Defender 90 Steering Damper

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raywin

raywin

Well-Known Member
Posts
3,808
Location
North Yorkshire
Since I bought my Defender I have been updating it bit by bit.
The steering damper was weeping slightly so I ordered a new one on line. When it arrived yesterday I tried it and was surprised that it is only a single acting damper i.e. when you extend it is quite stiff but when you close it again it there is little or no resistance, I have never changed one of these dampers before, can anyone tell me if this is how they should be or is it a faulty damper?
Seems strange that you only have damping in one direction.
 
raywin said:
Since I bought my Defender I have been updating it bit by bit.
The steering damper was weeping slightly so I ordered a new one on line. When it arrived yesterday I tried it and was surprised that it is only a single acting damper i.e. when you extend it is quite stiff but when you close it again it there is little or no resistance, I have never changed one of these dampers before, can anyone tell me if this is how they should be or is it a faulty damper?
Seems strange that you only have damping in one direction.
Click to expand...
It should damp in both directions. Try pushing it all the way in and out a few times, see if it bleeds itself and starts working.
Is it a genuine/quality aftermarket damper? Or Britpart or similar rubbish?
 
You are right thanks, I pushed it full stroke about 8 times and now it seems to damp in both directions.
Sorry it's a Britpart one but I saw quite a few comments that they are one of the parts which are not bad.
 
I fitted a BP heavy duty one on mine a couple of years ago. It has survived a trip across Morocco and is still doing well. I was told it would have a tendency to slightly pull to one side which it does, I don't even notice it as its so slight and with the camber of the road its perfect.
 
Cant see how the steering damper would "pull to one side" it is after all a damper and it's job is to resist movement and has no ability to create a force on it's own .
 
The one I fitted comes with a two year warranty cost about £17 and seems ok (now it has been primed) so it's worth giving it a fair chance, if it starts acting up I can test their warranty and at £17 it's not the end of the world if it packs in.
 
Any oil-filled damper should be primed before fitting, even states this in the fitting instructions (when supplied). This was one of the first things I was told when I started getting my hands dirty on LR's oh so many years ago.

No issues with BP supplied items.
 
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