NickSuzy Posted October 19, 2007 Share Posted October 19, 2007 Afternoon everyone, I am currently borrowing my dads P38 as i have sold my car and awaiting another to arrive and have noticed a approx 50mph the steering wheel shakes. Once over this speed it stops, but then when you go over a bump the shake reappears and then goes again. What could this be. Cheers for your help Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveG Posted October 19, 2007 Share Posted October 19, 2007 Afternoon everyone,I am currently borrowing my dads P38 as i have sold my car and awaiting another to arrive and have noticed a approx 50mph the steering wheel shakes. Once over this speed it stops, but then when you go over a bump the shake reappears and then goes again. What could this be. Cheers for your help Nick If it occurrs after going over a bump too, it's going to be the steering damper. Easy to replace and should cost about 50 pounds. I'd go for a LR one as I tried an aftermarket gas one it it was overdamped pulling the steering to one side. Cheers Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted October 19, 2007 Share Posted October 19, 2007 I would NOT go for the steering damper straight away, as changing that only hides the original problem, if it effects any improvement at all. The steering wheel in the 38A should not shimmy or shake at all, even without a damper in place, and that includes dropping a wheel in gutter drains etc. The problem is most likely worn ball joints in either the drag link or the track rod. Note that on both these, one of the ball joints is swaged into the link / rod, so changing the ball joint means changing the rod / link. The only problem with this is the price. What you do next depends on who is doing the fine analysis and repair, you or a paid mechanic. If you, have you ever successfully freed off the ball joints in a Classic Range Rover tie rod? If you have, you will know they can be a severe pain to break the corrosion around the adjuster. With the 38A, as you have to buy the link / rod anyway, you might as well buy a complete unit, which includes the adjuster. It does cost a bit more, but makes the job a lot easier. If you are paying for a mechanics time it is definately better to buy the complete unit(s). TBH, the best advice is to change both units at the same time, unless you know one has already been changed within the last two years (and assuming it tests OK). As a generalisation, the joint where the drag link fastens to the steering arm wears most, followed by the one at the other (nearside) end of the drag link, followed by the nearside end of the tie rod, followed by the offside end of the tie rod. Do check your Dealer for prices, don't just assume 'addocks, Rimmers, etc, will be cheaper, especially when quality is taken into account. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 I've been reminded that this could be just a wheel imbalance making itself felt. Checks are often free!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveG Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Once over this speed it stops, but then when you go over a bump the shake reappears and then goes again. This is a classic symptom of a worn steering damper and would not be caused by out of blance wheels. Other items may be worn too, and you'd need to inspect them as per David's suggestion, but I would again advise you to change out the steering damper. Cheers Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I'd check the tracking, these are similar symptoms that my '96 disco had when the tracking was out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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