X300 3.2 1995 Power Steering Assist

[xjscharlie]

Hello Folks,
The steering on my 1995 X300 is lighter than i would prefer it to be, i.e., too much assist. Wondered f anyone else had this perception and if it was possible to reduce the assist either by an internal pump mod or a pump replacement. Any comments welcome. Rgds. Charlie.

[ChrisDixon]

An unusual question, most PAS issues concern faults leading to lack of assistance! I suppose compared to a modern car the X300 steering may feel relatively light, but compared to an earlier XJ or XJS there is more weight and feel. No idea if you could mess with the hydraulics to reduce assistance but care would be needed there. If you are running the car on the higher of the tyre pressure settings try the lower "comfort" settings (around 28psi from memory). Also look at the make and condition of the tyres. If you have standard wheels and tyres you could fit wider/lower profile perhaps? XJRs have a variable assistance rack (servotronic?) so it might be possible to retrofit one but again I don't know if it the electrics would plug straight in. Depends how much you want to spend.

[xjscharlie]

Thanx for the informative reply. I have gone into the steering hydraulics on another car (non Jag) to reduce the assist with a degree of success but dont want to do this on this car unless there's a precedent with some experience available. Re the XJR variable assistance system i would'nt want to go that far. Rgds.

[poprivet]

Hi Charlie,

Just a thought, are you sure there is no excessive play in the rack bushings, track rods or suspension and that the tracking is set correctly?

Wandering about or lack of straight line stability can be the result of one of these and can feel odd having to correct the steering all the time.

Regards Pop.

[PeterDavisX300]

Hi Charlie

The man above is correct. It could just be a case of wear in the bushes, common to the X300 and XJ40. Link below for repair kit. Obviously it would be better to fix the problem with new bushes, but this repair will stop lateral movement at higher speeds. Quite fiddly to fit!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/XJR-XJ40-X300 ... xyiRlSak33

Peter