Here's what I've got: I replaced the upper shock mounts several months ago, due to their deterioration - it's an '03 with 19K miles. Since then, I've noticed some slop - can hear it more than feel it. Looking at the front end, all bushings seem very tight and clean. But the lower shock bushings' protective boots are split - didn't pay close enough attention to them when I replaced the upper mounts. So, I'm assuming moisture got to them and they are the source of the issue. Didn't notice any noise before replacing; assumption is the softer upper mounts masqueraded any noises, and the new mounts are less forgiving.

Shocks seem fine - again, only 19K miles. Would you replace only the lower bushings, or go for complete shocks? $200 price difference for both sides, so I'm leaning toward only the bushings.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Mickey

 

The "standard" answer is to replace the entire shock as a unit unless you have the active suspension setup. The entire XK8 shock is about $100, the bushing/joint alone is maybe $20. It seems like a good saving, but pressing that joint out and them back in is not all the fun it is cracked up to be. I went that route a few months back, and in the end felt I should have gone with new parts instead.

FWIW, clunking is usually attributed to the anti-sway bar bushings. Much cheaper/easier to replace...

 

Thanks for the response. I've been leaning toward replacing the shocks, but my inner Scrooge has been working overtime!

Thought about the sway bar bushings, based on some of your earlier posts, but they look fine and I don't notice any out of the ordinary movement. Plus, I never noticed the noise before replacing the upper shock mounts.

 

Just pulled the retainer off the right side sway bar bushing. Bushing is solid - no splits or dry rot.

Tried to get a picture of the shock bushings. Best I could do, but you can see where the boots are split. One side has rust showing inside.

 

Mackey, I think that's the sway bar link. Open the hood, go to driver's side front corner, look down at sway bar as it travels across. See the silver hold down bracket across the bushing that encapsulates the sway bar? When one of those bolts gets loose (2 on each side as I recall) it will make bump noise.

Drove me nuts for a few days when 1 bolt loosened and got lost. Was especially noticeable over bumps at slower speeds.

John

 

John - see above. I just removed the retainer on passenger side and all's well; bolts were very tight. Will double-check driver's side, just in case.

Thanks,
Mickey

 

Oh, and I'll add: The clunk/knock seems to be more when the suspension "drops" rather than is compressed. Another thing that makes me suspect the lower bushing, as the suspension is already under pressure from the weight of the car. Does that make sense, or am I tilting at windmills here?

 

Is it possible the top shock bolt was not tightened to spec? If that bolt is even slightly loose it will produce a knock sound.

 

Pretty sure we tightened it to spec, but will check that as well. Thanks!

 

Mickey,
The boot on your second picture looks like both mine did. Split with the grease oozing. If there's rust in there, then the bushing is shot. Even if it's still clean it's only a matter of time.

I elected just to replace the bushings at 34K. They are *tight* so you will need either a press, C-clamp or a piece of threaded rod and some beefy nuts & washers to get them out and in.

If you do go the bushing-only route, save one of the old ones. With the centre pushed out, they make a suitable tool for pushing the new ones in. A day in the freezer just before fitting wil help.

 

Thanks, Michael. I've seen a couple of YouTube videos outlining the process. Looks doable.
But seriously considering new shocks. Can get a pair of Bilsteins for around $230 from an eBay vendor.

 

Understand.
I went that route for the rears. The boots were also split.

Got them from the rock place. Even with shipping and token import duty, the cost was about the same as a pair of OEM rear bushings... go figure.

 

Ordered a pair of Bilstein shocks this morning from Rock Auto - $218 delivered! And they've already shipped!

Pulled the passenger side strut just now. Bushing is toast; can move it easily with one finger. Still can't believe I didn't check them when I replaced the upper mounts!

 

Installing new Bilstein shocks really does provide a big improvement in these aging cars. I have never regretted making the decision to do so back in October 2014 (rears) and January 2016 (fronts) when we replaced the upper shock mounts as well....

 

Thanks, Jon - I'm looking forward to installing them. According to FedEx, they should be here Saturday!

I pulled the driver's side shock yesterday afternoon; its bushing is even sloppier than the passenger's side.

Anyone want a couple of stock shocks?

 

I have replaced a lot of the Suspension lately. Rebuilt the upper bushing. My car thumps/Knocks one time after starting forward or reverse. On rough roads at a low speed. Have thought about replacing the rebuilt upper bushing with the the whole busing asy. What do you think?

 

SUCCESS! Just finished replacing the shocks and buttoning everything back up. Took a drive and no more knock/clunk! Will drive it a bit more and then re-torque everything, but very happy camper here! Thanks to all for your input!

Mickey

 

If you value your current set of front tires, be sure to get your alignment checked. The toe adjustment will probably need to be tweeked....

 

Thanks, Jon - I thought about that. Will do so after driving a bit and making sure all is secure. Tires are in good shape - dated 2014, so I still have a couple of years' use out of them.

 

Great work. Glad you got it sorted.

If you can, I recommend finding a shop that offers a lifetime alignment deal for a one time price (which was less than 2x the single alignment cost).

I got one of those and it has paid off well considering how many times I have had the front suspension apart over the 7 years and 70K I have driven this car.

I would not wait too long to address the alignment. Tires on these cars will wear very quickly when not aligned properly.