[xj40] Now another problem-rear suspension

This car is going to be the death of me. Now the rear
makes a metallic snapping sound from the rear left
whenever going over a bump at speeds below 40 mph. The
rear shock absorbers have been replaced-that didn’t solve
the problem. I’ve visually inspected the rear suspension
and the mufflers. Nothing seems out of place or loose. The
car is a 93 XJ6. Is there a common wear condition that
occurs? I’m wondering if one of the bushings on the
control arms has rotted out. Has anyone else had this type
of problem? I’m actually surprised at how loud the cas is
in general when dealing with bumps.–
DarrenWayne
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In reply to a message from DarrenWayne sent Sat 12 Nov 2016:

Darren …

In my nearly 24 years of experience with my XJ40 ('89
model) it always turned out that ANY noise coming from the
rear of the car going over a bump was the result of one or
both of the rear shock absorber assembly bushings going
bad. A TERRIBLE design. The upper donut bushing starts
to wear down and allows the top of the shock to touch the
metal top hat mounting plate.

Be advised that the upper mounting plate is different
between the hydraulic ride leveling system and the
conversion setup. If you put regular shocks on the old
mounting plate it doesn’t take long to wear through the
bushings. Go ahead and ask me how I know this !!!

It’s nothing dangerous or something to worry about except
the noise will drive you crazy. The beauty of it is there
is absolutely no way to really check it without removing
the assembly and taking it apart because of the heavy
spring tension. Jumping up and down on the rear bumper
isn’t going to hack it.

If it is a rear suspension bushing you can put the car on
a lift and use a large pry bar to check for this, but I’m
still betting on the shock bushings.

One thing that seems to be bullet proof on this car is the
muffler hanger system, but a quick glance will tell you if
they’re ok. So don’t replace the rear hangers because of
the noise. Go ahead and ask me how I know that !

Of course it could always be something rattling around in
your trunk or a loose spare tire … NOT !–
Groove, 1989 XJ6 3.6L
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In reply to a message from Grooveman sent Sun 13 Nov 2016:

Wow Dennis,

That’s not good to hear. The car did not have the leveling
system and the mechanic replaced the rear shocks two weeks
ago. The new shocks didn’t come with any upper bushings
and I questioned it. He said there wasn’t an upper bushing
necessary and that the shock mounted right to the spring
assembly. I wonder if that’s the problem?–
DarrenWayne
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In reply to a message from DarrenWayne sent Sun 13 Nov 2016:

I’ve never gotten it:

New rear shocks that do not include the bushings makes no
sense to me.

Bushings are a three part affair. Lower most is a solid
bushing. OEM ones are a very dense foam, aftermarket are a
more conventional black rubber like material.

Above that is the super critical ‘‘cowboy hat’’ polyurethane
bushing.

The top plate drops down over the that hat shaped bushing
and then the top large center hole bushing fits on around
the protruding section of the ‘‘hat’’.

By design, the rear shocks rock fore and aft as the
suspension travels and that cowboy hat bushing is what
keeps the shock from rubbing/banging on the top plate.–
02 VDP – Driveway’s got too many SAABs in it!
Tampa Fl, United States
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In reply to a message from Win sent Sun 13 Nov 2016:

Now I’ve looked at other replacement shocks on EBay and I
see that the ones that are allegedly supposed to fit have
a metal collar for the round doughnut like bushing to
slide over, and then the shock mounting cap goes over that
and the the protruding shaft gets another rubber doughnut
bushing with a narrower center, then the washer and
finally the nut. Is this correct? I also see the cowboy
hat type bushing for sale also but it only comes up
separately when searching for the bushings.mi haven’t seen
it included in any of the shock assemblies for sale. I’m
at a loss. If I get aggravated enough, I’ll order a
complete set of rear shocks with a full complement of
bushings and change them myself, even though I dread the
prospect of doing so. I understand that I need to rent a
spring compressor, etc. I’ve already survived the air
conditioner avaporator and replacing the headliner
trilogy. How hard can this be?–
DarrenWayne
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In reply to a message from DarrenWayne sent Sun 13 Nov 2016:

Darren…

Compared to pulling out the air conditioning evaporator
removing the rear shock assemblies will be a piece of cake
(although a bit greasier).

Just so we are talking about the same thing, the metal top
plate of the assembly is the part that actually bolts to
the chassis. There is a difference between the one for
the ride leveling and the normal shock system.

The assembly build up is straight forward, plenty of
diagrams available online. One of the bushings is very
slightly dish shaped and the bottom of that goes down
during assembly (it makes the bushing self-centering).

As far as a spring compressor goes you can buy a good set
for around $35. The spring doesn’t have to be compressed very far to unscrew the top nut on the shock absorber.
Then when you undo the spring compressor the whole
assembly comes apart.

A couple of things to do:

  1. Take dabs of white paint and mark the relationship of
    the assembly to the chassis before you remove it (and the
    left side from the right, although its smart to do one
    side at a time). It may seem apparent but when you’re
    upside down under the car things get harder,

  2. While you have the assembly out chase (clean) the
    threads on the four bolt holes in the chassis with a tap.
    You do NOT want to cross-thread or goon up these threads.
    Don’t skip this step !!

  3. Aligning and bolting in the assemblies can be tricky
    so there are two thing you can do.

A. One is to screw in two temporary bolts with no
heads and then use these as a guide to slide the assembly
into place.

B. What I did was to purchase replacement bolts that
were about 1/2’’ longer and grind smooth the first 1/2’’ so
they are self centering. When you do this make sure you
have a nut on the bolt so after the grinding you can back
it off and clean up the threads. It may seem like a bit
of extra work but either of these two methods will make
your life much easier. Did I mention that YOU DO NO WANT
TO GOON UP THESE THREADS !!!

Not to add to your work load but if you want to raise the
ride height of the rear of your car now is the time to
add shims between the assembly and the chassis. The
height is determined solely by the springs. As they age
the rear of the car may appear to slightly ‘‘sag’’. Spacers
can cure that. I actually raised mine a bit more to give
it a fresher and sportier look.

If you decide this is something you want to do let me
know. I posted several detailed entries on that subject.–
Groove, 1989 XJ6 3.6L
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In reply to a message from DarrenWayne sent Sun 13 Nov 2016:

If your car is a late '93 and has cast wishbones with the
spring sitting on the wishbone rather than on the shock
absorber, the replacement shock bushing arrangement is a bit
different from all other years (late cars use the X300
system) … these new ones you’re looking at on eBay or
wherever don’t use a cowboy hat bushing, however only fit
late 40’s with the cast wishbones …

been there done that

Larry–
The original message included these comments:

Now I’ve looked at other replacement shocks on EBay and I
see that the ones that are allegedly supposed to fit have
a metal collar for the round doughnut like bushing to
slide over, and then the shock mounting cap goes over that
and the the protruding shaft gets another rubber doughnut
bushing with a narrower center, then the washer and
finally the nut. Is this correct? I also see the cowboy


Larry '94 VDP VIN 701729
Victoria BC, Canada
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In reply to a message from abercanadian sent Sun 13 Nov 2016:

Hi Again Dennis, thanks so much for the detailed
information! I think I am going to try this myself and use
your instructions as a guide. Now that Larry has added
more information regarding the year of my car, I need to
figure out the exact bushings to order then. Do I order
four of the regular round rubber bushings just like the
front shocks?–
DarrenWayne
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In reply to a message from DarrenWayne sent Sun 13 Nov 2016:

Well, I removed the shock assembly, and as Dennis advised,
it was not hard at all. It was much easier than the front
shock, which I didn’t think we’re that bad to do. I just
ordered new bushings and the coil spring isolator. It
turns out that the mechanic told a few fibs. He actually
installed bushings but they are the old ones. His story
when I picked up the car after replacing the shocks was
that bushings were not necessary since the shock was
mounted in a strut assembly. This is obviously not true.
The coil spring is compressed onto the shock and the whole
affair is isolated through various rubber parts that age
over time. In the meantime, one shock/spring assembly is
sitting on the garage floor. Hopefully the whole thing
won’t fly apart on its own, since it doesn’t have the car
to compress it. Once the rubber parts are here, I’ll be
able to put it all back together.–
DarrenWayne
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In reply to a message from DarrenWayne sent Mon 14 Nov 2016:

Darren …

Good for you.

You’ll find that compressing the springs isn’t that hard.
Just be sure to wear one of those suits the bomb
demolition people use … JUST KIDDING !

Now while you’re waiting for your parts make sure you
chase those threads and make up those self-threading
bolts.

Oh, also be sure to kick the %!@& out of your mechanic.–
Groove, 1989 XJ6 3.6L
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In reply to a message from Grooveman sent Mon 14 Nov 2016:

Hello Everyone,

Success finally. I have replaced all of the rubber
bushings and isolators on the driver’s side rear shock.
The car is a lot more genteel now. I’m going to do the
same with the passenger side this week. I changed the
spring isolator, two shock isolators and added the top hat
bushing as it wasn’t even there. This helped a lot but
didn’t stop the popping sound. I finally discovered that a
stone was lodged under the differential A-Frame isolator
bushing on the driver’s side. I had to use a crowbar to
raise the washer and pull out the stone, which was quite
substantial. I’m considering filling in that space with
silicone so that nothing finds its way in there again. As
daunting as I thought the project was, I was pleasantly
surprised. It is much easier to do the back shocks
compared to the front. I’ve also learned that once the
shock assembly is unbolted from the car, it can be lifted
upwards on an angle and as long as the lower control arm
is lowered as far as possible, there’s enough space
between the top of the brake rotor and the body to just
lift out the assembly. No need to remove the brake caliper
and all that. Putting all of this back in was a breeze
also. Thanks to Dennis and everyone else for advice! Now
it’s time to perfect the cold stall issue (minor) and add
an amplifier to the stereo (fun).–
DarrenWayne
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