Front Wheel Camber

[f.kiernan31@BTinternet.com]

What is the procedure for re-setting camber on a 2004 S-Type 4.2l?

[jeff1954]

I'm not certain but I don't think there is any adjustment I may be wrong though. If anyone would know it will be Mike Kennedy who used to be the forum co ordinator,

Jeff

[jeff1954]

Are you getting inside Tyre wear on the front, if you are apparently it's a common problem on the SType I have that problem but the N/S is worse, I thought it could be a camber issue but after doing a lot of checks I don't think it is. I have read on another forum that Jaguar factory toe in/out settings were changed. So when you take your car in somewhere for a tracking check they might be using the wrong settings info.

Jeff

[J44EAG]

Camber is set on the REAR bolts on the lower front wishbone arms. CASTER is set on the front bolts.

You can buy an acceptable camber gauge via eBay for small money. Jack the car level with the aid of a good spirit level across the front slam panel. Remove the road wheels ensuring the car is securely placed on axle stands and with additional timber security blocks also placed under the chassis legs. The blocks provide a second safety measure if one is to begin to loosen or tighten the wishbone bolts. High torque is applied slackening and tightening those bolts. Slacken the nuts NOT the bolts which control the camber angles. Don`t get under the car without blocks in place.

Once you have leveled the car, the camber gauge is is held on the brake disc or hub by magnetism. Turn the camber bolt on each wishbone until the manufacturers stated figure is achieved. Don`t move the camber bolt when you tighten the nut. Best done with two people or at a garage with a decent four post lift ramp.

Work safely not quickly. Cars are skull crushers!

Mike

[jeff1954]

Hi Mike I have don that checking procedure as you say. I had the car on axle stands under the jacking points so that the suspension was hanging loose so to speak. Wheels off and a long builders spirit level across the slam plate. I then placed a smaller spirit level onto the hub in between the wheel studs. The bubble reading was the same on both sides, the car has just passed its MOT and all the bushes are ok, last year the garage mentioned N/S inner tyre wear so I had the tracking checked and adjusted. But it's still wearing on the inner edge. The O/S is also wearing slightly but not as much. As I said previously I'm told that S types are prone to inner edge wear and the parameters were changed.

So I am wondering if the track has been set to the old parameters The other thing that's puzzling me is why is the N/S is wearing more than the O/S do you think it could be anything to do with the camber of the road I don't know weather to get two new tyres and have the tracking checked again, but I could do with finding out the revised track measurements. Your thoughts and those of others would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Jeff

[J44EAG]

S-types do tend to wear front tyres on the insides. Any bush wear at all will exacerbate the issue. With standard suspension, the cars roll a fair bit on cornering and that doesn`t help. Obviously tracking is the prime thing to look at. Interestingly, with lowering springs fitted, my tyre wear dropped dramatically. These car do have a tendency to under-steer which again is another contributory factor. Comfort spec suspension will cause more tyre wear than a sport damper equipped equivalent.

What also causes marked tyre wear on the tyre shoulders is steering the car from lock to lock with the vehicle stationary. People don`t realize how significant that is. I`ll only apply steering if the car is moving.

If camber is ok, then pop the wheels back on, drive the car to settle the suspension, then on a flat surface, measure wheel base length. That will tell you if caster is adrift. Do this by obtaining the WB length out of the handbook or via the internet. 119.4" rings a bell with me but please check. With wheels straight and after tracking the car, take a tape measure and measure from the rear of the rear wheel rim, across axle centres, to the rear of the front rim. If the measurement is as per the figure in the book, then caster is correct. Any deviation from those figures, plus or minus, means the caster angle is incorrect and should be adjusted via the front banana arm bolts which go through the front banana arm bush and locate in holes in the front sub-frame. Turn the bolt one way or the other until the correct figure is obtained. When re-tightening, hold the bolt perfectly stationary and tighten the nut. Best done as a two man job. Do those nuts up as tight as you can.

To get this job done properly needs a state of the art Hunter or Jim Beam tyre centre tracking rig. Most rigs will do camber and toe angles but mechanics come out in a cold sweat with caster. This is easily addressed using the wheel base length method discussed above. I can set any S-type, X350 or XF up on a bench with a willing operator in ten to fifteen minutes. Once all the readings get into the green sectors, then you know you have it as good as it gets.

Ensure your rear wheels are perfectly in the middle of wheel arches before you begin. If the rear sub-frame has been dropped for ARB bush changing and has not been Tipex marked before lowering, it is a terrible job to get the frame back up squarely in the car. It all comes from the rear end as a datum point and if the frame is in skew wiff, then you don`t stand a cats chance of ever getting the rest of the car into limits.

Hope that helps.

Mike

[jeff1954]

Thanks Mike I will do some more checks. But the bit that I mentioned about the small spirit level bubble being the same both sides does that suggest to you that the camber is ok. Also I'm going to increase the front Tyre pressures from 30 to 32 psi after reading relevant posts on another forum.

Jeff

[J44EAG]

The pre-facelift onwards S-types, the X350 and XF all have the banana arm, lower front wishbone and drop arm arrangement. It is rather better than the original Ford one piece arrangement found on the early model S-type. The arrangement provides for much improved steering feel and anti-dive geometry.....but the bushing on the inner drop arm and the hydraulic bushing are prone to high wear by the time 80k miles has been covered.

When I first bought the X350R with 79K miles covered, the trip back from collection in Rochdale was a bit of a directional nightmare. The car would drift all over the motorway especially if the section was cambered. The car was a bit of a horror and it didn`t take long to find the cause. The front banana arm bushes located within the sub-frame at the front were leaking hydraulic oil and the inner drop arm bushes were sloppy to say the least. Typical OE Jaguar bushes....on their last legs and causing a rather dangerous car. Front tyre wear was noted on inside and outsides of the tyre carcasses. I replaced nearly every bush on the car over about a two week period with Powerflex poly-urethane alternatives. These are warranted for the life of the car whilst in your ownership. although a tad more expensive than OE, it is very rare to have to subsequently replace them again. That alone makes the slight extra cost justifiable. The car drives straight and true and in my opinion much better than any, even low mileage example, I have ever driven.

I experimented on the S-type with both the slightly up-rated Purple Series and also the full Black Series bushes in various locations. I found that Blacks in the upper arms gave a very harsh ride so only fit Purple in those upper arms. However, Blacks fitted to the inner, lower front drop arm bush, tightened up steering feel and also gave a much more reassuring directional improvement when cornering the car with gusto. Blacks also fitted in the front, lower rear wishbone (adjacent to the back of the sills) improved directional stability and removed a jiggly feel to the car generally. I put a set on Paul Sinnotts` car an he also liked the application. I tried Blacks in the big front banana arms but the steering became harsh at the steering wheel with to much shock coming back up the column. I swapped those out and installed Purples. Just right!

Here is the link to Powerflex.http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j& ... lg&cad=rja

Essentially, S-type, XF and X350 all share the same bushes. I suggest you use the S-type section if ordering. It is accurate for part numbers. However, there are number errors in the X350 section which I have pointed out to Powerflex a couple of years ago. One hopes they have made corrections. One thing I should point out is that I do not agree with putting Powerflex bushings in the lower rear wishbone where they support the bottom of the hub carrier and the rear most location in the rear subframe. I`ve told Powerflex that they have mis-understood the design of the standard OE patent, revolving tube and ball in nylon cup arrangement. The OE unit allows for rear toe angle adjustment which the Powerflex units in that location, do not. The RG109 from Racing Green Cars is a direct OE type replacement and it those and those bushes alone that should be fitted in those locations. Ignore this advice at your peril.

Bush replacement, ie two at a time. If you find two worn bushes, replace every one, both sides, on the suspension. That might mean ten replacements are needed. Believe me when I say that if two have deteriorated, the remainder will also be not far behind the worn ones on their road to failure. Only when all bushes are replaced will the car become easy to set up properly on a tracking bench and will tyre wear decrease.

Just three years after the S-type made its first appearance, tyre wear with the model hit our magazine pages, issue after issue. Everyone scratched their heads. Then I began tearing S-type and X350 suspensions to pieces and soon found the answers. I documented my findings in the magazine and in the suspension sections here under both S-type and X350. They are still available on this site and give full blow by blow image and descriptions of what needs to be achieved to make these suspensions last longer and have fewer in service problems.

The only way to sort these suspensions is to deal with all bushes in one hit. Then you can get the issues under control. I only put my cars on the tracking ramp after dealing with every bush on the suspension. Setting up became a doddle and the car drove better than new.

Mike