The lower cardan U-Joint on my 1986 xjs is sloppy, it rattles when driving and I would like to replace it with a standard U-Joint that is splined/welded. Has anyone done this yet? Is the cardan joint nessessary at all?
What are we talking about? “Cardan” is just another name for a U-joint, isn’t it? There are six on an XJ-S, but I wouldn’t refer to any of them as “lower”. And what does splined/welded mean?
Are you talking about the steering column universal joint?
Yes, the U-joint that connects the steering shaft to the rack. When building street rods, I weld on a U-joint onto the shaft and mate the splined end to the steering rack. If I do this on the XJS, it would eliminate the slop in the cardan joint. Is there a reason not to use a standard U-joint? Is this Jaguar specific?
In all my years of Jag ownership, I’ve not come across a noisy/sloppy steering joint. But maybe it’s difficult to tell over all the other rattles and noises 
. If you have an objection to replacing the standard part, and have an alternative plan, then go for it.
1 Like
After inspecting the steering rack, I found it was able to move up & down a bit, 1/4 inch or so, causing a rattle or thump when going over bumps, allowing the lower U-joint to rattle, everything is tight, just a few rattles in a 34 year old car to live with!
May want to look at rack mounts. If they have never been replaced I’m certain that they are due if you have movement.
Gordon
1 Like