Disco 2 Need a steer

Disco has been in for it's first MOT since I've bought it and... it could've been worse. Failed for movement on steering box and and track rod ends needing replacement, below are the fails also had a minor for leaking steering box:

Offside Front Steering box has excessive movement between sector shaft and the drop arm
Nearside Front Drag link end ball joint has excessive play
Offside Front Drag link end ball joint has excessive play
Offside Front Steering linkage ball joint has excessive play steering box end
Nearside Front Steering linkage ball joint has excessive play

Not had a chance to have a look under her yet, is the steering box movement likely to be a tightening required? And am I just as well to get a set of heavy duty steering rods than just new ball joints? Any advice welcome, would like to do it myself but this one is new territory, cheers.

Depends on your intended usage - if heavy off road or silly large tyres, then heavy duty steering stuff might not be a bad idea .... still got the "weak link" of the original steering box though ..

PAS box should adjust - look on the tube, on search on here for how to do it ... BUT - if the movement is at the ends of travel, this is completely normal - a feature of the design, and you need a new MOT station....

However - if it was tested properly, at the mid point, and it has a leak, a recon box might be the way forward - depends on your abilities

I fit the britp@rt greaseable track rod ends - and grease them with proper grease* ( not ordinary EP, which IME, is largely soap now, and effectively useless ) * = Castrol Pyroplex red, since you asked ....

Lots of info on the 'Garage of Google' and 'Engineering Collage of You Tube and on here with some very good tips from a lot of experienced Disco Drivers.

Disco1BFG said:

Depends on your intended usage - if heavy off road or silly large tyres, then heavy duty steering stuff might not be a bad idea .... still got the "weak link" of the original steering box though ..

PAS box should adjust - look on the tube, on search on here for how to do it ... BUT - if the movement is at the ends of travel, this is completely normal - a feature of the design, and you need a new MOT station....

However - if it was tested properly, at the mid point, and it has a leak, a recon box might be the way forward - depends on your abilities

I fit the britp@rt greaseable track rod ends - and grease them with proper grease* ( not ordinary EP, which IME, is largely soap now, and effectively useless ) * = Castrol Pyroplex red, since you asked ....

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Mostly driving bumpy fen roads and a bit of field/farmers track driving, not planning on serious off roading. Probably doesn't warrant the heavy duty kit but wondering if it's worth fitting the rod assembly set for not much more than ball joints alone...?

Yeah, garage mentioned a recon box, might be the way to go. Ha, abilities are at the developing stage, usually content with slow and steady but wanna get her back in for the retest - 10 working days

Thanks for the insight on how you maintain, might go that route and give it some welly whilst saving a few bob

Landy_lincs said:

Probably doesn't warrant the heavy duty kit

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Agreed - I do, and have done years off steady off road driving with LR OEM running gear, and never had a problem with its durability or strength...

Landy_lincs said:

wondering if it's worth fitting the rod assembly set for not much more than ball joints alone...?

Click to expand...

IMHO, nope - save your money for other stuff....

Update on this, passed the retest!

Replaced the rods with Lemforder so I know what's on there, drop arm movement was because you could turn the bottom nut with your hand!! All tightened now. Steering box leak only slight so tempted by stop leak..

Typically, the drive belt snapped the day before the retest, only 3 months since replacing. That was OEM as is the new one so will replace with genuine and see how it goes.

Question is it me or are they deliberately writing something that makes no sense, Offside front steering box, it’s as if there are more than 1 on your Disco, surly steering box would have been all the info you need to know where you need to look for the problem

A simple drop arm nut loose would have more than pass on the info you need to repair it

The terms used don’t jump out at you like the drag link and tie bar ball joints need replacing

Because that’s what they are and what most people on this forum know the items as and have done for many years