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The Jaguar XJ40 ride levelling system (SLS) [page 3]

January 2017

– Typical failures of the ride levelling system (this page)

This text is published preliminary and will be elaborated later on. Furthermore, no page is linked to it. Now just some pictures and a little explanation …

Typical failures of the ride levelling system (SLS)

25 January 2017

There are three ways the SLS system typically fails, as far as I know. Comments welcome, I would like to improve this text with your knowledge! In order of frequency of occurence, as is my impression:

1. Rear shock absorbers fail or have worn out; damping characteristic is bad and driving is becoming dangerous.
2. Rear shock absorbers seize, they feel stiff and prevent the springs from doing their job.
3. Ride levelling stuck at highest position.

My impression from my own experience with my Double Six is that the part of the rear struts that operate as shock absorber (the "shock absorber department" as I call it) in one way or another fail often and/or fast. My impression, as illustrated by the films further on, is that at the same time the part of the rear struts that operate the ride height (the "SLS department") fails much less.

Failure mode number one above is caused by the failing of the "shock absorber department" of the rear struts, in my view. In fact the SLS part of the system could still operate flawless! In fact it is bad news to have it removed because the "shock department" is failing.

Failure mode number two above must also be due to faulty shock absorbers, otherwise the car would still 'spring', albeit on the wrong height. I guess this stiff character has nothing to do with the ride levelling, as this system only 'adds a constant' to the height of the car, on which the springy natural nature of a driving car is added. Agree?

Failure mode number three above must be the result of a sticking or badly operated valve of valve solenoid in the valve block, I would say. This implies that the rear SLS struts could still be perfect.

Kind regards,
Rens Swart