1988 XJS 5.3, LHD
When it rains, it pours! While working on my TH400 and exhaust, I’ve noticed I’ve got a badly leaking power steering hose! So next project, replace hoses. While I’m in there, may as well replace steering rack bushings with poly (as Kirby recommends profusely)
I am trying to figure out what parts I will need. High pressure hose, low pressure hose, poly bushings, and the special tool to make life easy. Anything else needed?
The hoses I am getting are AC/Delco.
I did exactly the same refurbish and upgrade 5-10yrs ago. Two outstanding advices that greatly helped the process was to have a mm thread file for the high pressure end that goes into the rack and replace that hose while you have the rack loose. Then get into the bushing replacement. Be sure and do this first while the rack detached from the cross member and rotatable. You’ll see why that is a VERY big help when you thread the hose(s) into the rack. Attachment at the pump is really simple and easy.
On the bushings replacement the key is to know that the mounting flanges for the rack that are on the cross member can be slightly spread and that when installing the mounting bolts and tightening them, the flanges will be pulled back together again. When getting the rack back in, those new bushings are a B…… to get back into the mounting flanges. They are a little oversize making it almost if not impossible to get them and the washers in-between the mounting flanges with out spreading them.
It’s a real easy job if you follow the advice above. If not it is an unbelievably difficult chore. Good luck.
I’ve done battle with the p/s hoses a couple times. The first time was abject trench warfare. Very ugly and bloody. The second time was merely a mild skirmish by comparison.
Why the difference?
In the first war of the hoses I bought new hoses that were a ‘revised design’. You know…they look a bit different but “they’ll fit just fine”. That assurance turned out to be as empty as a campaign promise.
In the second war I took my original hose to a hydraulic shop for ‘overhaul’ and thus maintained the exact original shape and configuration. That made all the difference in the world.
So…if your new hose looks different, beware !
Cheers
DD
PS-- it’s really just the pressure hose that gave me trouble
Thanks for the input. It looks like there’s a third hose I missed, a simple hose that returns fluid from cooler back to pump. #2. Easy enough.
Looking at this photo, why is the new high pressure hose for #7 different than on the original diagram? Is it an upgraded part? I looked at my car, and it has this newer part with the long u shape which connects to front of subframe. Did they decide to lengthen the high pressure hose?
I believe what you are showing below is for RH drive. The hoses are going to be a lot different for a LH drive and so is the rack going to be different. There’s where the real difficulty comes in. I’m sure that’s why Doug below had his trench warfare. I did and undid mine about 4-5 times before I figured it out. The high pressure hose into the rack is the real B…… I actually had a jag mechanic come over and help me and we had to loosen the engine and use a jack to tip it to the right and out of the way somewhat. LH drive has the hoses going into the top side of the rack, not out the bottom as shown below.
If you follow what I say, drop the rack, replace the hoses and finally then do the mounting bushings as I say, It should actually be really easy.
ps: I only changed the high pressure side. That’s where the leak was.
I can’t remember the exact gruesome details.
Jaguar changed part numbers on the pressure hose several times. I think the latest iteration was designed to replace several different versions.
The “U” that clamps to the front subframe is common to all the part numbers/designs as far as I know
Cheers
DD
Couple of tips, First, you may find that the bosses where the steering rack mounts may be pretty mangled. You should try to straighten them as much as possible, which means pushing the sides out where they have gotten dished in. That can be done with threaded rod and nuts and washers, just turn a nut to push the sides apart.
When installing, make sure to install fender washers to fill any gaps on either side of all three mounts. Don’t just let them flop around in there, and don’t just mangle the bosses by tightening the bolts to pull the sides in to meet the poly mounts.
On part numbers…
Having owned a 1983 XJ6, a 1986 XJ12, and a 1992 XJR-S I have seen many Jaguar part number superseded cases for an identical item. Sometimes there is a clear difference, but backwardly compatible, otherwise it looks like the same part. Without a clear OEM marking it is difficult to tell but I would guess that, when Jaguar source the same component from different suppliers, they change their own part number.
But superseded doesn’t always mean superior. The change from the early oil pressure sender on my XJ12 meant that the later version was no longer an analogue mechanism. The later system is a simple on/off switch with a resistor because the “dumb user” apparently didn’t understand the high oil pressure that a V12 operates at.
Thanks, that’s good advice. I remember reading that in your book.
Just did mine a few weeks ago, the picture is for right hand drive. the USA cars are different, also I removed the “cooler” and soaked it over night in gas and cleaned it up, it will be full of gooey junk! that was the last thing I bolted back up. The photo with the long hose with the straight end is the one you want.
The third hose is just straight pipe you can get at NAPA, the two hoses that pass back to the rack should have heat wrap because they pass right under the exhaust header. Make sure to put the heat wrap on BEFORE you hook it up, it will not go round the “U” bend metal tube, ask me how I know.
Can I reuse the heat wrap? I see no part #'s. Or can I buy normal heat wrap material?
If it comes off your old hoses, mine fell apart, used some header wrap on mine.
Greg,
I purchased a few different sizes of heat wrap insulation on eBay for a variety of power steering and fuel lines that run closee to the exhaust pipes on our Jaguars. I purchased some with velcro for difficult to reach or fit pipes with metal pipe ends with bends and elbows.
Paul
so those ones are the no-no’s ? where did You find those poly ones ? What is the cat#?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Jaguar-XJ-XJS-XJ6-XJ12-Vanden-Plas-Steering-Rack-Mount-APA-URO-Parts-NEW/360818227720
XKS Unlimited sells these. Reading the archives, the black ones are the polys to get. Orange or Red are too soft and seemed to fail within a few years.
yes, Kirby says do NOT buy the standard Jaguar rubber mounts. High failure, bad engineering, etc.
do they come with the tool, or You have to buy it as a separate item (cat#?)? Is it press in and out tool or only “in” ?
You have to buy the tool separately. Also on their website about $40. I’m buying it, because every archive post I’ve read said that without the tool, it was a total B**CH getting the old bushings out.
I just wonder if generic press kits have the same issue with those steering bushings?
It’s not a big deal to change the bushings. Either a BFH, or a couple of sockets and a bit of threaded rod will do it.
I dunno why the archives would say that. IIRC, the ones to get are Delrin – if they still exist. OTOH, the reason the poly ones of whichever color fail is exposure to hydrocarbons. So, you can use the poly ones if you fix your oil leaks! Which is exactly what I did on my '83, the red poly mounts worked fine for many years.
