CLASSIC WORKSHOP
Independent Jaguar specialist Ken Jenkins shows how to replace the rear wheel bearing on a V12 XJS
AS WE drive along the twisty B-roads close to independent Jaguar specialist Ken Jenkins, we’re listening for a droning sound from the rear of the V12 XJS we’re sitting in. Eventually it emerges, but we’re unsure where it’s coming from. This is typical wheel bearing noise, although worn tyres can produce a similar sound.
Back at the workshop, we raise the rear of the car, carefully engage drive with the engine running and let the wheels rotate to double-check which wheel bearings are noisy. Both sides are just as bad and Ken suspects they have been installed with no play at the wheels (there should be 2-4 thou’ when warm), so they may have overheated.
The work involved in replacing a rear wheel bearing on an XJS is timeconsuming and full of potential problems. A hub puller may be needed to separate the hub assembly from the driveshaft and that’s if you can undo the hub nut, which may be seized. Even the steel screws securing the ABS wiring to the alloy wheel hub housing can seize.
Extracting the old bearings and races from the hub assembly requires an assortment of hammers, drifts and chisels (the same applies to fitting the new bearings, races and seals). And when you get to the point of refitting the wheel hub assembly, you may need to change the thickness of a spacer to achieve the correct amount of free play at the road wheel, whilst at the same time, ensuring the wheel bearings are correctly seated.
