1995 discovery 1 300tdi power steering problem

[Millzy]

Hi all , firstly thankyou for a superb forum and all the info in it , have being reading for a short while now and have managed to put some of the technical posts by les the legend ;-) and everyone else to good use , managed to do spider box , swivel housing and fuel lift pump mainly down to the info on here.

My problem at the moment ( apart from oil leaks lol ) is down to the power steering , when sat stationary my steering is really heavy to turn , when driving is no problem at all , i have checked the belt , and there are no signs of leaking from the steering box.

So the first thing is has anybody had this problem , i have done some research but not quite sure how to test the system any further.

Also read about universal joints inside the car ? , havent checked these because im not to sure where they are , any help appreciated guys and once again thanks for a great place to share LR info

Andy

[Ratty43]

I had a similer problem on my XJ-S, it was almost impossible to turn the wheels when stationary until the engine had run for a while, that was caused by air getting in through a very small leak. The system only worked properly once it had bled itself. Worth checking all the pipes for signs of fluid. I think the joints you mean are the ones half-way down the shaft in the engine bay, pop the bonnet and they are easy to spot.

[jonp]

I had a very similar problem and eventually I replaced the PAS pump with a new Genuine one and sorted it. Try bleeding some fluid off the steering box and when someone else is turning the steering wheelback and forth with the engine running. This will bleed any trapped air . If you are getting full pressure you will have a very significant blast of oil out of the bleed nipple if you open it too far . Be very carefull ( or you can get a garage to pressure test the system.) Regards Jonathan

[Millzy]

Thanks guys , i will look into this saturday morning , will defo give the bleeding of box a go , and will check for any split pipes that air could be sneaking in , could be looking like a PAS replacement though , will report back my findings the weekend , once again thanks guys

Andy

[Millzy]

wow , bit of topic as i havent managed to have a look at power steering yet , with MOT lurking round the corner decided to drop the plastic sill covers and have a look to see if there was lots of rot.looked at drivers side and by the back door the sill was shot also starting to go bottom of door post , so made a start on that instead , will get some pics and see what you guys think so far

Andy

[ThreeSheds]

wow , bit of topic as i havent managed to have a look at power steering yet , with MOT lurking round the corner decided to drop the plastic sill covers and have a look to see if there was lots of rot.looked at drivers side and by the back door the sill was shot also starting to go bottom of door post , so made a start on that instead , will get some pics and see what you guys think so far

Andy

Uh-oh...

Been down that road...

Check out the forum for replacing sills with box section - depending on how bad the corrosion is, it may be easier to go the whole hog..

Good luck!

Roger

[Ratty43]

Exactly the problem I've just had, went to fit rock sliders while doing jobs for the MOT and found a fair few holes, I patched mine as it was quicker and cheaper but I expect to be replacing them before the next MOT. If yours is anything like mine it's a never ending list, each time I replace something I find another problem. So far the list for the test has run to new springs, shocks, track rod, drag link,all four ball joints, steering damper, rear discs and pads, rebuiding of rear calipers and the welding. All this before the tester has seen it to find new things to mend, I suspect it'll be rather different to drive with that lot replaced, if it isn't I shall be very disappointed.

[Millzy]

go on ratty , thats a fair old list of jobs you have done , not feeling confident at all about MOT , was thinking of doing all the welding i find then putting it in early so i have time to put right all the problems the tester will find , what do you reakon ?

[Ratty43]

That was the way I intended to do it but I kept on going, frankly I don't believe mine saw the MOT man last time as there were a load of problems that should not have gone through. I would be suprised if you had a run of luck as bad as mine.

[Millzy]

fingers crossed mate , anyhow we will see , will get some pics of welding and will let you know how the powersteering goes , the hardest part is finding the time lol , speak soon mate

[Millzy]

guys how do i add multiple pictures to a post , imm a bit stuck lol

[western]

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=10496

how to post photo's above,

or by using the full editor to reply to a post, you can upload photo's direct from your PC without using a third party like flickr or photobucket

[Millzy]

Thanks Western , well here goes , try to be kind as some of the first welding ive done , is quite solid and looks loads better now its being tarted up a bit ;-)

[fozsug]

Thanks Western , well here goes , try to be kind as some of the first welding ive done , is quite solid and looks loads better now its being tarted up a bit ;-)

Good start, now you need to join the dots up! It needs to be a continuous weld to pass an MOT

[keithjh]

Hi,

Not trying to put you off here, but i suggest you practice your welding "off" the Disco first. You need to learn to seam weld rather than the odd spot.

If you are using i presume a MIG and not a stick, you need to clean up the surrounding areas you are going to weld to properly with grider flap discs etc, it makes a hell off a difference when you come to weld it together, also where your earth clamp is fitted also needs to be very clean.

I have just done one of our Disco`s the replacement sills were made from 100x60x3mm box and fully seam welded in.

I have not been a MOT tester for many years but i would not have passed that.

As i said i am not trying to put you off but you need to improve your welding, all it takes is practice and time.

The danger that i see is if you get by with that welding and you could with the use of underseal etc, you may one day weld something that is critical for strength "think thats okay" and end up with it failing and either killing yourself or someone else because it fails.

Regards

Keith

[Millzy]

Thanks guys and all points taken on board , its a good job its ok if it doesnt go through mot due to second car , willget some pics of how it looks now ( if it ever stops raining )and post back :-/

[ntfs]

To return to your original problem, I would certainly check the steering column universal joints in the engine bay first. Mine seized almost solid in the straight ahead position a few years ago (lower one if I remember correctly) and although I managed to free it off and get some oil into it, it went stiff again and I ended up replacing it. They don't cost much and my steering was transformed. To bleed the power steering, I'm sure that all you have to do is start the engine and turn it from lock to lock a few times. If you do this with the front wheels off the ground and the stiffness is still there it would again point to a seized UJ in the steering column.

Good luck with the welding - I've been there too and once I started I didn't stop for a couple of years! Sills, body mounts, floor, inner wings and rear cross-member have all had to be patched or replaced. Fingers crossed it's only your sills at the moment!

Regards, Peter.