Steering has suddenly gone a bit vague

I searched but couldnt find any threads with a definitive answer on my problem.

I recently did my track rod ends, swivel balljoint and for the mot i had the drop arm balljoint and the panhard bush done. The tracking was needing done but i hadnt noticed any improvement or deteriation in my steering. However i took it to have the tracking done and they did a bit of a job but couldnt complete it properly as i need a new tie rod tube (very slightly bent). Now im assuming the tie rod or drag link or whatever you wanna call it has been bent since ive had it but since the tracking was corrected slightly the steering has been all over the place. On a straight road it feels as if im constantly correcting to keep it in a straight line, turning a bend on a country road i can feel as if the steerings trying to go all over the place and sometimes on a curve on the motorway i can steer but itll take its time moving over. It wasnt like this before i got the tracking looked at so ive no idea whats suddenly caused it.

Any help would be much appreciated as ive been close to one or two brown trouser moments.

have u adjusted the worm drive at the power box....?

its on the top,allen head with locking nut,undo nut .set tension with allen key then retighten nut.test for play...

Nope havent touched it. What kind of a tension am i looking for? Ive seen it mentioned before but i will admit im not 100% with adjusting it

the_wolf said:

Nope havent touched it. What kind of a tension am i looking for? Ive seen it mentioned before but i will admit im not 100% with adjusting it

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do it a bit at a time like 1/4 turn retighten then feel if the play at the wheel is gone.

dont tension it too tight as it will kill the worm....worth a check....

clean it up and get good tool contact with some undostuff lube...

you will get a feel for it...

i did about 1/2 a turn on the allen key to do mine but its quite hard to get it to stay set when locking off the nut so fiddle..
good ring spanner and a long allen key.

No problem ill have a look when i get home today, thanks

Have the tracking checked again (at a second location if possible).
I always have my LR checked / adjusted at Just Tyres and over many years they have been fine, free check and a few £ if adjustment is required (normally only required if new TRE's have been fitted). I once had it checked at a local garage for conveniance and they said adjustment was required however it then felt slightly inprecise when driving in a straight line which is something it had never done before. I went back to Just tyres and they found that the tracking had been set incorrectly, not by much but enough to make a difference. Needless to say they re-adjusted it and I got a refund from the local garage.
Fitted new TRE's last weekend (7-years since last set) and even though I accurately measured them the difference is remarkable (in a bad way) and I will be down to Just Tyres in the next couple of days to have it set correctly as normally the steering is tight & precise (who said LR's can't steer correctly?).

Also worth considering how the tyres had been worn with the old tracking and how they are rolling now? Allied to the sub zero temps and greasy roads you could have the answer....

I assume just tyres is poss an English company as I haven't heard of them up here? I tried national but they wouldn't touch it and recommended the guy I took it to and he certainly seemed to know what he was talking about. All he did was adjusted the track rod slightly but as I said its proper put the steering out. I'll try what BoB said and see if that makes much difference

slomofo said:

Also worth considering how the tyres had been worn with the old tracking and how they are rolling now? Allied to the sub zero temps and greasy roads you could have the answer....

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The tyres have been put on since I owned it and shouldn't have had enough time to wear in to the tracking. Different wheels too. As I said it wasn't bad before, not great but certainly much better than it is now

Don' know where you are but Just Tyres are who I use and yes, they have more branches in the South. That said, any garage should be able to do it but having had a poor experience with my local garage I went back to who I know does it correctly.
Tracking needs to be set accurately and not just by measurement, even the slightest mis-adjustment can alter the steering & handling characteristcs.
When it has been set correctly you may well find the steering wheel is out of alignment but that is easily rectified either adjusting the crossrod (drop-arm to NS hub) or if course adjustment is required by moving it on the column splines, neither is difficult and will ensure the wheel is straight.

Well after 3 hours in the snow and darkness wrestling with the lock nut on top of the steering box i finally got it to move, adjusted the screw as BoB had suggested and it certainly seems to have made a huge amount of difference. I no longer feel like im being blown about by wind on the motorway and it doesnt wallow like a galleon at sea when it goes around corners. Just a case of taking my steering wheel off and straightening that up and ill get the tracking properly finished when i fit the new tie rod.

Cheers for the help

I had a similar problem and it turned out the drop arm nut had come loose so when the steering was turned it forced the drop arm downwards as well as left to right. Check nut is tight and locking tab is bent up.

Litch said:

Don' know where you are but Just Tyres are who I use and yes, they have more branches in the South. That said, any garage should be able to do it but having had a poor experience with my local garage I went back to who I know does it correctly.
Tracking needs to be set accurately and not just by measurement, even the slightest mis-adjustment can alter the steering & handling characteristcs.
When it has been set correctly you may well find the steering wheel is out of alignment but that is easily rectified either adjusting the crossrod (drop-arm to NS hub) or if course adjustment is required by moving it on the column splines, neither is difficult and will ensure the wheel is straight.

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What things do they adjust? Is it just the tracking of the wheel or is it the track rod ends too?

the_wolf said:

Well after 3 hours in the snow and darkness wrestling with the lock nut on top of the steering box i finally got it to move, adjusted the screw as BoB had suggested and it certainly seems to have made a huge amount of difference. I no longer feel like im being blown about by wind on the motorway and it doesnt wallow like a galleon at sea when it goes around corners. Just a case of taking my steering wheel off and straightening that up and ill get the tracking properly finished when i fit the new tie rod.

Cheers for the help

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its a #### to first get moving...

make sure after its been tracked you reset it and you may be able to loosen it a bit,the least amount of tension the better the wear on the worm drive..

gse1986 said:

What things do they adjust? Is it just the tracking of the wheel or is it the track rod ends too?

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The tracking is adjusted by turning the track-rod (the one behind the axle). The TRE's have different threads (one LH & one RH) so as the rod is turned it turns the wheels in or out depending on the adjustment required.
When the tracking has been set, turn the cross rod to bring the steering wheel straight again however getting the wheel straight is only half the issue, you also have to make sure the indicator cancelling lug (welded to the column) is in the correct position otherwise the self canceling action won't work properly and just aligning the wheel won't cure it.
It's one of those things that is easier to see than explain.

Apparently you can do it yourself with some string, a measuring tape and spanners etc... Probably less of a carry on just to have a garage do it though but if you look it up on tinterweb it doesnt seem all that difficult. However dont go to kwik fit, robbing bastards. If they charge the same down there as they do up in Scotland then it was £39 to have it checked then £19.99 per adjustment after that. Needless to say i told them where to go

The trouble is that doing it DIY you will never be as exact as a laser set-up and it is accuracy you want for precise steering and even tyre wear.
Shop around as like I said, JT do all checks FOC and charge only £20 for adjustment (or for the price of a McDonalds, depends on what time you go in) so I am sure other garages will do the same. When it has been set up, adjustment is easy and takes just a couple of minutes as long as the TRE's aren't siezed in the rod.
Some places class a LR as a light commercial so say their equipment won't fit but in reality JT use the same kit on my 265/75x16's as on a car and it works perfectly.