Steering box crying.

Hello

Steering I'm my disco 1 is terrible to say the Least. It's really stiff and far from smoothe.

I have notice that the steering box is really leaking some oil so I have ordered a seal kit to repair any leaks.

After ordering it dawned on me that after £10 spent and a few hours repairing the leak, will this help steering ?? Anyone been there ??

Chars.

I would personaly not bother with the seal kits,they dont work.
Some here will say they do and some will say they dont but from experience of trying i would replace the steering box.
Yes it will help steering,when the fluid is low it will feel like some one is trying to grab at the steering wheel when you are turning.
Its not a massive job to replace the old box,took me about 2 hours and i know nothing about mechanics.
Regards
Terry.

hoopfish said:

I would personaly not bother with the seal kits,they dont work.
Some here will say they do and some will say they dont but from experience of trying i would replace the steering box.
Yes it will help steering,when the fluid is low it will feel like some one is trying to grab at the steering wheel when you are turning.
Its not a massive job to replace the old box,took me about 2 hours and i know nothing about mechanics.
Regards
Terry.

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yes they do ,but not if surface of sector shaft where seal contacts is pitted scored ,it needs a shaft repair sleeve then ,seals can be changed whilst box is fitted as long as you can remove drop arm ,in fact unless you pull sector shaft out its easier to use hydraulic pressure to pop seal out than trying to pickle it out,leak is unlikely cause of poor steering ,tight uj in steering shaft, poor damper ,low hyd pressure from pump , swivel bearings ,or steering box input tortion shaft

hoopfish said:

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just laying out the facts

Just nice to see that you morphed back in to the "helpfull" james rather than arguing james!
He knows so do what he says.

I bought the seal kit, put it in the cubby box, ordered some Lucas stop leak topped the box up a few times with it and a year later i lose about 50ml a month through the box now and the seal kit is still in the cubby.

the lucas stuff was supposed to be a temp fix until the warmer weather came but it made the steering smoother and the leak smaller and the whole think a lot quieter, that joined with the threat of the seal kit in the cubby box has kept my disco going and im more than happy with it

Ok cheers. So James out if all the things you have mentioned how many of these would a new pump clear up ? I'm a complete novis incase anyone hadn't noticed.
Thanks.

Sorry I mean new box !

you need to check the other stuff first

Denty said:

Hello

Steering I'm my disco 1 is terrible to say the Least. It's really stiff and far from smoothe.

I have notice that the steering box is really leaking some oil so I have ordered a seal kit to repair any leaks.

After ordering it dawned on me that after £10 spent and a few hours repairing the leak, will this help steering ?? Anyone been there ??

Chars.

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Hi Chars, if the steering is heavy, that is not right and indicates to me a lack of hydraulic pressure. This is normally due to a worn or faulty steering pump.

First things to do before you spend any money:

1. Check the front tyre pressures and ensure they are at least 30psi;

2. Check the pas fluid in the header tank near the radiator - it's a round black thing with a screw-off lid.

3. Check to see if the pump is working by slackening the bleed screw on top of the steering box, pushing on a good length of clear plastic pipe then get someone to start the engine while you watch the pipe. If the pump is working, as soon as your assistant tries to turn the wheel left or right fluid should shoot out. If it only dribbles out or not at all, it's your pump that's gone.


New pumps available here:

Land Rover Discovery 1 Power Steering Pumps | Paddock


Good luck

Dave

Dave, that's brill info. Just what I need is someone talking me through it. Lol.

I will check the bits you mentioned,
I would say the rather than the steering being stiff all the time it's just sometimes.

Say I turn left then the wheel will not return back to straight. Sometimes it does but more often than not its a manual procedure to straighten the wheels. ?

Denty said:

Dave, that's brill info. Just what I need is someone talking me through it. Lol.

I will check the bits you mentioned,
I would say the rather than the steering being stiff all the time it's just sometimes.

Say I turn left then the wheel will not return back to straight. Sometimes it does but more often than not its a manual procedure to straighten the wheels. ?

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Hi Denty, it would be useful if you could put your vehicle details into your signature. Stuck like model year, engine eg. TDI 300; gearbox type man or auto; mileage; then peeps know a little more about the vehicle before responding.

That bit doesn't sound too unusual. Check your front tyre pressures and ensure they are 30+psi.


Dave

I will update this info. Good shout 👍.

I have purchased new seals for my steering box just wondered if there is anywhere to find a diagram of how to fit them ?

And what's people's opinions on gas dampers ?

Denty said:

Dave, that's brill info. Just what I need is someone talking me through it. Lol.

I will check the bits you mentioned,
I would say the rather than the steering being stiff all the time it's just sometimes.

Say I turn left then the wheel will not return back to straight. Sometimes it does but more often than not its a manual procedure to straighten the wheels. ?

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front end alignment is out of wack

Denty said:

And what's people's opinions on gas dampers ?

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Gas dampers are good, they generally give a better ride quality than oil dampers.

So how long should hose be that I connect onto bleed nipple ? 1ft ? 2ft ? I have re sealed box and refitted, fitted new steering damper and am still experiencing the same sort of problem. So thinking now it could be the pump. !

Denty said:

So how long should hose be that I connect onto bleed nipple ? 1ft ? 2ft ? I have re sealed box and refitted, fitted new steering damper and am still experiencing the same sort of problem. So thinking now it could be the pump. !

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The pipe should be sufficiently long so you can ensure that no pas fluid goes on the paintwork, so 4 to 5ft long.

Just to reiterate, get someone to start the engine while you hold the open end of the pipe away from the car.

With the steering wheel un-touched and in the middle position very little fluid will flow. Now ask your assistant to turn the wheel to the extreme left or right and watch the flow - if it increases dramatically your pump is OK; if it doesn't your pump is knacked and needs replacing.

Good luck.

Dave

Ok so pump is ok. Finally got around to testing it. Works well !

Where next ? 😁

Don't really know where to go next with it. Going back to steering alignment is the somewhere I can take it so someone can go over this sort of stuff for me. I.e. tracking, alignment ??

Thanks.

centralise steering box by either counting turns lock to lock and placing in the middle (discounting steering wheel position or road wheels)or fitting pin in bottom rear of drop arm ,steering wheel is the set correct then road wheels by adjusting and running down road to check ,steering wheel is done before road wheels as steering wheel can then be used as an indicator to steering box been central