grumbleweed Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Right- i'm losing the plot with this. I THINK i have pinpointed the problem to the steering box. The bottom of the shaft out of the box has a bit of play. I have tried as much as i can to centre the arm off the box, which hasn't helped at all. All ball joints are new and panhard rod bushes are in good fettle! Is there anything else it could be before i take out the box and try and find a good 2nd hand one? (has anyone got a 4 bolt one). Steering feels really uneasy on a corner, and it is wandering- not violently, but enough to notice!!! GW ______ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 swivel bearing adjustment and preloads? How much backlash is there in the steering now that you have adjusted it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumbleweed Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Cant really adjust it up any more- even when it goes tight it is bad! Havent checked swivel preloads- how do i do that?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Not got time to describe it now, but download the manual from this fellas site and it is all in there. http://landroveroneten.com/index.php/land-rover-manuals/ Also, is the tracking correct and tyre pressures correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumbleweed Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 tracking was done a month ago after i replaced the steering rods and joints. Tyre pressures are 35 all round, as they have been for ages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Just replaced mine for the same reasons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santalars Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 dito. Repaced mine today and for the first time that I have the Defender its driving to where I want. I mean exactly to where I want - and without play. For sure I've done all bushes, bearings and pins before. The issue was that the drop arm had play on the output shaft and the shaft had play itself. I'm sure that a new seal, bearing and drop arm would have solved the problem also but I didn't trust the box. It had done 170k including heavy off road and was over adjusted by the previous owner before. I got a second hand one from ebay for £70 and I was lucky as it appears to be a very recently overhauled one. Works great and the swap took just 2 hrs (I know that there are some here which could do it in 30min and it is not my intention to start a race). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumbleweed Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 Good stuff. Looks like the thing then. Out of interest- what does the screw in the top of the box actually do? I have wound the top screw right in until it goes tight. Has made 'some' improvement, but still not good enough!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santalars Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I have wound the top screw right in until it goes tight. Has made 'some' improvement, but still not good enough!!! You shoudn't do this may be dangerous. The screw is for readjusting the steering box that's right so far. However, this is almost never the problem. Adjusting should be done with great care and by two persons. One rocking the steering wheel while the other adjusts the bolt until there is no play in the centre position. As said, this will only cure play in the centre. If you turn in the screw too far the box a) may get damaged, b) may block when you don't need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumbleweed Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 Turns out a ball joint has failed- Will be doing the box anyway though as a precaution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Turns out a ball joint has failed- Will be doing the box anyway though as a precaution Which one? I thought you'd replaced them all! Not Britpart were they. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumbleweed Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 Which one? I thought you'd replaced them all! Not Britpart were they. Not quite! The swan neck thing that connects to the drop arm had managed to eat a few threads in the new sumo bar, meaning it was waggling about without really being safe, so i took it off and had to put the old one back on. I have just got a shorter bar which has allowed me to get the drop arm nicely in the middle. A vastly improved steering. Now i have a few weeks grace to be able to drive it before i change the box over too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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