Rear suspension

[busman48]

Hi guys. Recently purchased my first jag. A s type 3.0 2004. Drives great but have noticed on a couple of occasions that the rear wheels have very negative camber and the back end sits low. This doesn't happen all the time and there are no rattles or squeaks from the rear. Any pointers as to the problem would be greatly appreciated

[JOE-DOT-COM]

Hi

Only was to know for sure is get a 4 wheel alignment check, halfords do it for under £50

but if your tyres are wearing nice and even, then I would'nt worry about it, If the tyres are wearing on the inside, then it might be worth checking

if it were a bush, thats worn, you would know, it would be knocking over bumps

there is a height check you can do, attached a pic below

also under heavy cornering, I'm sure there suppose to, as the upper and lower arms, are of unequal length, so as the suspension drops, the top of the wheel pulls inwards and help keep the wheel/tyre more in contact with the road under heavy cornering

that why when you lower a car, you need to get the camber setup again.

cheers

Joe

[busman48]

Just had the old girl checked over by jojags in Liverpool. Rear wishbones are shot and a tie rod. Front bushes need changing too. Bad news was the sills are rotten too. Looks like a busy few weekends ahead. How difficult are the wishbones to change over?. Will be getting refurbished ones, then onto the welding. Any recommendations for replacement sills?

[Russ68]

Hi Mike,

Good to see that the issues you've found haven't put you off, people give up on cars for less! If, like me you see the S-Type as a long term project and a 'keeper', it's well worth making these repairs and keeping her on the road.

I do most of my own 'spannering', and did change my drop links, which was a doddle and inexpensive parts too. But mine failed MOT on a wishbone last year and my MOT mechanic offered to change both sides for £100, including swapping some tyres around, so I went for that rather than DIY. Slightly p****d off I did as they overtightened the wheel nuts when replacing the rear wheels and I still have a broken wheelnut I need to remove. At a guess, a couple of hours a side for a DIY'er?

I can recommend using Berkshire Jag Spares for parts, knowledgeable and good quality. I paid £136+VAT per side for the wishbones with OEM bushes, the droplink was about £15 I recall. Not sure if yours is the same set up as my X200 (2001), but hope this helps anyway.

Good luck, Russ 

[busman48]

Hi Russ

Not afraid of some spanner work either. Found refurbished wishbone with new bushes and 2 yr guarantee for 85 notes, so will be going for them. The cars are too good to give up on for a few bolt on parts. The sills....well I will have to see

Mike