Steering alignment question ..

[Anderzander]

I've just finished fitting a 3 link front end (which I'll make a thread for later on). I had to remove and refit the track rod (in the dark....) and after I've reassembled it all the steering wheel is off centre, when it was spot on before.

I figured I must have got the tracking out - but after a quick measure of the distance across the front and rear edges of the front tyres the tracking seems pretty good. I measured twice and got a 5mm difference.

What's confusing me is that I didn't touch the drop arm or drag link so why would my steering wheel alignment have changed at all?

I suppose if the axle had moved across a little it would do that too - but I left the panhard rod on and other that the link rods all the rest is as it was (ie shocks and springs etc)

I'm thinking my measuring must be too inaccurate and that I need to get under there again and measure from the inside rims of the front wheels.

Am I missing something?

[western]

pin centres of track rod [behind the axle] start at a nominal setting of 1230mm, drag link has a nominal setting of 934mm between the ball joint pin centre & the hole of swan neck that fits the drop arm pin.

you can adjust the drag link to centre the steering wheel, this will not affect the tracking.

[Anderzander]

Thanks Ralph

Those figures will make useful baselines. I know about adjusting the drag link - I was just baffled as to why it would alter ?! :-)

[western]

I found the 1230mm nominal figure for the track rod in my RAVE Discovery info, as the wheel track is common to RRC/Discovery 1 & Defender, I tried it & got a decent base setting for my 110, for some unknown reason there is no trackrod nominal length in the Defender RAVE info nor in my paper workshop manual.