Steering 'dead' feel on my X300
Discussion
Anybody suggest a fix for my 1995 XJ3.2 steering vagueness? Shes done 130k with plenty of life left in the old girl! Just passed the MOT with no problems,recently changed shocks all round and antiroll bushes and links.
Wheel alignment ok and tyres ok. Anybody had any recent similar probs and know of a fix!?
Wheel alignment ok and tyres ok. Anybody had any recent similar probs and know of a fix!?
Has this only become apparent since the suspension work? Are you sure the front tyres are OK? Are they the correct load index and speed rating for a Jaguar and not showing any evidence of uneven treadwear - either by sight or feel? Is the car pulling to one side at a steady speed on a smooth road?
Try swapping wheels front to rear and very carefully checking cold tyre pressures with an accurate gauge. Just a few PSI can make a big difference. Try the full load rather than the comfort pressure to reduce sidewall flexing.
If that does not help I'd suggest you have a full 4 wheel geometry check done. This will cost about £60, but is the only way to thoughroughly check suspension geometry - just having the tracking done after a suspension rebuild, especially at your mileage is not really enough to give a full picture.
Make sure the people doing the checks really do know their stuff, a suspension specalist or company who do a lot of work on racing or track cars are the ones to look out for - not your local tyre monkeys.
If you're near London Elite tyres in Rainham are worth a call, or in Essex try Supertyres at Maldon or Leda suspension.
Toe in/out and Castor angles are all critical for steering feedback, self centreing, and feel.
If it's all in spec then you'll have to go back over the work and check what's been done. A very small amount of grease on the anti roll bar mounting bushes might be all you need.
Try swapping wheels front to rear and very carefully checking cold tyre pressures with an accurate gauge. Just a few PSI can make a big difference. Try the full load rather than the comfort pressure to reduce sidewall flexing.
If that does not help I'd suggest you have a full 4 wheel geometry check done. This will cost about £60, but is the only way to thoughroughly check suspension geometry - just having the tracking done after a suspension rebuild, especially at your mileage is not really enough to give a full picture.
Make sure the people doing the checks really do know their stuff, a suspension specalist or company who do a lot of work on racing or track cars are the ones to look out for - not your local tyre monkeys.
If you're near London Elite tyres in Rainham are worth a call, or in Essex try Supertyres at Maldon or Leda suspension.
Toe in/out and Castor angles are all critical for steering feedback, self centreing, and feel.
If it's all in spec then you'll have to go back over the work and check what's been done. A very small amount of grease on the anti roll bar mounting bushes might be all you need.
Edited by Jaguar steve on Thursday 21st August 10:48
damn 'n blast said:
what a difference a new set of tyres made! Thanks for the suggestion. There's now an occasional clonk from the front end over rough roads.Do you think the springs need changing at 130k? offside looks fairly corroded and slightly distorted under load although ride height is ok.
XJs are very sensitive to tyre quality and condition - as you've just found out. If the ride height is OK - and the same on both sides - then it's unlikley the springs have dropped.I'd suggest you check the front shock absorber top mountings, the bushes should be tight and not corroded, then have a very carefull feel of all the universal joints through the steering coloumn. Just use tiny finger and thumb pressure to turn the wheel very gently from side to side to see if you can feel any slack or play in the lower coloumn joints. Then push up and down and side to side on the wheel. If there's any suggestion of free movement then that's probrably the cause of the rattle.
Wear in the upper coloumn rake or reach adjustment mechanism will also give a sharp rattle over bumps. Try having the wheel in a different position to see if there's any improvement. Give it an hard in and out tug to see if there's any slack.
Often just tightening all the mounting and UJ bolts will help, and working some grease into the upper coloumn does no harm - extend the coloumn right out, wipe grease round the body and push the column back in a few times.
Try to isolate when the clonk occurs - braking - turning - speed bumps - drain covers - all load the suspension up in a slightly different way. You might have some wear in the lower ball joints, which will also cause a clonk as the suspension angles and load changes. Jack the front of the car up, put a length of of 4x2 or a scaffold pole between the floor of the garage and the wheel and see if you can feel any play when you try to lift the front wheels up.
XJs are pretty hard on the front suspension, and lower wishbone failure at high mileage is not uncommon. I'd still suggest you have a full geometry check and reset - especially as you've just forked out for new tyres. If there's a problem a experienced mechanic will find it, and until you've actually experinced it you won't believe how much better a XJ drives when all the suspension geometry, thrust angle and tracking are spot on.
HTH
All suggested tried Steve steering good now but slight rattle persists over occasional bad road surface whether turning or straight. When I jack it up there seems to be interference with the springs and antiroll bar! I think maybe I have a distorted pair of front springs and also black replacement shocks as opposed to the green 'sport' ones which should have been fitted!
I've had the car 6+ years and as its not worth much in the present economic climate will carry on experimenting! Thanks for your help.
I've had the car 6+ years and as its not worth much in the present economic climate will carry on experimenting! Thanks for your help.
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