Defender steering

I have just bought a defender 90 it has a 2 inch lift and a return to centre steering damper the problem is that it is not returning to centre so makes it difficult to keep straight looking for help thanks

Some thing must be bad as I do not have a return to centre.(RTC)

Take it completely off first and check your steering for any resistance.

After the above lift both front wheels off the ground then push,pull and waggle wheels looking for play in wheel bearings,swivel joints,track rod and steering rod joints.
A bent track rod can bind in the guide on the bottom of the diff if it is fitted. [removed if HD track rod fitted]

As above, I'd remove the return to centre damper, check for play in the steering joints and fit a standard steering damper. If you haven't driven Land Rovers much before, they do require more driving attention than a standard car. The suspension lift and any other mods may exacerbate this.

zeaphod said:

If you haven't driven Land Rovers much before, they do require more driving attention than a standard car.

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+1, my D90 tends to wander off line quite readily, it's not lifted but has modulars and 265 ST tyres fitted. Constant input required.
I read elsewhere that the 110 tends to be less affected, so the short wheelbase must be a factor too..

Even with a return to center damper I would be dubious if it had the power to properly centre the steering in the same way it does on a normal hatch back. When driving SWMBO's sirocco if you let go of the wheel while turning it violently spins to straighten the wheels. You are unlikely to ever have a similar action on a defender because of the drag link steering setup rather than a rack.

Land rovers require more input to the steering when driving and need to be actively driven rather than passively. You will always be making small adjustments to the steering unlike a modern rack set up where you can take your hands of the wheel and nothing happens. Even with a steering damper my 110 requires you to actively straighten the wheels rather than relying on it to self center and my series does not have a damper at all. You very quickly get used to have to actively steer back to center rather than passively letting the car do it for you.

However as you have a lift kit, unless it also has all of the cranked suspension components to re-align all of the axle geometry the the steering feel will be altered. I had a 4" lift on mine when I bought it that had been very poorly done just using longer springs and shocks. Because the lift rotates the axle relative to the ground, the steering pivot angles slightly forwards. This change will also further prevent the steering from self centering.

polbethcottage said:

the problem is that it is not returning to centre so makes it difficult to keep straight

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Depending on what you mean by the above will depends on what the problem is. If you are struggling to keep the steering wheel straight and still compared to a normal car that is normal for a land rover.

However, if you are struggling to drive and keep the vehicle in a straight line there is something else seriously wrong. If this is the case as has already been stated above I would carefully check all of the steering components:
Track rod ends for play
Track rod for straightness
Drag link end for play
Drag link for straightness
Drop arm ball joint for play
Steering box for play
Steering column UJ's for play
Front wheel bearings
Front swivel top bush/bearing (depending on age) for play
Radius arm bushes
Panhard rod bushes

All of the above can make the steering wander and feel very vague and disconcerting if there is a problem

The above post mentions "front swivel bush/bearing" This item has a set preload adjusted with shims and if not correct will lead to wandering even if everything else is correct.

I have a standard Defender 110 TD5 fitted with an RTC steering damper.
The steering centres itself much more readily which makes it nicer (in my opinion) to drive on road particularly on the motorway where it holds its line like a car.

Presumably a 2" lift reduces the castor angle and reduces the self centering properties of the steering.

It could be the steering column joints that are causing it to not return properly.
They get notchy and leave the steering feeling vague etc.
Spray the joints with a good dose of wd40 and see if it gets better.

Rougharse Racing said:

Presumably a 2" lift reduces the castor angle and reduces the self centering properties of the steering.

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Yep, and the bigger the lift (without castor correction) the worse it becomes