Have some play in the outer fulcrum, video below.


Would this be the sleeve being worn out (#15 in the image below)?


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The bearings are shot. You can buy rebuild kits.

 

Thanks Greg. I’ll look for a rebuild kit; I saw Moss sells one but it’s on back order.

If I can’t locate one, which items in the schematic I posted should I replace along with the bearings?

And how urgent is this? Obviously with wheel bearings there is a strong safety concern but with these I would assume a harsher ride is all at stake. I plan on dropping the IRS in the next few months to replace a dew things so wondering if waiting is okay (though I assume I wouldn’t need to drop the irs for the outer fulcrum bearing replacement).

 

The kit comes with everything. Try Manners, they usually have them.

I would say quite important, you do not want the aluminium worn or the arm; or the bearings will not be held properly.

There is a distinct procedure in rebuilding this fulcrum, as the preload has to be set in a special way by trial and error. When you start the procedure, post again.

 

I can’t locate a kit anywhere except for moss’s which is on back order. I even searched specifically for Manners’ kit and can’t even find mention of it outside of other forum posts. Any suggestions?

 

DO NOT discard the shim(s) (#14) that will likely stick to one of the bearing races.(it will stick to #15 or #16)

 

I would email jack weston at manners. They certainly have the bearings as I just did a search on C16029

 

I ended up just ordering a new bearing, sleeve, felt oil seal, and a few shims just in case.

 

Very sensible!

 

My XJ had the same issue

This is what I found after disassembly

 

Wow! Thanks for the supporting evidence. I’m actually just going to drop the whole irs and do the brakes and swap the diff while I’m at it. I need to replace the half shaft u-joints anyways.

 

I don’t want to start another thread for this, so I’ll ask here. Apart from the below items I’ve already ordered, are there any I should take care of with the irs out? I know there are several posts about this but they’re scattered. I’ll add that my shocks/springs and trailing arm bushings are all excellent.

-Rear brakes (calipers, rotors, hoses and pads)
-Outer fulcrum bearings, oil seals and sleeves
-Subframe mounts
-Bump stomps
-New bolts for the mounts and other items
-New half shaft u-joints

Only thing I can think of is maybe the inner fulcrum bearings but I don’t know how often those fail. If this is a good idea to take care of, I’m thinking items 5-10 in moss’s diagram below would be enough.


Thanks

 

It's my opinion that if you're going to drop the cage - you might as well do it all and not have to worry about it again for a long time. If you see evidence of neglect in the outer fulcrum you can expect to see it in the inner fulcrum too.

Moss sells inner and outer fulcrum rebuild kits which makes ordering the parts much easier. It looks like they're on back order at the moment but check the other sources.

You should also replace your trailing arm bushings. When it is time to buy these, pick them up from Jaguar. Same with the cage mounts. They're not that expensive for genuine Metalastik.

 

Also, when you remove the lower wishbone arms, check to see if the shims (1 in the diagram) are still in place between the dog bone casting and the diff. If they are GOOD; just remove one fixing bolt at a time and clean outthe hole with aerosol brake cleaner and the bolt threads, and replace it using high strength Loctite. They have a habit of coming loose.
If the shims are missing, the bolts will be loose. If so, there is a procedure for shimming and replacing the castings so they line up properly with the fulcrum pin and the cage mounting holes. The four holes must align properly for the inner fulcrum to work and last well. If you have to redo them, post again for a few tips; this is a tricky job, but must be done accurately.

 

For those who have done the rear wheel bearing and outer fulcrum pivot bearings, did you have to add or remove shims (from how it was prior to the job) to get the proper preload/float?

I've read plenty on this subject and watched a few videos. I understand the procedure and importance of preload/float, but I would think if the last set of bearings were of high quality and preload/float was correctly set the last time the job was done, shouldn't the new bearings require the exact same number & thickness of shims? Quality bearings are built to very exact specifications, so even with the preload/float specs being as fine as they are, I would expect no variance in the number of shims.

 

In theory, maybe. In practice no. Doing the preload measurements is not too hard.

 

When I did the wheel bearings and fulcrum pivots on my XJ (it's the exact same setup as the XJS) this winter, the rear wheel bearing spacers did not need to be changed.

The outer fulcrum bearings and everything between them were in such poor shape that I just threw it all away and started from scratch. I think each side took three or four attempts before the preload was correct.

The inner fulcrums (what Greg mentions in post 14) took about 2 times to get everything lined up correctly.

I understand your point and I agree - with everything else being equal the thickness of shims should be the same. But I also would not be surprised if you find that you need to disassemble it and add or remove shims. This job rewards your patience with an incredibly smooth ride at the end - take your time and enjoy the process.

 

The grease nipple for greasing the bearings is useless, as shown by the corroded bearings.
The grease goes into the cavity but it never reaches the bearing.
There is a fix by drilling a small hole in just the right place so that as you actually can get grease flowing into the bearing.
Afterwards plug the hole with a small ST screw. Details in Kirby's XJS book.