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Hi!

As the title says I've noticed some funny noise coming from somewhere at the rear (axle?) of the car. It was quite tricky to get it reproduced systematically since it is almost not noticeable from inside. When moving slowly on 'D' (accelerating or decelerating or just maintaining the spped), so that the brake pedal is pressed and I haven't got my foot on the accelerator at all, if the car is going over some uneven surface or at least a bit up/downhill I start hearing this, sometimes loud, squeaking noise from the rear. And it only happens in this 'setting'. If it is on 'N' or 'P' however bad I shake it there is no noise at all, so I think it is not the suspension. Also, the sound is quite different from what you get when the breaks are wearing off or when they 'cling' to the disc when pressed for long. Moreover, the car had recently had all brake discs and pads replaced and checked, so I also think this is not the brake problem.

The problem was going on for a while, but I couldn't pin down the conditions under which this happened. In the meantime, the car passed a few MOTs and services without any problem in this part.

Does anyone have any similar experiences?

BW

Max

I had something possibly the same as you describe on an X308. This had a loud squeaking or squealing noise from the rear nearside when moving at low speed, which disappeared as you got faster. You would not really hear it inside the car but certainly would if a window was open. It was most noticeable when pulling away from rest or just coming to a stop. It turned out to be a partially siezed CV joint in the nearside driveshaft.

I had something possibly the same as you describe on an X308. This had a loud squeaking or squealing noise from the rear nearside when moving at low speed, which disappeared as you got faster. You would not really hear it inside the car but certainly would if a window was open. It was most noticeable when pulling away from rest or just coming to a stop. It turned out to be a partially siezed CV joint in the nearside driveshaft.

Interesting... Was it this cross-like thing http://www.jagspares.co.uk/Manners/part ... JLM1388%23?

As part of servicing do they check/grease these joints, BTW?

Yes, that's the 'spider' with the four needle roller bearings. there's one at each end of the drive shaft and they are covered with a rubber boot. Getting them greased at a service is largely down to luck and how good your garage is. I can't remember if it's on the service sheet list for an XJ40/X300, but for later models it certainly isn't on the service sheet as an item check.

For my X308 problem the dealer actually had to change all the needle roller bearings as apparently complete new driveshafts are no longer available from Jaguar for that model. Most main dealers don't normally like changing things like bearings, only complete assemblies, as they reckon it's cheaper because of time saved. They were not too happy to go 'back to basics' on my driveshaft.
You may find that you (or your garage) will have to do the same unless Jaguar have decided to make driveshafts available again.

I had a squeak on my X Type. It turned to be caused by the ABS sensor coming into contact with the ABS ring. A small amount of corrosion had caused the ring to expand slightly in one spot causing it to touch the sensor.
A couple of washers under the sensor fixed it.
It might be worth jacking the car up and spinning the wheels by hand to see if it happens.
I don't know if your car has the same ABS set up but it might be worth a look.

I've asked my local Jaguar specialist to investigate this issue, also telling them what you have suggested here. In the end they couldn't find anything wrong apart from exhaust pipes' joints which were quite sqeaky, so they have greased them and all seems fine now... I will need to monitor this for a while to tell if it has actually helped or not!