Disco 1 Front radius arms - how much play is acceptable? Pulsing motion to braking.

Hey guys

I'm currently working on maintaining my Discovery 1 and whilst cleaning under the front end, I can feel a little play from left to right on my front radius arms where they meet their bushes - how much should the radius arm be able to move from side to side? A little bit, maybe 1-2mm, or should they rigidly not move sideways at all?

I have a slight vagueness to my steering, hard to describe but almost like when I make a slightly harsh turn while travelling forward at say anything from 10mph I can feel the front 'fish' to the direction I am turning to, just slightly...

I'm not sure if I have much/any front-rear movement in the bushes but I did notice that during braking from speed (say 50mph) I almost feel a pulsing motion to how the vehicle slows. I can't feel this pulsing whilst accelerating. I was wondering if this pulsing is the bearing chattering back and forth a bit during braking load? Or is this more likely to be a warped disc or something else?

Advice from anyone and anything else to check would be great! I am a novice mechanic but would at least like to properly diagnose the issue before I contact my repair shop to begin a process.

should be stiff but moveable with a lever bar as you distort the bush with the leaverage, jack each wheel up in turn and feel for play in wheel bearings, could be disc what condition are they

Ah - its movement by me pressing on it with my hand - medium hard, but nothing near a lever bar!

No noise from wheel bearings and I believe the discs are in decent nick but I will jack it up tomorrow and check bearings and discs.

If you can move it by hand whilst it's stationary image how much it'll shift about under breaking

Well I think it's clear that i'll need to sort the radius arm bushes - i'll get my local LR specialist to do that for me. Hopefully that also cures the braking pulsing - That may by the radius arm bush flexing side to side as it picks up and swaps the force of the braking.

I'd be looking at your panhard rod bushes as well cos it sound like they might be on their last legs

Your bushes are on their way out, once the centre tube separates from the rubber completely you'll run the risk of developing a death-wobble, be worth checking your panhard rod at the same time.

Roaming Wombat said:

Your bushes are on their way out, once the centre tube separates from the rubber completely you'll run the risk of developing a death-wobble, be worth checking your panhard rod at the same time.

Click to expand...

Is there an echo in here somewhere? echo echo echo

Marmaduke said:

Is there an echo in here somewhere? echo echo echo

Click to expand...

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

I see your innuendo,
But that's a crescendo,
And my post was diminuendo.

Do the bushes yourself. Its easy i use paul d method of drilling the rubber out then chosel the metal out tap thru then press new polybush in

Thanks for all of your help folks it has really helped confirm my concerns and i'll definitely get pan hard checked as well.