[modern] suspension knock

hi everybody
my front suspension has started knocking just recently and i believe it
might be the bushes at the top of the shock absorbers,am i right in thinking
this is an easy job in that all i have to do is undo the nut at the top of
the damper then jack up the car and the damper will slide out ,then i can
remove the old bushings and fit the new ones,

bill 88xj40 174k_________________________________________________________________________
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Bill,

The knock sure sounds like the classic symptom of the shock top bushings.
I’ve done the left side on my '88 so far and will do the right soon in
combination with replacing a couple of power steering hoses. To do the left,
you need to remove the screws that hold the coolant tank so you can move it
out of the way. You’ll have to put a wrench on the flats at the top of the
shaft while you break the nut loose at first, but if you let the suspension
hang on it’s own weight you can then loosen the nut without having to hold
the top of the shaft with a wrench, so you can use a socket and ratchet –
just be sure not to go all the way without supporting the suspension before
you remove the nut completely.

When I got the nut off the top of the shock, the shock shaft wouldn’t quite
come all the way down inside the fender even with the suspension let all the
way down. I used an 18-inch Quick Grip bar clamp (one of those one-hand
clamps by Vise Grip) with the top pad on the washers on the shock shaft and
the bottom pad hooked under the right upper wishbone. By squeezing the clamp
handle I was able to pull the shock shaft down enough to slip the old bushing
off and the new one on. On my car the shock is pretty well pinned in when
the suspension is lowered, so it wouldn’t tilt out much to help get at the
top of the shaft. I just had to keep pulling on the clamp to get the shaft
down far enough (you only need it to come down a couple of inches below the
fender).

To do the right you have a couple of power steering hoses and maybe an HSMO
hose in the way. That’s why I’m going to do my right bushes while I have
the PS hoses off.

The left side of my car sure rides better now. It’s amazing the difference
just these bushings can make. Hopefully I’ll get my right ones done this
weekend.

Don
'88 XJ6 117K

hi everybody
my front suspension has started knocking just recently and i believe it
might be the bushes at the top of the shock absorbers,am i right in
thinking>
this is an easy job in that all i have to do is undo the nut at the top of
the damper then jack up the car and the damper will slide out ,then i can
remove the old bushings and fit the new ones,

bill 88xj40 174k

Bill wrote:

hi everybody
my front suspension has started knocking just recently and i
believe it
might be the bushes at the top of the shock absorbers,am i right in
thinking

this is an easy job in that all i have to do is undo the nut
at the top of
the damper then jack up the car and the damper will slide out
,then i can
remove the old bushings and fit the new ones,

Hey now, it’s an easy job but you can get a big hurt if you’re not careful!!
There’s a reason for the warning on the upper shock mount…

The spring can pop out sideways if you let the suspension drop too far, and
if it hits somebody it can cause major harm!

To do it right, jack up the side of the car you’re working on and put in a
jack stand. Then put the jack under the lower suspension arm near the ball
joint and raise it a bit. Lock the jack in place. (Or you can support the
suspension relative to the car in another way, the important thing is to
avoid letting the suspension hang loose when the shock upper mount is
disconnected.)

NOW AND ONLY NOW it is safe to disconnect the top shock mount, depress the
shock actuating rod (you can do this with your arms), and slip in the new
bushings. Reconnect the top nut (there is a tool you can buy for a ratchet
handle that engages the top of the shock rod, you can turn the rod instead
of the nut this way) and you’re done. Safely!

Dave Lokensgard
'90 Vanden Plas Majestic (DAVZCAT)
'55 XK140 OTS
Poway, California