When my partner drove the car for the first time she said the gear stick is dropping down inside the centre console, and she could feel something ****** the car from the rear, like something was loose in the rear suspension.

I jacked up one side and gave the gearbox a wiggle while she watched from the inside, which appeared to give the same affect on the gear stick as she had experienced out on the road. My initial suspicion was the gear box damper, so thought I would raise her up (the car- not the misses) and have a look.

Ok the raising all four wheels off the ground has taken me the best part of the day, I decided I didn't trust a pair of my axle stands so spent two hours welding RSJs together but then realising that I am still going to need more height. Despite all this time being wasted I did manage to get underneath and have a look. All seems good and as it should, and the movement in the gear box doesn't seem to be any more than i'd imagined it should be, just up and down, no side to side, nothing to pivot or twist. The car is sat on its jacking points so the rear suspension is free to hang, and hang it does, all mounts are doing what they should do.

Other than "what the hell is it then?" I am thinking that because the car is off the ground and wheels are hanging low, could the weight of the wheels be pulling everything tight? I know the rear diff is bolted to the cage (Subframe) but the cage mounts are dampened too so there would be some give when the downward weight is removed. I am going to remove the damper once I have gained more height, this should give me better access to the rear suspension.

So if anyone could make a suggestion as to where I could be looking or what I should be looking for I would be most grateful

 

OOPS,

I think you got the wrong tab.

The 2006 XJ is known as the X350 style.

A repost, or wait til GGG sees this and moves it for you.

Good luck.

 

Hi Cornishcat,

Is this the black XJS you bought and introduced to us a little while back?

If so, and the gearbox mount seems solid but you still have a loose gear lever it might be the rubber bushes that hold the remote gear lever change mechanism to the back of the gearbox itself. There are 8 of these in total that fit over 4 mounting bolts. Mine had completely disintegrated resulting in a very floppy gear lever and even difficulty in engaging gears at times.

I'll post some links if you want to investigate further.

Cheers,
LeeP

 

Hi Yes sorry I should have said which car I was talking about. I have a few now, I need to update my status.

Thanks for the tip, I will check the mounts and report back. I did initially think the problem was suspension related but all that checks out fine.

As its the linkage is this something I am better doing from above? I was hoping it would be the excuse I need to strip out and sort the interior

 

Hi,
If it is the remote mounts you might hear a slight metallic clack with the drivers window open when you change gear. Yes, do from above once ski slope out of way. Can't get to any of them from below. Apparently, if you are really clever you can do all 8 from above (4 bolts) but I could only manage the top set (2 bolts) which made a significant difference. Lower set replaced when I had the clutch done last Christmas and gear lever nice and tight now.

Bushes are same as used on TR7 which are easier to get.

The link below has a couple of You tube videos that might help and I have attached some pics of my car when I replaced the top set.
http://www.jaguarforum.com/showthread.php?t=69757

Good luck,
LeeP

 

Brilliant thank you, the more I look into this the more it makes sense as to the cause. The lower 4 bushes seem like a pain to get to. Does anyone know if I can tilt the gearbox with the prop removed far enough to get in and access the lower bolts, or will this method just snap my engine mounts? The car is getting totally stripped down in November, but this repair is needed so we can enjoy the car over the summer

 

Hi,
I don't think tilting the gearbox will give you enough room to get to the lower bushes.

I believe you can replace the lower bushes from above without disturbing the gearbox but a lot more strip down is required. As well as the ski slope the whole centre console, radio, radio back plate and the side trim panels with the vents in need to come out. Then the top plate needs to come off (that is the metal, black glossy shroud around the gearstick in my photo (about 10 screws but access not good) then it is still a bit of a keyhole surgery job to get to the lower bushes. I've not done it but sounds a pig.

I just did the upper bushes which requires less disassembly and is much easier to do. Replacing just these improved things a lot. Lower bushes were done when I eventually had the clutch replaced. The mechanic said the lower bushes were completely shot so it proves just doing the top ones will get you out of trouble. Why don't you try this, enjoy the summer then do the lower set when you strip down next winter.

There are lots of small parts to drop and lose if you just do the upper bushes through the hole in the top plate so be careful. I tied loops of fishing line through each piece then snipped through and pulled out once everything was loosely in place.

Good luck,
LeeP