As stated in a previous post ( xk8, all kinds of electrical problems) i took my car in to a Jaguar specialists last week for a report on what they find wrong with the car, and a diagnostic test, and the news was definitely not good.
There was a long list of problems, but 3 were particularly serious.

Firstly, there was excess play in o/s/f inner track rod. Upper wishbone bush on o/s/f had collapsed, (possibly both sides, it's difficult to read) and the result was i needed a new steering rack.
These problems appear to have worn the tread off the inside wall of what was an almost new o/s/f tyre.
Total cost quoted, without tyre £1053.53 (Rack 723.53)

Is this a known failing with these cars or am i just lucky that way?

Secondly, they said i had an oil leak from the gearbox cooler pipe.
Total cost quoted, £459.04, of which £74.04 was parts

Does this mean my sealed for death gearbox is running itself dry?

And last, but not least (scuse the pun), my ABS pump was malfunctioning, but they could rebuild and refit it for £360, plus another £315 for a L.H.F sensor and harness.

Seems a bit steep.

Anyone got any ideas, mainly about the steering?

Means i can't drive it with the stering the way it is (feels ok) cos it's gonna get through tyres quick.

Also have to plug the gearbox leak and top up the gearbox oil, is the gearbox cooler pipe a big job?
And i figure i'll have to start befriending jag breakers for an ABS sensor and harness.

 

I would do a bit more research on the forums before shelling out the big bucks.
I think there is a post about replacing inner tie rod ends, and there is another about a British firm making replacement wishbone bushes. Regarding the abs, first clean the relevant sensor, and check wiring for breaks. The abs module is repairable, as the solder on the relay breaks; can be re-soldered. Oil leak, jack it up and have a look, or go to an indie you can trust.

 

Re the steering rack - try Jaygee Hydraulics in Wolverhampton(you'll have to google the telephone number) - they used to do rack rebuilds on most cars but it's been a while since I've used them. If they are no longer in business there used to be a couple of firms in the London area reworking steering racks- get hold of a copy of Exchange and Mart - some of them will advertise in there.

 

Haven't heard that mentioned in many a year.

 

Haven't used it in many a year :0)

 

Expect to replace Upper Wishbone Bushes on both sides as these are a regular wear item but look again at the steering rack before just accepting it has to be replaced. Excessive wear in the UWB's doesn't necessarily wreck the rack.

Graham

 

Are the wishbone bushes not available from jaguar anymore fredd60,
or are they simply much cheaper if obtained from other companies?

I haven't tried to source a set from Jaguar's yet, so if they do them, i'll find out how much they are, and i will certainly try to find somewhere that rebuilds racks (thanks batroute) in case i need it rebuilt.
Personally i've never owned, or even heard of a car that needs the steering rack replaced or rebuilt, except for cars that have been involved in accidents.
At the moment i'm not sure how i would be able to tell if the rack was defective, but the guy at the workshop reception (not the mechanic) said the arms from the rack, that attach to the rest of the steering gear, were worn, so new bushes on the existing rack arms wouldn't fit properly.

I stress that the guy was not the mechanic, and when i asked him where the ABS pump was ( i know it as the ABS module, rightly or wrongly) he didn't know. So perhaps he's not much more technically minded than i am.

I could have done with the car up on a lift really, and the mechanic pointing to the part of the rack that made it unservicable. If it was that bad then maybe even my untrained eye could have recognised the logic in what he was showing me.
But that wasn't the case.

Regards the ABS, i thought £360 to rebuild and fit the ABS pump (module?) wasn't too bad for a jaguar specialists, but the extra £315 for a sensor and wiring harness makes it almost double that.
I did clean all 4 sensors, and the receptionist asked if i'd had any problems getting them out to clean them ( i didn't) because apparently they seize in the holes and cause headaches getting them out. Is that true?
Thankyou once again guys for the helpful advice

 

Upper Wishbone Bushes are available individually from Jaguar Dealers in the UK as is the complete Upper Wishbone assembly. The bushes are much cheaper (by as much as 50%) from aftermarket suppliers but quality varies.

The vague description 'arms on the rack' suggests the more likely worn Track Rod Ends rather than the rack itself.

Graham

 

I did have an inner tie rod that was bent on my car...think I hit a bad pothole early on. My mechanic (a jag indy) modified an s-type tie rod slightly and its been on my car for 2+ years now, no issues. Unless the rack is leaking, I see no reason to replace it, and if it is, get a refurbished one, I know coventrywest also supplies these reconditioned units.

I've never heard of anyone having troulbe getting the sensor out of the hub, but I suppose with enough corrosion, it is possible. Most of us clean them while on the car.



My guess the sensor is still good, unless its physically beaten to H-E-doublehockeysticks. The wiring and harness are always suspect to some stretching and potential damage. If they can show bad continuity/resistance on the wiring between the ABS module and sensor, then buy another harness.

 

It's been raining most of the week here in London,and i don't have a garage, in fact the car sits in the unsheltered communal car park for my block of flats, which holds 14/15 cars. When i get a chance i'll crawl under it and see what i find, including looking for any leaks from the steering rack.
On the subject of leaks, it seems (according to the report from the dealers) that the water leak is from the thermostat housing (new housing & thermostat), and the oil leak is from the cam cover gasket.

The latter is a whole new subject though, and the solution to it will depend on available funds after fixing the steering and ABS. Ideally it would be chains, tensioners and probably vvt's as well, but we'll see in time.

The ABS sensors looked ok, not damaged anywhere, a bit dirty, but i just covered the electrical connector with my thumb and scrubbed them in a bucket of soapy water till i could see both the little needle holes in their base.
I expected, once i got this car and discovered all was not well, to have to spend maybe £1000 sorting it out. I'm halfway there already with the new battery, discs and pads, s/h washer pump and heater control valve unit ( that i didn't need), plus the diagnostics and condition report.

Straightening this car out is going to take some time.
It's already obvious to me though, that without the advice from members of this forum, i'd be way out of my depth.

 

How would i tell if my car has the CATS adaptive suspension option?

Apparently the ABS harnesses are different for those that have/have not got this option.

 

An electrical connection to the top of the shock absorber:



This one does NOT have CATS - no wire emerging from the black shock absorber top bolt cover.

Graham

 

The Thermostat Housing could be leaking from the base where it meets the cylinder block, the thermostat cover or the screw top. Dry it off (I know - it's been pouring 250 miles north of you as well all this week!) and run the engine up to temperature to check the source. It could be a faulty housing. I had to send one poor casting back to British Parts.

The cam cover is a regular source of leaks. This is more of an annoyance than a 'must do' and, unless it's severe enough to be filling the spark plug wells, can be left until funds allow. US members have the great advantage of being able to buy the equivalent seal from Ford at a much lower cost but we're stuck with going to Jaguar.

Graham

 

Thanks for the pic GGG, a picture is worth a thousand words as they say.
Based on that i've established that i DO have the CATS.

A plastic cover on top of the (front) shocks housing an electrical connection.
The engine is not losing much oil, so i guessed that it was more of a slow weep, which is (again, according to the report) leaking down the left hand side of the engine (passenger side).
It still has to be done at some stage, but for the moment the problems with the steering and the prospect of running the gearbox dry via the gearbox oil cooler leak, make it completely undrivable.
I'll be lucky if i haven't already done some damage to the gearbox, depending on how low the level is.
I'll try to nail down exactly where the thermostat housing is leaking from too, but not today, cos it's really miserable outside again.

Hard to believe were on a hose pipe ban
If it carries on like this i'll need a canoe instead of a car.

 

I'm just reviving this post to put some info on record about steering rack rebuilders in the UK.
Via ebay, a place called Autobitz claims they will collect your rack, rebuild it and return it to you within about 4 days, for £150 + £17 p&p.

Hope this may help someone at some point

 

Did you eliminate Track Rod Ends and find a fault with the rack itself?

Grahamj

 

No GGG, for some reason when talking about racks, all the time i was thinking of the steering COLUMN, which is why i didn't fancy the idea of trying to take it out. Today i had a eureka moment when i finally sussed that the rack was under the car and horizontal to the column.
Stupid i know, but i'm no mechanic lol.
So i jacked it up and got under it, and found out that the thermostat housing is leaking water backwards along the centre of the block ( as well as down the front ) so theres a pool of water at the back of the block ( at the top), which seems to be tracking down the passenger side of the engine, where it may be meeting up with the engine oil from the cam cover, and possibly some residue from the gearbox oil cooler pipe, and dribbling all over the left hand side of the rack where it meets the tie rod.
Truth is, until i eliminate the leaks one by one, starting with the thermostat, i can't tell if the rack is leaking fluid or not, so i've just ordered the aluminium thermostat housing off ebay, then i'll attempt the gearbox, and by then i might have a clue.
The other eureka moment i had, was that i thought the power steering fluid reservoir was in fact the brake fluid reservoir, since it was located next to ( what i hope is) the ABS module, until i found the latter under the plastic cover on the drivers side.
The good news (if there is such a thing) is that the power steering reservoir does not appear to have lost any appreciable amount of fluid since i've had the car, so i suspect the rack may be ok, although, after what i've just said, what the hell would i know
Please don't tell anyone about this, i'll never live it down

 

Racks are horizontal - think Spanish Inquisition. Columns are vertical - think Nelson's.

Confusing your steering rack with your steering column - you must have a most unusual driving technique.

The source of fluid leaks is often difficult to trace. Until the coolant leak(s) are eliminated and the coolant dried off the block it's going to be impossible to see what else is going on.

I've looked back through your posts to check what year the XK8 is and can't find it. If it's early, the coolant will be blue. If it's later, the coolant will be yellow. In either case this is different from red steering and transmission fluid or clear/straw coloured brake fluid.

If you're confused about the various reservoirs, it sounds as if you don't have (or unforgiveably, haven't read) the Vehicle Care Handbook? You can download it and all the other handbooks for your car from here:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-2003-a-67827/

No loss of steering fluid indicates no leaks from the rack or pipes.

Apart from that, your secret is safe with me - and a few thousand others on the forum!

Graham

 

If you need a new rack, try here:

XK8 Jaguar Power Steering Racks NEW OEM Right-Hand Drive £249 MJC3900AC

A tad over £300, DELIVERED, for a brand new genuine Jaguar rack.
I had mine delivered yesterday.
Ace service!
Roy.

 

Well i figured out the steering wheel is round some time ago, and unless it's a convertable i can use it without getting wet, so i settled for that.
Gets me around
But not in the Jag, cos that hasn't moved for a fortnight.
Mine's a 2000 on an X plate (September), but my coolant isn't blue or yellow, it's rust coloured.
Is that good ?
No need to answer that one
I must confess i was a little confused as to why the fluid level didn't appear to budge when i fitted the new brakes.
Suddenly it all makes sense.
Once i've fitted the thermostat housing (my pension isn't due for another 15 years) i'll test it for leaks then refill it with distilled and antifreeze.
Not sure which colour i fancy yet.
The only paperwork with the car was the M.O.T certificate and log book, apart from those it was a paper free zone.

Phew, that's a relief, for a minute there i thought people would find out

Nice one Roy, knocks spots off the £723 i was quoted by the Jaguar specialists i went too.
2 for the price of one lol.

Edit: regards handbooks, i've been looking for those on ebay too, but no joy so far. They seem to be kinda difficult to come by without buying a car to go with them.