dioliahary Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Hi , I have just renewed my track rod end ball joints, drag link ball joint, steer uj's, drop arm complete with new steer box. The steering has improved dramatically. Easier to steer, returning to centre, more responsive but... I am not sure if I have lost confidence in the steering as I am waiting to deceareate in anticapation of the dreaded sway. I have even adjusted up an eigth of a turn the new steer box (should you have to adjust these when new?). The steering has improved but I am just not sure what a landy steering is when normal, any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearos Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I do believe that the steering on a defender is often considered some what vague at the best of times - you certainly can't compare it with a modern hatchback/saloon. What condition are your bushes in? Worn bushes will have a considerable effect on the feel of your steering and/or any wandering, panhard rod bushes particularly. When I replaced the A frame bushes on mine it made a huge difference. I'm sure someone with a lot more knowledge will be along shortly to expand or correct me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I'd say it really depends on your setup, 90 or 110, the size of your tyres, etc. If in doubt, why don't you have a drive of one for sale at a garage? Cheers, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 you should have no more than 1/2 inch of left/right movement at the steering wheel when stationary with engine off, steering should be fairly light if Power assisted & be accurate on the road, I don't have to keep see sawing mine to keep a straight path while driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dioliahary Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 Ta, I have renewed the panhard bushes and recently (last week) renewed the A fram ball joint the A frame ball joint renewal on its own seemed to make a dramatic improvement. I think i will have to take her for a long run to fully examine the steering performance, the steering wheel input is certainly improved. Before I did not have the confidence to get her over 57ish mph before it became a handfull, will get her on the motorway soon to see what happens and keep you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Before I did not have the confidence to get her over 57ish mph before it became a handfull, will get her on the motorway soon to see what happens and keep you posted. Have you had the tracking checked and the wheels balanced? It's worth going to a garage with a "proper" setup... There's one round here (no good for you) they have an amazing bit of kit that uses lasers and everything (well I was impressed ). I keep meaning to take Daisy down to have her checked over, trying to find the time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orgasmic Farmer Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I have spent considerable time on mine getting it set up well. Almost everything new and zero play in the system. You move the wheel and the wheels turn. However, it was still vague and didn't inspire confidence. Finally I checked the tracking with a piece of string and realised I had quite a bit of toe out. I wound the track control bar out a bit and got a tiny bit of toe in back and it transformed it. Truck now self centres and I can let the wheel go at any speed and it feels stable and keeps going in the direction it is meant to go. Turns in well and corners as well as many cars. Best of all, there is no steering shimmy when hitting bumps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orgasmic Farmer Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Reckon lasers are a bit of overkill on a beam axle truck as there is only really one adjustment you can make Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dioliahary Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 Good point whats the best way to check the tracking, Garage or DIY? May sound silly but kwik Fit somewhere like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orgasmic Farmer Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 You can do a quick, easy and free check yourself to see whether it is somewhere near. You will need an assistant sat in the drivers seat to make life easier though. Take a length of thin string/cord and tie one end to the towbar. Pass it under the rear crossmember and draw it across the horizontal centre line of the rear wheel on one side of the car. Pull it to the front of the car (this will only work if you have a clear run and there are no side steps or stuff in the way!!) and pull it taut across the centre line of the front wheel. Get your assistant to turn the wheel untill the front and rear wheels are in a perfect straight line with the string touching front and back of both tyres with no deviations. Now, without moving the steering, repeat on the other side. It should be immediately obvious from how the string interferes with the front wheel on this side whether the truck has toe-in, toe-out or parallel tracking. If it is toe=out I would suggest turning the track rod until you have parallel tracking and giving it a road test. I set mine with a small amount of toe-in and am really happy with how it drives. (small amount equates to about 3-4 mm of air between the string and the leading edge of the front wheel) Not scientific but it works fine on something as agricultural as a land rover. Don't go OTT on toe-in though as you will scrub the tyres.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Good point whats the best way to check the tracking, Garage or DIY? May sound silly but kwik Fit somewhere like that. Not kwik fit. Anything but kwik fit. Orgasmic Farmer: I take your point about lasers, a straight line is a straight line. It's an ar*e of a job to do yourself. Personally it's easier to take it to a garage, my point about the lasers was that they invested in some sweet kit & knew what they were doing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dioliahary Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 Brill many thanks will get to it this week sometime and post the results, final piece of the jigsaw.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dioliahary Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 Quick update, I measured the tracking which was toe out, I have adjusted and it seems better however have not given it a full road test as the battery went flat today so going to fit an Anderson plug set up tomorrow. Will give it a blast and let you know, may have been the tracking all along.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I have spent considerable time on mine getting it set up well. Almost everything new and zero play in the system. You move the wheel and the wheels turn. However, it was still vague and didn't inspire confidence. Finally I checked the tracking with a piece of string and realised I had quite a bit of toe out. I wound the track control bar out a bit and got a tiny bit of toe in back and it transformed it. [snip] Hmm, mostly a full time beam axle 4WD likes a bit of toe out, and Land Rover's spec is 0-2mm toe out anyway. I've always run 2mm toe out and the 130 tracks dead straight and it has bugger all caster (it really needs the swivel balls slotted) Most Deefers I've heard with the wanders often run toe in. Set them straight or toe out and it improves them, but it can come down to tyre type and construction too. Toe out helps turn in too (it improves turn in response) but on rear drive cars will induce wander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orgasmic Farmer Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Appreciate that Rick. Just giving my view based on experience running both. A little Toe in seemed to cure my wandering problems. I wonder if having a small lift and the axle not being brand new changes the geometry slightly so that a few degrees of toe in on the flat becomes parallel when moving as the wheels are forced backwards, whereas a few degrees toe-out becomes a lot of degrees toe out when moving. Anyway, it is such a simple adjustment to change and measure it would be very easy to try a few different settings and see what works/feels best on any given truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicks90 Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 i've always set mine as dead ahead as i can manage using a bit of string. Tyre pressure and tread type have more impact (imho) than a couple of mm toe in or toe out - and therefore getting tyre pressure right is more important than perfectly set tracking. steering column UJ and panhard rod bushes are the next biggest improvement you can make to a 'wandering' deefer. Any play in this magnifies a hundred times the vagueness of the steering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dioliahary Posted November 17, 2012 Author Share Posted November 17, 2012 Hi there, my steering seems to be pretty acurate now, albeit i have adjusted the steering box to the max. Had to renew my exhaust back box and silencer recently. Got myself an OEM steering damper to fit this should only improve the steering. Still not fully confident at high speeds 60 mph but that just may be me, btw talking about speed i was on the motorway the other day and saw a couple of defenders batting along at 70 mph plus, mine gets to around 60 max before i get a bit flustered what max speed should you get out of a 200tdi 90? Thanks for all your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 btw talking about speed i was on the motorway the other day and saw a couple of defenders batting along at 70 mph plus, mine gets to around 60 max before i get a bit flustered what max speed should you get out of a 200tdi 90?Thanks for all your help In mine, a 200Tdi 90, I can get to 75mph on the clock as long as the road is flat. But I never do as A: the fuel economy would fall off the bottom of the scale, B: I don't believe it's good for the car mechanically and C: it gets a little loud for my liking. 60mph is what I cruise at, will happily sit there all day. Might stretch to 65mph to get past the odd lorry or what not Modern Defenders will happily cruise at 70mph plus. More powerful engines, higher gearing and better soundproofing all make them faster and more comfortable at those speeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.