JAGUAR X-TYPE Front Lower Wishbone Balljoint 2001-2009

[@glenngiere]

Wish I'd seen your video earlier. Took my wishbone out yesterday. Struggled for hours getting the ball joint out. If only I'd known.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

They can be a bugger, but I think my trick helps if it's getting stuck. Hope you eventually sort your's :-)

[@paulchad511]

I've done this job a couple of times now and I've got to say that yours is the best video I've seen. Top job 👏

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thanks 👍 really appreciate that, Hoped the video was helpful:-)

[@tomg4753]

Ya, great procedure I'll soon be trying it out myself on my X type

[@getyerspn]

When installing the rear wishbone bolt ... reinstall it upsidedown (nut at the top) ... it's what we used to do at ford...next time changing the wish bone is quicker...the X type and Mondeo MK3 used to go through rear wishbone bushes (even genuine ford ones) regularly.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thanks for sharing that. I did know about doing that, but thought if the nut ever came loose or fail suddenly the whole wishbone would fall out causing the car to crash. This is a very poor design and I'm surprised disassembly seems to have been overlooked by both Ford and jaguar on this, probably because when new they installed the engine and subframe as one unit on the production line ;-/

[@getyerspn]

@@HatBoyHarvey You're theory is correct that's why the bolts were originally installed from the top .. however if you use the high strength thread lock it's not a problem.. my bad I should have added that but it's early... Now if you get to work on a lot of cars there's many many makes out there that use captive nuts on the top of the subframe and the bolts enter from underneath . .Fiat and a lot of GM cars come to mind .... as well as a few newer fords. anyway of the many many probably thousands of these we did we never saw one loose one in fact some were so rusted in we had to cut the bolt anyway.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

@@getyerspn thanks for the info bro, I'm hastened to agree, much appreciated :-)

[@VDPEFi]

​@@HatBoyHarveyit's not a great design and I definitely put them in upside down, with a bit of loctite for peace of mind, reminds me of old mercs where if the bottom ball joint fails the wheel falls off as they are 'upside down' too

[@richlee5578]

Yes I once spent 3 days and a thrombi later getting the ball joint in next time I’ll use your method,it’s worth mentioning not to pull the driveshaft out of the gearbox like I did on my brother’s car didn’t find out till the day after when it wouldn’t move 😂

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thanks :-)

[@romahome007]

i did both wish bones a couple of months ago, i found it easier to cut rear bolts off and get new ones but put them in upside down.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

A lot of people do this, but it is unnecessary as the arm bolt will come out and go back in if you manipulate the arm at an angle that enables the bolt to slip in easily. I guess it makes little difference in the end unless the bolt shears. :-)

[@tomg4753]

Because of its length I struggled to extract that inside wishbone bolt. I do not see any reason why it cannot be installed in the opposite direction from the bottom up. Apparently that's what you have done from your comment?

[@tomg4753]

Looks like you solved my ball joint problem on my '03 X Type. So, to get the ball joint free from the hub, unbolt the wishbone assembly first. So, am assuming to just reverse the process to reinstall the ball joint then the wishbone in that order? Since the wishbone is springy, any problems with the wishbone reinstalling it? From your video, looked quite simple. Thanks very much....

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Yes, but take care on install where the rubber on the ball-joint touches the bottom of the hub. Keep the protector on until you can easily push down the wishbone enough to slot in the pin taking care that the front horizontal joint is just pushed in the slot a bit and doesn't come out too much. Good luck :-)

[@tomg4753]

That inner side wishbone long bolt seemed to re-install with little problem from your video. Any reason it can't be installed the other way from the bottom up? I don't see why it can't but am probably missing something @@HatBoyHarvey

[@ryhansmith]

Good Job

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thanks :-)

[@disdonc6.klasse549]

In the shop manual it says to use a special tool "Power Train Assembly Jack", to support and adjust the height of the subframe when doing this repair. Also they call for removing the steering column lower retaining bolt. What could that be for? Is that only if you remove the retaining bracket completely or on both sides at the same time?

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Detaching the steering column will enable the wishbone arm to lower a bit more, but it's a faff and not necessary as you can see in the video. No need for a jack either if you do one side a time as the front bolts are not detached.

[@disdonc6.klasse549]

@@HatBoyHarveyThanks, that's what I thought. It's just that they say, there could result damage to the car, if you don't put the jack under the subframe. But i also thought, it might be the case only if you would take off the subframe completely or something like this.

[@gyaozmanov791]

hello, perfect video and very well filmed! Are you also having a camber problem because of this defective part?

[@HatBoyHarvey]

No camber problem, tyre wear all good, just needed new front springs/top bearing. The rubber boot on the ball joint was split so initially was going to just replace the ball joint, but found I couldn't, hence the full wishbone. Later I found you can just get replacement rubber ball joint shrouds for £8, bugger!

[@gyaozmanov791]

@@HatBoyHarvey Thank you for your response, at least you have changed the part and you are at peace now 😁 I have a problem with the camber in (negative) while no problems with the bearing or suspension...

[@franruedaperez4797]

Good job 👍🏻

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thanks 😁

[@aldiberisha65]

I just took the front subframe out

[@jimbohn9633]

Fantastic video. I'm having difficulty finding a new ball joint spline bolt to purchase. can you help?

[@HatBoyHarvey]

They are used by the Ford Mondeo also, but you need to get the right spec. I'll put it in the description and a link or two. You can get them from the main dealer, but they often overcharge for the same thing available elsewhere. I actually bought mine from ebay.

[@jimbohn9633]

@@HatBoyHarvey Thank you,

[@dwchester]

Can you replace the ball joint without the whole wishbone? Looks like the part is available and presumably a lot less work

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Early model wishbones had bolts drilled for the ball joint ends, so YES it's possible. But I wouldn't recommend it. You would need to drill holes accurately by size and position through the existing wishbone to ensure a good fit. Or acquire an early model wishbone. This isn't easy, I tried and gave up. It's a shame the newer ones don't have this. Also, buy high quality as the lower rear rubber can split on cheap ones.

[@craigf8338]

Where can you buy the replacement nuts and bolts

[@HatBoyHarvey]

If you don't want to use a jag dealership try to source bolts of the same size and tensile strength online. EBay is ok and can often come up with OEM fixing bolts and lock nuts. Size also includes the thread pitch. Many mechanics often re-use the same bolts, but that is a choice for you. I always recommend new bolts on critical parts, but ,;-D I'll put a link in the description

[@disdonc6012]

Why do you mark this plate? I mean, the holes of the screws will fix the plate always in the same spot, won't they?

[@HatBoyHarvey]

It's just good practice so you minimise mis-alignment later. Although the captive threads are within the frame body some are a bit loose and bracket holes are often larger with play so imho it's good to try and refit back into a parts original position as much as possible. On the other hand many don't do this without issue. It's a bit like like wing and bonnet fitting and wanting everything perfectly aligned :-)

[@disdonc6012]

@@HatBoyHarvey Thanks for the answer.

[@hTyKn1]

The wishbone bolts should be torqued up at normal ride height i.e. the car should be on its wheels on the floor

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Yes, ideally they should indeed :-)

[@hTyKn1]

@@HatBoyHarvey I support the body on jack stands and then to tighten the bushes under load without the wheel on I jack the corner up until the stands just stop supporting the vehicle. You don't need the wheel on to do that so you can still access the bolts without having to have a 4 post lift