thecuth Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Hi, My 4 door disco has an annoying shake to the body as it drives down uneven roads. It happens on any corrugation or small pothole at any speed, but when driving at speed on any corrugated road (here in Jordan many highways have corrugations) or when driving off road at moderate or faster speed it feels as if the body shell is falling apart. To be precise, the roof oscillates from side to side in relation to the bulkhead. If you hold your fingers where the a pillars meet the windscreen you can actually feel up to 5mm of side to side movement. There is also some movement of the door relative to the dashboard. There is some steering wheel shake with it, but not severe. The windscreen has a crack from top to bottom which I think is a result. There is some cracking of the weld where the a pillar joins the roof, but I feel that this is a consequence rather than the cause. I'll weld that up when the fault's been fixed as I don't want to have to do it twice as it may be a tricky job without removing the headlining and other flammable bits. I have already checked the body mounts, I nipped them all up between 1/2 and 1 turn but it didn't make any noticable difference. The rubber mounts feel solid and don't appear to be falling apart. Ive also adjusted the swivel preload, tightened the steering box, checked the panhard rod and replaced a damaged steering damper. I've visually checked the chassis and outriggers for cracks - but it is conceivable that I missed one. I'm considering replacing the front dampers but they're at least twice as expensive here so it'll only get standard ones and I'd sooner not replace them unless I can be fairly sure that it may be a cause. There's virtually no rust, but I think it's had a hard life. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shackleton Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I've no direct knowledge but if the early Disco is anything like the RRC, and I'd assume it is, the roof is bolted down all the way around the top of the body. Perhaps some of your roof fixings are loose? There's a top surround of the windscreen frame on an RRC that is also an un-boltable affair, certainly on earlier cars. Check your body mounts too, it sounds like an excessive amount of flexing even if the roof were loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecuth Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Thanks for that, very interesting... may take the headlining out at the weekend and see what's going on up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marten Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 My 1992 3 door Disco 1 definitely doesn't have a bolt-on roof. The steel roof panel is spot welded to the steel inner shell all round at the gutter flange. The aluminium outer panels are bolted to the inner steel shell. They bolt from the inside through the steel shell into captive "riv-nuts" in the aluminium panels. I would agree about removing the headlining, if only to see what fatigue damage is being done to the steel shell. If the body is securely attached to the chassis along its full length, then the chassis must also be oscillating wildly and that would seem to be a suspension problem causing a "hard ride"! It seems more likely that the body is loose on the chassis, allowing it to deflect and vibrate. You need to be sure about the mounts and the chassis outriders. If all seems well, then I would suspect structural problems within the steel body shell. You don't mention if you have a roof rack fitted. A large load at roof level could greatly aggravate things. My inclination would be to strip the inner trim on both sides, remove the headlining, lift the carpets and floor insulation and have a really good inspection of the steel shell. You may find your are not as corrosion free as you think. If you can drive it in this stripped state, that will help diagnosis. The last resort is to remove the aluminium side panels and get at the shell exterior. If your Disco hasn't had any major bodywork done since new, then, despite your location, you may find serious structural damage to be the cause. Good hunting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecuth Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 Thanks Marten, what you say makes perfect sense... I guess I should just get on with it now. I've not got a roofrack yet but want to when I've fixed this properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Corrugated highway and speed, sounds like suspension, time for new springs and dampers, whether it is liked or not, dampers have around a 80,000km life on road and the environment you drive, I'd say half that. Springs fatigue with age and hard work, once fatigued they sag and soften the ride, ok for corrugations but shot dampers will not help slow the spring rebound energy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecuth Posted September 28, 2014 Author Share Posted September 28, 2014 Hi Nigel, good point, I found that the front damper bushes were past their best or had been badly fitted. Changed them and it did help but the windscreen frame still flexes in potholes etc. Marten, I got the headlining loose and found the cracks at the top of the a pillars to be more extensive than I expected. I always suspected that the cracks there was a consequence of the problem rather than the cause, but I couldn't find any other damage or rust on the steel body - not even the boot floor. I also removed the wings in case there were cracks between the pillars and bulkhead and there wern't. Today's a normal working day here in Jordan so I dropped it off this morning to have the pillars welded up. I'll see shortly if it fixes the problem... Got a road trip next week that'll include a fair bit of off-roading so I hope it will feel less like a crumbling shed than last time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marten Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Yes; bodywork damage as a consequence of poor suspension in the past seems logical. You should have a much smoother ride with roof and bodyshell re-attached! Perhaps the vehicle has had a heavy roof load in the past with a combination of poor suspension and rough terrain. This could well have started the problem and you have inherited the consequences. I have put over 250K miles on my 1992 vehicle and all body problems have been corrosion related. I found no stress related cracking or damage during a major rebuild programme 3 years ago. Most of the mileage has been on UK roads so there is no comparison with your environment. But I could envy you your dry, corrosion free situation. I hate road salt and watch a mountain of it spread every winter by the Highland Council. Hope you get a good improvement. They are great vehicles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deRangedRoverDriver Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Thinking at how hard your Disco has worked and will work, I would suggest that maybe it is time to check the bushes all round and replace any that look suspicious, starting with the panhard rod bar. A check on the swivel pins for the right resistance would not go amiss either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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