Wandering Steering

When I am driving along on straight sections of road I find the steering wanders, not like the tracking is out but just randomly decides to head off one way or the other leaving me to recorect it. Generaly it is ok on cornering.

I have recently changed all the discs and done the bearings at the same time, I thout it might have been this. I have just rechecked the bearings today and found that one was a little loose but this has not completely solved the problem.

Not realy sure where to look next, I cant see or feel any other movement on the axle or steering parts except for the slack in the steering colum that has always been there.

Any Ideas welcome.

Thanks

Any one?

Have you checked yer drop arm ball joint?

I will give it a go thanks

When I bought my defender it was like that... the drop arm ball joint was knackered and the drop arm nut wasn't done up tight enough.

Happened again recently and it was a UJ in the steering rod had a tiny amount of play in - barely visible - but once it went through the steering box it turned into enough to make the steering seriously weird.

Start at the drop arm like Ali says... it's the most likely to go as it's out in all the muck and buwwets.

Cheers for that, I just went under it and grabed all of the different parts from the drop arm ball joint onwards and all seem to be tight. I was thinking it was most likely something to do with the ball joints but cant find any play so I was planning to change them as a matter of course anyway.

What affect might the steering damper be having on any of this, is there a chance it could be getting to the end of its life and causing me trouble?

Cheers

If yer dampers gone, I think its more noticeable over bumps un the like. Having sed that, when my drop arm ball joint went, I changed the damper too at the same time.. Just to be on the safe side! Plus they're pretty cheap to replace.

It may figure, it is causing me trouble on roads that are bumpy, undulating and have lory ruts especialy if I sit in the inside lane on a motorway it does tend to throw me about alot but in the other lanes it is better

The damper has the same effect as a suspension damper does only side to side instead of up and down. If you hit a bump and the steering snatches side to side and is almost uncontrollable, but it's fine on the flat and smooth stuff... look to the damper. If it's got a sort of 'gap' between about 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock look to the drop arm ball joint and track rod ends. If it's vague throught the wheel but with no particular area of steering look to the UJ's in the steering rod.

James said:

It may figure, it is causing me trouble on roads that are bumpy, undulating and have lory ruts especialy if I sit in the inside lane on a motorway it does tend to throw me about alot but in the other lanes it is better

Click to expand...

For the sake of a few quid, you might as well get a drop arm ball joint replacement kit too. Yer cun get em from paddocks or craddocks. They really aren't expensive and its pretty straightfoward to do. Buster has done a whole thread on the subject somewhere here in the 'archives' of LZ! The hardest part of the job for me was getting the old drop arm off so I could replace the ball joint. It is possible to do it with the drop arm still in place tho, just a bit more fiddley..!

Thanks Adz, I might even say that I have all 3 problems put together, I might just get all the parts then I know it is all fresh. I did the steering box about a year ago now so that should be ok.

Have any of you done the steering rod change?

Hybridgirl, I think the drop arm ball joint is the same as the track rod ends and come as a complte unit that screws onto the track rod and pushes throught the drop arm.

Just had another look, I definatly have play in the steering rod UJ neer the bulkhead. I will get a new one and change it, see what happens.

James said:

Thanks Adz, I might even say that I have all 3 problems put together, I might just get all the parts then I know it is all fresh. I did the steering box about a year ago now so that should be ok.

Have any of you done the steering rod change?

Hybridgirl, I think the drop arm ball joint is the same as the track rod ends and come as a complte unit that screws onto the track rod and pushes throught the drop arm.

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If it's the same as the defender ones, then it does come in a kit.
If ye have a look in me how to thingy ye'll see it

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f41/

I thnk it changed at some stage I think this is the one on mine

RTC5870 Drop Arm Ball Joint (replacement) - from JA019110

James said:

I thnk it changed at some stage I think this is the one on mine

RTC5870 Drop Arm Ball Joint (replacement) - from JA019110

Click to expand...

oh well, ah stand corrected

Thanks for the thought, good pics by the way!

James said:

Thanks for the thought, good pics by the way!

Click to expand...

Cheers

A friend had a similar problem, have you checked your swivel 'kingpin' bearings? jack up either of the front wheels, an grab top an bottom of tyre, try an move it in an out so to speak, if there is any movement their screwed an will prbly need replacing...

Depending on your spanner abilities, this job can be a bit of a pain to do as ideally you need a spring balance to set up th shims for bearing pre-loading...

sorry to bring up an old thread. Still haveing the same problem. I havenow changed all the balljoints form the drop arm onwards. Indoing so I have had the steering damper off and found it to be woking ok.

Any other ideas. Do I need to be looking elsewhere altogether like the suspension bush's. I have changed most of them just a couple of years ago so I can't imagine it is this?

A frame ball joint