unknown knocking!?!?

Hey people. im new to this site and have just bought a defender 90 a couple of months ago but im learning fast with the ways of the landy haha.

Straight to the point - there is a knocking/thudding under the drivers footwell (under my feet) whenever i go off road, down a bumpy uneven track or even when i pull up to a junction (braking to stop). e.g. when stopping to a junction pressing the brakes then once stopped and the landrover eases back to stand, there is a knock under my feet.

The same thing happens when i go off road when the wheels are bumping at different times the same knock happens and it doesnt sound too good.

I thought this would be because of my front prop shaft being sha**ed..it really was in a bad state. So as you do i got a new one and fitted it, lined everything up as needed etc. But the same knocking sound is happening.

I have had my local mechanic look under it many a time and my mates (who are mechanics aswell), they said the balljoints etc are all ok, all arms and steering mech is all ok.

soooooooooo i have no idea what is causing the knocking!! and its beginning to annoy me now and im getting peed off with my landy but i dont want to because its awesome! haha. im worried to take it off road as much now because of this knocking and i want to solve it.

OR this could just be a common Landy thing and im just being stupid haha

So could anyone please help me out with some advice or answers?
Cheers
Gregor.

Try checking ya swivel pins & wheel bearings.

could it not be general slack in the transmission? When you pick up the gears are you quick off the clutch? same when you come off the gas, do you hammer it then come straight off the gas? There is still a fair amount of play in a landy compared to a normal motor, maybe its just you getting used to it.

just a thought.

G

Check the radius arm bushes. Oh and the A-frame ball joint.

I'll have money its the anti roll bar bushes.

I just had the drivers side enti-roll bar bush go on my laguna, and that was causing a knocking from that area mainly whenever the suspension was depressed. Regardless of that, it would be nice to know if you could isolate what's causing the sound. Is it the suspension depressing, does it happen in a straight line or when steering, is it when changing gear, is it a constant knocking related to wheel speed or intermittent?

i rekon the swivels too. Mine did it, dnt have an ARB. This fixed it.

cheers fokes.
ive checked all the bushing on the anti roll bars etc and everything else that was mentiond and they are still there and sound. I can understand how the anti roll bar bushes would cause that kind of knock in that area though.

Although i just went out and realised when i pull on the hand brake, into gear and try to pull away (gently) then ease backwards, still in gear with foot on clutch and hand brake still on, the same knock happens when i ease back.

Also every time i change gear thers a clunk (not crunch) of gears from the gear box, but i just figured this was normal for a landy and doesnt have anything to do with this mysterious knock?

The knock isnt constant, doesnt happen when i change gear or turn corners (on level ground), it only happens when the suspension is working at different times on uneven ground and only sometimes when im braking slowly to stop (not braking harshly).

Going to take the landy to the garage at the weekend and see if they can give some answers. You were all very helpful dont get me wrong haha.

If you have anymore ideas please feel free.

nice one, cheers.

Gregor

my 90 does the same thing when engaging gears, or putting on or pulling off the throttle sharply, just as Griffdowg described I think that's normal, there's a lot of torque in the engine and the transmission probably gets a sharp knock when you engage it I try and avoid doing it if possible, by changing gears more proficiently, but that's easier said than done sometimes.

yeah i know what you mean, so could it possibly be the play in the transmission that is making the knocking when off road?

I mean the owner before me only used it as a run around and he never took it off road to the extent that i do so it could just be a landy thing. Or because of its age (1990) its just buggerd, haha.

T4NK said:

cheers fokes.

...
Although i just went out and realised when i pull on the hand brake, into gear and try to pull away (gently) then ease backwards, still in gear with foot on clutch and hand brake still on, the same knock happens when i ease back.

...

The knock isnt constant, doesnt happen when i change gear or turn corners (on level ground), it only happens when the suspension is working at different times on uneven ground and only sometimes when im braking slowly to stop (not braking harshly).

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Hi Gregor :welcome2:
What you are describing here is a knock that occurs when the axles are being twisted either forwards or backwards. My bet is on the A frame ball joint, or the link arms. The A frame joint also gets put under a lot of stress when the axle is articulating off road so it would knock a lot then also I expect.

Happy knock hunting.

shudda give em the end o ya pasty

ah right sound. i shall give that a check aswell. ive heard its a bast*rd to change but managable. i'll give it a go. as i said before all the arms and bushes are there and in ok condition. but even if the bushes on the ends of the arms are still there could they still be unsound and not working aswell because of old age?

cheers man.

Bushes can look perfectly OK but still be knackered.
You would need to get in there with a pry bar and look for any movement.
They wont move by hand unless they are completely buggered.

Gregor

Where in Sotch-land are you mate? is it a land specialist you are taking it to ?

Iain

ah right, aye ive been under there with a bar and moved them about and they move back into place as if the bushes are still supporting them. And yeah they dont move by hand. The A-frame ball joint or whatever it is seems to be pretty solid aswell. Are there bushes at the front end of the..?..hockey stick?? where it fixes to the front axle?

cheers shifty, keep in touch



Sup Iain, nah its just my local garage that i deal with but a few of them are landy heads so they know what theyr on about...i hope and theyr easy to deal with but i think im annoying them with my constant questions about what this fecking knock could be so im taking it in for a bit so they can check it out...again!

I live in the south west of scotland, Dumfries and Galloway area...a tad far from Aberdeenshire haha, yd u ask?

T4NK said:

ah right, aye ive been under there with a bar and moved them about and they move back into place as if the bushes are still supporting them. And yeah they dont move by hand. The A-frame ball joint or whatever it is seems to be pretty solid aswell. Are there bushes at the front end of the..?..hockey stick?? where it fixes to the front axle?

cheers shifty, keep in touch



Sup Iain, nah its just my local garage that i deal with but a few of them are landy heads so they know what theyr on about...i hope and theyr easy to deal with but i think im annoying them with my constant questions about what this fecking knock could be so im taking it in for a bit so they can check it out...again!

I live in the south west of scotland, Dumfries and Galloway area...a tad far from Aberdeenshire haha, yd u ask?

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Where aboots in D&G are ye tank and what garage are ye usin'?

well bugger me, your from the big up fries! haha, im from kirkcudbright. but im staying in dumfries for the rest of this week and next. where aboots are you man?

T4NK said:

well bugger me, your from the big up fries! haha, im from kirkcudbright. but im staying in dumfries for the rest of this week and next. where aboots are you man?

Click to expand...

Sent ye a pm
If ye want me tae hae a look at yer motor sometime, just gi's a shout and ah'll see what ah can do

aaaaye man thatd be sound. maybe let u have a run in it somewhere offroad so you can try and feel the knocking im talking about and get some idea.

cheers

Tank