Steering question for MOT tomorrow

Evenin all..
well the 110 is having its mot tomorrow after a 12 month rebuild...

Have noticed a possible steering issue on the way home in it tonight though...

The steering return is quite poor..as in rather than self centering out of a corner it is required to assist this by turning the wheel back.

Its an 84 model with PAS...ive renewed the steering rod behind the axle & adjusted it to the same length as the old one before fitting.
Suspension is all new & standard, tyres are new and normal size for a 'fender (265/75/16).It goes in a straight line & doesnt pull at all.

Is this just an old landy thing or should I be looking at tinkering with something?
I dont remember my manual steering Series being like this but that was some years ago.

Thanks all

caster angle is responaible for stering self centering ,have you adjusted pas box,(overtightened it)track rod behind axle check and adjust wheels straight,inside rims front /back,pas box drop arm pointing forward when wheels straight

Is the suspension lifted?

hi James
not touched the box, drop arm is forward when wheels are straight...maybe the track rod is out?
Or Im thinking maybe a worn column UJ?

Hi Trew
no mate , ive restored it all completely strandard

foss said:

hi James
not touched the box, drop arm is forward when wheels are straight...maybe the track rod is out?
Or Im thinking maybe a worn column UJ?

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Or possibly the damper?

Check tracking - 0 to 6mm toe-in.
You may have over-tightened the box or have a siezed column UJ.

cheers
ill check the tracking & the uj out

It will be the steering rod between the 2 wheels(track rod) it sounds as if it is toe out, Measure it any where between 0mm and 3mm is ideal.
As for the MOT it doesn't come into it, just free play in the box and the ball joint's and uj's. As long as thats OK and it isn't leaking oil all over the floor you will be fine. You are allowed so much free play because it is a steering box with all of the UJ's

Could also be worth checking the swivel preload.

andy mcd said:

It will be the steering rod between the 2 wheels(track rod) it sounds as if it is toe out, Measure it any where between 0mm and 3mm is ideal.
As for the MOT it doesn't come into it, just free play in the box and the ball joint's and uj's. As long as thats OK and it isn't leaking oil all over the floor you will be fine. You are allowed so much free play because it is a steering box with all of the UJ's

Could also be worth checking the swivel preload.

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cheers...theres no leaks, im sure its the track rod now as i literally adjusted it by eye.
Interesting on the swivels though as i did replace all the seals..but didnt touch the top & bottom pins at all...

foss said:

Hi Trew
no mate , ive restored it all completely strandard

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that ****sed on trewys fire

wiltshire landyman said:

that ****sed on trewys fire

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I guess he assumed my Disco induced craze for modifying had leant on the 110 too

The correct way to check the swivel preload is with the oil seals removed, I haven't had to adjust mine in 2 years just the bearings.

I changed my steering rods for heavy duty ones and just made the rear the same length (or so i thought) as the old battered and bent one but i had similar problems. The drag link has to be a certain length but that just controls the steering lock to both sides doesn't effect the steering return

andy mcd said:

The correct way to check the swivel preload is with the oil seals removed, I haven't had to adjust mine in 2 years just the bearings.

I changed my steering rods for heavy duty ones and just made the rear the same length (or so i thought) as the old battered and bent one but i had similar problems. The drag link has to be a certain length but that just controls the steering lock to both sides doesn't effect the steering return

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oh well...ill have them off again if all else fails!

It does sound more like the track length. Usually you feel the wobble when the swivels need adjusted. It is a very common in fact 90% of people check the swivel preload with the seals in but the Manual clearly tells you to have them out it can make a bit of a difference especially if there new seals.

I checked the preload once for a mate who had already done it with the seals on and he said it was perfect. When we took the seal of and rechecked it the resistance was less than 50% of what it had been, They were way to slack

andy mcd said:

It does sound more like the track length. Usually you feel the wobble when the swivels need adjusted. It is a very common in fact 90% of people check the swivel preload with the seals in but the Manual clearly tells you to have them out it can make a bit of a difference especially if there new seals.

I checked the preload once for a mate who had already done it with the seals on and he said it was perfect. When we took the seal of and rechecked it the resistance was less than 50% of what it had been, They were way to slack

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!!!!

yeah, theres no wobble so ill get the tape measure & the mole grips out in the morning cheers

measure to the wheel just above the track rod and measure do the same 180degrees around from it. I find it awkward to read the tape measure as your trying to roll it back and read it, hold it. So what i do is get an M8 bolt approx 50mm and hold that on the wheel and put the tape measure on the other side and measure to the bolt that way you get a more accurate reading

if you can move wheels while jacked up lock to lock by hand steering joints arent to tight

i had this problem when i did my steering box up too tight in an attempt to remove the free-play. It buggered my steering box in that it wouldn't auto-centre, so it's the same symptom as you're getting. do you have tight spots evident when you turn the wheels with them lifted off the ground? You can start to figure out which point the problems at then I guess?

i doubt its the box..ive not touched it & was fine before...tracked it a bot today & was a bit better...will do it again over the weekend & drive it with the damper off to see the difference...