2001 Jaguar XK8 - Front Strut Assembly: Reassembly Process [Episode 5]

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Episode 5
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This video is a complete and thorough step-by-step guide, covering the entire process of reassembling the front strut assemblies. I discuss important details, such as "how to tighten the shock absorber shaft nut without having the shaft itself spin" and "how to align your top mount with your shock absorber bushing at the time of reassembly, in order to avoid complications later when you are reinstalling in the vehicle"
Front Strut Assembly Series:
Episode 1 - • 2001 Jaguar XK8 - Fron...
Episode 2 - • 2001 Jaguar XK8 - Fron...
Episode 3 - • Jaguar XK8 / XKR - Whi...
Episode 4 - • 2001 Jaguar XK8 - Fron...
Episode 5 - • 2001 Jaguar XK8 - Fron...
Episode 6 - • 2001 Jaguar XK8 - Fron...
Episode 5 Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:57 The Dust Shield
1:44 Strut Assembly Components & How they fit together
3:50 Alignment of Shock Absorber Bushing relative to Top Mount
8:52 Rust and Corrosion Prevention
10:10 Reassemble the Strut Assembly
21:25 Verify Alignment
22:18 Secure Dust Shield
23:09 Overview of results so far

[@keithdoyon5947]

Thank You! Nice work. :)

[@2001JaguarXK8]

Thank you, Keith, much appreciated!

[@ToTheGarage]

Hi William.
Ive been enjoying your videos. Nice work. I enjoyed your attention to detail ref clocking andlLike you, (as you Know) actively seek to get it right/factory standard where possible regardless of the level of impact on the completed installation. It is MUCH harder than most would imagine to re align the damper orientation after the springs have been decompressed. And although possible using a bar through the lower damper bush, the spherical sleeve bushes can easily be strained by such action and i wouldn't recomend it. So I am 100% behind you on getting the top plate to damper alignment as close as possible before decompressing.👍 Finest regards John

[@2001JaguarXK8]

John, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment! I've watched the majority of your videos and I think I've been influenced (in a great way) when it comes to my approach to the XK8. My goal here was to try and keep the car as close as possible to how it was originally assembled at the factory (re: clocking). And yes, not keen on applying twisting force to the spherical bushes in order to realign the assembly after the spring has been decompressed. Cheers!

[@jagstevejag7846]

Great video! I had the same problem with my upper strut mounts. However, I decided to buy the original Jaguar ones, which costed around EUR 300. Also I Share your view that the position of the spring is necassary to avoid unwished noises! Did you forget to Consider Part MJA2150BA? Best regards!!!

[@2001JaguarXK8]

Hi Steve, sticking to the original Jag parts is commendable! How long have you had them on your vehicle now? I hope they provide you with countless years of trouble-free enjoyment. I did clean and rejuvenate the bump stop, but was unable to remove the discolouration from the component. Not too worried about it because it is completely hidden inside the dust shield.

[@garyvanremortel5218]

William, I guess we will need to agree to disagree on some aspects here. Orienting the upper mount and spring in your preferred manner is all well and good, but has no tangible effect. Even after assembling the entire unit it is quite easy after the upper mount is installed in the strut tower and nuts installed to place a rod in the shock lower bushing and rotate it. Just rotate it so the lower spring tail stays tightly against the white plastic stop. Easy peasy.

[@baxtor52]

There was no "factory clocking" of spring tail William. Purely random placement.

[@garyvanremortel5218]

@@baxtor52 Correct. I think we are trying to guild the lily here, or polish the turd...

[@2001JaguarXK8]

Hi Steve, by "factory clocking" I refer to the way the spring was installed on my particular vehicle at the factory. I wanted to keep the same orientation. Some time ago John @ ToTheGarage channel asked his subscribers in one of his videos to check their cars about the position of the "tail of the spring" and people with original suspension confirmed that their cars were "clocked" with the tail pointing outwards towards the outside of the car. It was the same case for my vehicle as well. I don't know if that was intentional at the factory, and I do mention in my video that since the top and bottom seating surfaces are flat and parallel to each other, the "clocking" of the spring is a personal choice, same as the orientation of the top mount. Cheers!

[@2001JaguarXK8]

Hi Gary, yes indeed, orienting the top mount and the spring in my preferred manner was a personal choice, essentially guided by the way those components were placed at the factory for my particular vehicle - I wanted to keep the same orientation. I hear you on being able to adjust the shock absorber after the fact, but I personally would be hesitant to apply such twisting force to the bushing at the bottom, after the spring is extended and exerting pressure against the mount at the top and the shock absorber at the bottom. I'd rather do it right at the time of assembly and avoid adjustments later. The bottom seating surface and the white plastic stop never came off the spring, they seemed pretty happily stuck there after disassembly and I didn't see a reason to remove them. Kept them in place and they moved together with the spring as one unit.

[@garyvanremortel5218]

Nevertheless, it is not critical as you say in the intro.