Thanks for the reply Firm. Yes, removing the toe link and measuring the inboard end is the way to go for proper dimensioning. Would be handy if someone has one off the car already to make them.
I had the left rear wheel off to put in new pads and noticed the inboard boot was split. I took rough measurements on the car of 26mm small, 36 mm large, 30 mm tall but obviously more exact dimensions needed. A quick check of an eBay seller (didn't find polyboots but this seller is in Bulgaria too so maybe the same person) didn’t show any boots near my measurements. Plus it looks to me you have to disassemble the link to install the inboard boot from the threaded side which somewhat negates the need to align the rear end
if the link remains intact for the boot replacement.
I didn’t find any play in the toe link so will let it ride till I replace the boots on the wheel end and can take proper measurements. Worst case is to buy new toe links which aren’t terribly costly.
While under the car, I did figure out that the stabilizer bushings would be a real bear to do as you need to drop the rear subframe. Hope those bushings are made of better stuff😗

 

Yeah, you can see on the very first image - the boot is practically destroyed but there seems to still be plenty of grease in there.

 

I just got done putting on the lower stabilizer link boots for the rear ( PAS 12-26-24).
The smaller end of the boot fit tight did not have a provision for a retaining ring. The larger end of the boot had a groove for the retaining ring but I couldn't get it in.
So dug around in my pile of stuff and came up with two o-rings that actually fit nice and tight. This process would have been easier and I'll readdress it once the wheels off. I may be able to get the spiral retaining ring on at that time.

 

As I was looking at the front of the vehicle I noticed that the upper control arm ball joint boots ,left and right sides, were torn.
Ordered new boots off eBay ( ej-parts)
I measured 17-33-25. I ordered something as close to that at the end of August and still waiting.
Any comments or suggestions on a good source , US, would be appreciated.
Can't thank you ALL enough for the incredibly helpful information found here.... trying to contribute something in return has been a challenge.

 

I took off my rear toe links to get measurements of the inboard end ball joint boot. Attached pix is annotated with measurements I got, however, I couldn't find suitable size boots to buy.



Rear toe link measurements for inboard ball joint boot. My apologies for crude dimension labels and arrows.

Either the boot large end was too big when a suitable small end was found or the boot small end was too small when a suitable big end was found. Maybe the boots will stretch more than I think. The original boot had a part number of 028 060 004 012 but had no luck finding that. Maybe others can advise on a suitable replacement.

I went ahead and replace the rear toe links with Sidem (from Belgian) replacements at $120US from Amazon. Approximated lengths taken from the original toe links but will eventually need an alignment although the car drove fine after the replacement so alignment is not way off. I did note the Sidem replacements are substantially more stout than the originals (the bars themselves are larger diameter especially on the outboard side).

 

if you have to take either problem and deal with it, this would be the problem to take. you can drill (or maybe die-cut in a press?) the opening of the small end to the desired size. i figure it would be best to clearance it loosely and then rely on the ring clip to keep it in place; i don't think you'd want a totally airtight fit, the grease will do its job and can migrate around in there.

also you may not have come across "universal fit" boots but they do exist and might be worth looking into.

 

As boots that would readily fit didn’t jump out at me from somewhat casual eBay seller and internet research, I just replaced the tie bars. The correct boots indeed must exist somewhere as the OEM bar came with them. Didn’t want to cobble something up and needed to get the car back on the road while nice weather is still here.
Hopefully dimensions will help others to track down suitable boots and share that info in this thread.

 

Thanks for sharing, great info that I am sure is going to come in handy someday.

 

You’re welcome. I really appreciate the “public service announcements” on the forum from the other members so try to return the favor when I can.

 

I think these poly boots would stretch to fit the fronts fwiw.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-Polyboot...-/151714081384
Hafren used them on front ball joints of his X350

 

Or maybe these? https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-X-UNIVERS....m46890.l49292

Does anyone know the pros/cons of polyurethane vs silicone? I think the originals on my car were poly and they lasted 12 years which is not bad. Is one more elastic than the other to stretch into place?

 

I did mine today with the Bulgarian boots and it was easier than I expected. Thanks for the great write-up.

 

Gordo, Awesome thread and glad i found it. I can research but hoping you may know if these boot sizes are the same for my 2012 xk conv? Control arm looks same. I have 49k babied miles and all control arm boot covers are torn but dealer said joints are solid. My sway links also bad but like you I'll just replace entire link, my coil spring insulators are also crumbling but Welsh has them for $56. Please let me let me know if your aware if same boot size for my 2012 xk, and again great info!!

 

[QUOTE= hoping you may know if these boot sizes are the same for my 2012 xk conv? [/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure all these boots are the same size, and if you review the whole thread, you'll see where some other closely sized boots fit as well. Better a little to tight on the collars than too loose, letting grease out and dirt in. Good Luck

PS BTW, the zip ties are still going strong; although I'd try to reuse the metal rings per the j-hook method.

 

They are all the same size across all models 2006-14.
If you are interested, i wrote up an article for the JEC magazine in the UK 2 months ago, detailing the whole procedure, boots sizes for every part including the drop/sway links, and the tools required.
I still have the article in word format, PM me if you want a copy.
best wishes
Andy

 

It would be a big help to post up the boot sizes and their applications. If you can add them here, and I'll add them to my original post. Thx. Gordo

 

The extract from the article, with tips and tooling used:

The process is relatively straight forward, but with age, road salt, corrosion and the unusual way in which Jaguar X150 ball joints are stabilised it can be a time consuming and rather tricky process. At the front of the car the ball joint can be stabilised with a T30 torx socket, and at the rear there is a 8mm hex section below the thread of the ball joint- however at the rear mine were badly corroded and trying to get the near side nut off took several hours and a nut splitter- I subsequently used a M12x1.75 die to clean and repair the threads of the ball joint.

The original boots that were used on the car were an opaque yellow colour and very poor quality. Removing the old boots was straightforward, using a hook and cotter pin puller to remove the boot and securing clips. There was surprisingly very little contamination of the original grease, but I did remove this and replaced it with similar high quality silicone based grease. The polyurethane boots I used were standard industry sizes and fitted well, although I found a seal removal tool invaluable to get them to seat properly without risk of damage. I reused the original metal clips to secure them in place- these are essential and in movement the boot can tear itself off the recesses on the component. Fitting these can be tricky- a thin cable tie is an alternative used others doing similar work.

At the time of writing the company I bought the polyurethane boots from is not shipping to the UK due to Covid-19 courier issues/Brexit complications of trading.

However there are lots of aftermarket rubber boots available and are far superior to the original Jaguar ones. The industry standard sizing of boots is as follow:

Internal top diameter- bottom internal diameter- total height (all in mm)



The sizes I used were as follows:



Upper wishbone ball joints (all 4 corners): 13-30-22 (4 boots in total)

Rear stabilising links (at the hub end of the link, both sides): 15-30-23 (4 boots in total)

Rear drop links (both ends of both links): 13-25-22 (4 boots in total)



Although these are not exact measurements in the case of the drop links, the boots have a natural stretch to them (more so in rubber than polyurethane) so a slightly smaller size can fit, but not a bigger size. (EDIT- i think it was an availablity issue rather than anything else that caused me to use a slightly different size to measurements for the drop links- I have found written down, measurements of 13-26-18 and 16-28-21 -they are asymmetrical in size- which I'm wondering if were the ball joint measurements- I'm 90 percent sure they were)



Tools I found essential:

Trolley jacks, axle stands and appropriate tools to remove the road wheels and refit to the correct torques (125NM).

7mm, 8mm, 13mm,15mm and 18mm good quality spanners including ratchet spanners.

A t30 torx socket, 3/8 ratchet and socket set.

A hook and pick set, cotter pin puller, plus seal removal tool

Small wire brushes, penetrating oil

M10x1.5 (drop links) and M12x1.75 (ball joints) HSS dies and cutting oil

New replacements nylok bolts for the drop links and ball joints (I used genuine Jaguar)

Silicone grease to re-grease component internals although a moly based grease would also work well.

 

they stopped using these crappy transparent boots like 10 years ago

sway bar links and tie rods aren’t even worth your time to fix just replace them

 

My 2012 car was fitted with the transparent type from the factory- but yes, a new part now would have slightly improved black boots.
Regarding the sway bar links, a PU upgrade would be my choice over a new set of links, even though its only £50 a pair.

 

OK put me in the camp of "don't fix what isn't broken" on this one.

Boots are completely destroyed on my XKR and x351 XJ. So I figured I'd do 8 all around. The first ball joint was tough to remove but got through it. On the second wheel, the 5mm hex on the ball joint stripped. So now I am left hoping I can cut with a wheel to remove this.

There's nothing quite like preventative maintenance turning into actual maintenance. These bolts are probably seized up so unless you're replacing parts that are failing, don't bother messing with it.