Jag XKE Rear End Info Needed -- How To Pull The Calipers

[RallySnake]

Yes, I can. It is not easy. You have to pull the whole rear end out of the car.

If your rear end is in a Cobra and not a stock Jaguar, start by removing the coilovers. Then remove the 8 lock nuts that hold the halfshafts the the differential. Slide the long bolts out of the bottom of each hub carrier and pull the hubs and halfshafts out. Remove the long shafts that the swing arms pivot on (underneath the brakes) and you can pull the swing arms. Disconnect the brake lines running from the frame to the top of the calipers. Disconnect the drive shaft from the differential. Disconnect the handbrake cable from the arm at the top of the differential. Roll a floor jack under the differential and support the weight while you unscrew the 4 bolts from the top. Lower the differential (and brakes) to the floor. Remove the handbrake bellcrank from the top of the differential. Now, you can get wrenches the the bolts that hold the calipers to the differential and pull them out. Be very careful to note the arrangement of the small parts and springs inside the handbrake levers before you disassemble them. It's easy to get confused with this and waste a lot of time putting them back together if you don't. These may be the source of your problem because the ratchet mechanism gets frozen when the grease hardens up.

This is a big job and it is the time to rebuild the positraction disks as well as the brakes. It is also a good time to change the gears if you need to change the ratio. Check the bearings in the hubs. If they are loose, you will need to have them professionally rebuilt. I recommend Curt Hamilton in Van Nuys, Ca if you need help.

[Jim Coleman]

The rear end isn't mounted yet.

Looks like a pretty big job....

Thanks for your help, I'll get started on it and see what the problem is.

Jim