Hi, I have an XJ40 in good to better than good condition always been garaged and maintained, 12 months ago I replaced the rear shocks with standard Gas-A-Just shocks and in less than 4000kms I’ve broken both with 3 weeks of each other. bazaar and I have no idea why. It’s a simple enough process so what or why ??? any suggestions
Welcome to the forums, what brand did you use?
Hi standard Gas-A-Just shocks they where the correct shocks according o the numbers
Yes but KYB, Monroe or some other brand I seem to remember KYB would break the top stud.
Jim …
When you say “broken” do you mean the shock was actually physically broken or that it wasn’t working properly? Did you do the work yourself or is this something a mechanic told you ?
The rear coil over shock assembly on these cars has a lot of parts on the upper mounting which are highly prone to wearing out but actually breaking one would be very very rare indeed (actually I’ve never heard of it happening)… Breaking both has to be due to incorrect installation or a REALLY bad set of shocks.
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Hi, the work was done by a local garage the charge was 2.5 hours labour. Almost 13months to the day and traveled a distance less than 3,400 kms when the first shock snaped at the top where the rod reduces in size just before the thread starts, On careful examination the rod had a slight bend at the base where it had snaped. the 2nd shock snaped a day after the 1st shock was replaced. Like you I’ve never had a shock break on me before either.
Hi fellas. Merry Christmas - ho ho ho all that stuff. I have an update on breaking the rear shocks on 93 XJ40 I’ve now snapped the 3rd rear shock in a few months of fittiing it.
:: it’s a bit awkward to refit it. Suggests
::: what is the correct procedure to refill it
:;;: To raise the rear of the vehicle by 20 mm to make it sit level would best be to install spaces at the crossing of the mounting brackets. Looking forward to your comments moving forward. Cheers, Jim
If all 3 sets of shocks have been damaged then it obviously points to an installation issue. Were all repairs done by the same shop? I can’t see how a shock would bend or snap as the unit compresses and expands in a straight line if fitted correctly. How about a couple of pics of the broken shock in place on the vehicle?
BTW, what exactly is the “crossing of the mounting brackets”
“Gas-A-Just” is the name of the KYB shocks sold for these cars. My experience in 50 years owning a Jaguar Shop is that they were total junk but sometimes you hear of people that were happy with them. I’ve talked to people at a huge parts business that sells them and they acknowledge they have a ton of returns.