello all, I'm new to this forum but I've had my '00 XJR for five years now, it has just shy of 100,00 miles.
I am experiencing a small but noticable clunk when I pull in and out of the driveway. It appears to be coming from the passenger side. There is also a looseness to the steering that wasn't there before. I have checked all the bushing on the front end all seem to be in excellent condition. I also pulled back the boots on the steering rack to check for loosness. I couldn't see much or feel any. I checked the steering wheel free play but I am not sure if this should be performed with the engine on or off. With it on there is virtually no free play, with it off there is considerable free play...
Tie rods appear to be in good shape
Any thoughts?

Also since I pulled the rack and pinion boots off, one side will not stay on with a simple pull tie, is there a technique to this? the other side stays on just fine...

Thanks!

 

Hi Tmny

Welcome to the forums. Good choice of car, I have the same :-)

I also have just over 100,000 miles (I assue your mileage is the same, justa typo on your post?)

I also started to notice a slight clunk from the front end over speed bumps. I had the car serviced by my local excellent independant Jaguar workshop and he diagnosed the problem as slight wear in the collapsable steering column tube. all the front bushes, etc were fine. The cost of these replacement parts and fitting was prohibitive so I am just living with it now. There's no safety risk with the play. Anyway, maybe your issue is different, so for sure get the bushes and shock absorber mountings checked out. I also didn't have any feeling of loose steering so maybe our issues are different ?

The one thing I would say about the steering column issue is that you feel it more than you hear it...... ie you can feel the knock coming up throught the steering wheel. I had a friend drive the car over some bumps as I sat in the passenger seat and I actually couldn't hear the noise, but he said he could also feel it coming through the steering wheel.

 

Yeah thats a typo, I'm at just under 100k mileage.
I hope its not the column... I can hear it more than feel it. I can feel it a little through the floor not so much through the column.
Do you know how your shop diagnosed the column? was there a specific test they performed that was a dead giveaway?

thanks!

 

Hi Tmny

They suspected the column based on my description (feel it more than hear it). To check it they (somehow) clamped the bottom end of the steering column as it enters the gear box on the rack itself and moved the steering wheel. They actually gave me a measurement in '000s of the amount of play. If you're hearing it, I would suspect shock absorber bushes as I've heard they are an issue on these cars

 

common issue on you car for clunks is the upper front shock bushings, and the front sway bar bushings. look at the upper shock bushings for deterioration, and driving slowly down the street rock the steering and therfore the car side to side. If it knowcks then its the front sway bar bushings. the upper mounts at the dealer are very expensive since theyre only avail with the steel mounts, call Ken at motorcars(site sponsor here) and get their repair kit. Both of these are not labor intensive

 

I'll have to look more closely at the shock mounts and sway bars. When the snow melts I'll take it out and test out the sway bar bushings.

Thanks for the tips!

 

Common problem with lower steering column and I have done dozens in the past. I did alot under Jaguar warranty but almost never customer pay.

TSB 211-06 dated 10/02

Steering Rack Knocking Or Rattling –
Revised Lower Steering Column/Rack Return

Line – Repair Procedure
TSB 211-06

Issue:

Drivers of some XK and V8 XJ Series vehicles within the above VIN ranges may complain of
rattling or knocking from the steering rack.
A modified lower steering column entered production from VIN A11051 (XK Series) and VIN
F20645 (V8 XJ Series).

Action:

On a customer complaint basis only, follow one or both of the workshop procedures outlined
below.
On vehicles prior to VIN A11051 (XK Series) and VIN F20645 (V8 XJ Series), check to see if a
modified lower steering column (modified lower steering column has a rubber coupling) has
been retrofitted, if not, install a modified lower steering column and new steering rack return
line.
On vehicles after VIN A11051 (XK Series) and VIN F20645 (V8 XJ Series), or if a modified

lower column has been retrofitted, install new steering rack return line only.

Parts Information:

DESCRIPTION PART NUMBER QTY

Lower steering column - XK series MJE 9503AC 1
Lower steering column - V8 XJ series MNE 9501AD 1
Lower steering column grommet - V8 XJ Series MNE 9516AC 1
Power steering return line - XK Series MJE 3999AA 1

Power steering return line - V8 XJ Series MNE 3999AA 1

 

Good call! I forgot about that TSB, I just checked my vin and it is before the change. I bet this would solve the problem, unfortunatly it is expensive!!

 

@motorcarman --> Thanks for the tsb info. As expected, my VIN is before the change :-(

@ tmny --> I would stiil do the experiments BRUTAL recommended as you could be lucky and "just" have worn shock bushings as oppose to the steering column issue.

 

Hello Tmny, and welcome
I agree with Brutal's advice also. I have a 98 XJR that developed a dull sounding clunk in the front end. The clunking was particularly noticeable when driving over uneven terrain (snow packed ruts on my back alley) at slow speed.
I replaced the sway bar bushings in about an hour. The parts from my local Jag dealer cost $11.75 each. For that investment, you don't have much to lose. 4 bolts, a little cleaning up, slip on the new bushings, torque to 30-40 Nm. I lived with my clunker for several months and was delighted to have it silenced. When I removed the old, they actually looked pretty good visually, which made me think it was not the problem, but it turned out to be the cure.
I also looked at the top of my shock bushings from inside the engine compartment and they appeared to be good. I am not sure how to diagnose that problem, or if my visual check meant anything, but Brutal could probably explain how to check that properly.
With luck, the sway bar bushings could be the easiest and most inexpensive cure. Hope it is not the steering column. Let us know how it end up.

 

I have a 1999 XJ8L and it had the 'clunking' at low speeds so I thought I would be doing the lower column but I tried the stabilser bar mount bushes and that cured the noise. I still get jobber prices on parts so the bushes were cheap (I forget, but around $10 to $15 for both). Like JWT, I inspected the old ones and they looked OK but the new ones did the trick.
The anti-roll bar bushes are the cheapest/easiest thing to try first.

bob gauff

 

The bushings just are no longer tight on the sway bar. So its leads to clunking as the bar moves in the mounts. Like i said if you rock the car side to side at low speed with the steering wheel its very telling.
Again on the upper shock bushings, open the hood and inspect. If they have material coming apart and sitting around them theyre bad too. Both of these should just be considered normal wear and tear. That bulletin for the lower column is an extremly low possiblity. Even the car that had that vin range didnt have issue. I can only think of a couple we did for that reason

 

Thanks for all the tips guys. As soon as I can I'm going to get out and do the sway bar check. Like you all said, they look good visually, but maybe they need to be switched out.
The upper shock mounts also look good visually, but again they might be worn out.
I'll check this stuff before pursuing the steering column.
Does anyone have the part # for the sway bar bushings?

 

this is what you should be looking at
http://www.britishparts.co.uk/.sc/ms...ing-Suspension
prices are uk though . try nalleys for usa ^^^^^

you can take them off and then wrap insulating electric tape around roll-bar then re-fir bushes . this will make them "tight" again . i have heard of people doing this to eliminate them when searching out a noise , but for the price its easier to just replace them !!!

 

Hello,

I also have a 2000 XJR. At about 70,000 miles I felt some vibration from the steering wheel especially when going over a bump. This soon evolved into a problem with "play" in the steering wheel. If, for example, I were driving straight and wanted to make a right turn, I would need to turn the steering wheel to about 2 o'clock before the wheels would react (and to about 10 o'clock when turning left from straight).

I talked to my moronic Jaguar repair service technician and, upon hearing that I had play in the steering, he assured me that there was no danger in driving the car and that the play would not worsen. He casually told me to bring it in when I had the chance. When I did bring it in, he discovered that the connection point between the upper- and lower-steering columns was essentially stripped. The upper and lower columns fit into each other because one end is of slightly smaller diameter than the adjoining end--and a screw tightens them. There are striations in the two components to increase the "grip"--and the screw is apparently essential to prevent stripping.

I am not a mechanic but I am an engineer and I was rather appalled at what I consider to be a single point-of-failure in the steering column. (I would be interested to see how other car manufacturers join a column that's in two parts.)

Anyway, I paid about $2300 for the repair, which included both upper and lower steering column components and labor, etc.

My point in telling you this is that IF your steering column has play because of the same reason mine had play, then you are likely to experience increasing play as you continue to strip the upper-and-lower connecting point. Once the ends are stripped, it usually is no longer possible to use a retaining screw to secure them because the "grip" required would probably require more force and friction than a retaining screw could provide. Either way, I would use caution driving the vehicle if you experience play in the steering until you are certain you know the PRECISE REASON you have play--and not simply a hunch (educated or otherwise). If you are driving and need precious seconds to maneuver, you may not be able to react in time.

Regards,
Jon

 

Jon-- Now there is a real hair raiser. I always thought the set screw was to prevent the two components from sliding up and down (in & out) as opposed to preventing spline ware. I suppose if the spline slipped far enough that the misallignment strain could cause the ware you experienced. Live and learn.

 

It is a hair-raiser! You would think that the splines would not be susceptible to being stripped but mine were (I saw this with my own eyes). The problem began when I was in a parking spot and my front wheels were against a cement curb. When I returned to the car I did not realize that there was a barrier to the right of the car so when I tried to maneuver out of the space, I had turned the wheel in such a way that they could not turn because the curb was in the way. I don't know if the power-steering force was enough to overcome the "grip" offered by the splines, but I do know that I had "play" in the steering shortly following this incident.

It is possible that the steering column had been previously worked on and stripped before being secured by the screw--but it is clear that the screw does contribute to the "grip" when steering (laterally) as well as to secure the parts together longitudinally.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I now use a very smart, experienced Jaguar-only technician rather than the "moronic" generalist mechanic I had previously used. I just couldn't go back to a mechanic who assures me of no danger and even encourages me to drive a vehicle that has loose steering especially without first understanding the root-cause of the issue. (Of course I did not listen to him--I'm responsible enough to realize that play-in-steering is "unsafe at any speed".)

Regards,
Jon

 

I just wanted to follow up on this thread, I finished replacing the front sway bar bushings and the thunk is gone, and handling has improved!
Thanks to all who posted with the excellent suggestions!

 

That's about the easiest and cheapest front suspension fix you'll ever do.