self-levelling system

hi,i have a 1988 jaguar xj6 soverign which i purchased in toronto and drove back to newfoundland,the suspension was fine until a few weeks ago,when i start the car in the morning the car rises to its full ride height and after 1 minute it deflates itself and does not rise anymore and the car bounces excessively,any help would be greatly appreciated,thx,Robert

The shocks are bad. The cheapest and most permanent solution is to convert it to "normal" rear shocks. Kits are available from most of the Jag parts vendors. My personal choice would be to avoid the KYB shocks, as they seem harsh to me.

Good luck

As we say in the BMW world: KYB means Keep Your Bilsteins.

Colin

thx for the help,we`ll give the normal shocks a try.

I agree that KYB are harsh, and so are Bilsteins, let's face it, marshmallows they are not. Great for race cars, though, but not for a Jaguar's ride.

I have found that cheap shocks last the same as expensive shocks. A Gabriel or Monroe or any "house" shock works just as well on a Jaguar, so save your money, don't waste it on expensive shocks.

Just my $2. worth.

Ex

Yep EX, I go along with that reasoning too. I put Bilsteins in my Jag and it became noisy and rough as a cob.Upon investigation the so called after market shocks from Jaguar dealers in the plain white box are the same as the ones in the Green Jaguar logoed box and are priced about the same as other aftermarket brands.--Fwiw--Keoke

Keo,

I haven't tried SPAX, but they are soo expensive.


Ex

Shocks are a subject that really makes my blood boil. )

what I do is buy the cheapest shock on the day I'm buying, then change them more often so I always have a like-new ride. New shocks have a good amount of resistance, no matter what brand, it's after 3k miles when you notice that they start melting and become like marshmallows. I've had some real cheapies that outlasted expensive shocks I've used in the past since my first car in 1969.
If I remember correctly, they were from J. C. Whitney for heaven's sake.
This was back in 1974-75 when I had both a 1971 Volvo 1800-E Coupe and a 1973
1800-ES Sportwagon. I miss those Volvos, they were fine cars.

Just bring one of yours to your local parts store (AutoZone, NAPA, CarQuest, PepBoys, etc.), and tell them to match it. Don't tell them it's for a Jaguar, tell them it's for "a chassis you are building"! Otherwise they nail ya. Stick to your guns or walk away from computer-dependent parts "specialists" who can't find a part unless the computer tells them a part number.

Shocks are shocks are shocks. I don't need no nitrogen nor helium, I tried it but I didn't inhale it... I have no brand loyalties. My only loyalty is to my cars. Here's my list of brands to Stay Away From on the simple premise that they are over-rated and over-priced:

1) KYB (harsh, like granite, they will destroy your bushings)

2) Koni (harsh like a Kryptonite meteorite from space, even in their "Soft" setting, better buy new bushings too).

3) Bilstein (they leak, they are not suited for Jaguar, they are not designed for Jaguar, they are harsh too until they start to melt and leak). (Personal experience).

4) Boge (a copy of a Gabriel in disguise and priced like a KYB, buy the Gabriel and save the headache).

5) SPAX (only on the basis of price per shock, otherwise I've not tried them, but to be fair, I hear they are very good shocks, not hard, so you spend the money and then you tell me about your experience with SPAX shocks, I'll be waitin'.

Well I sure hope I didn't put anybody to sleep!

Ex

Is the conversion as easy as simply replacing the hydro shocks with regular shocks and capping off the fluid lines?
I know some of the kits come with new springs but from what I have heard, most of those spring kits end up giving a bit of a harsh ride.

If the "kit" is no more than a couple of standard shocks and a couple of bleeder valves, I'll source everything on my own and save a bunch of $$ I would imagine.
I can easily flare the lines and install bleeders.

Thanx!!

Talk soon,