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Car Forum / Land Rover Cars / March 2008

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Defender 90 - Vague Steering

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Andy - 27 Mar 2008 22:08 GMT
Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good nick.

Only issue so far is that the steering seems very vague, it wanders all over
the place and you have to work it to keep going straight. Not had a 90
before, is it a normal characteristic or a sign of a worn damper or steering
box etc?

Has 265/75/16 MT's fitted but was more or less the same on the standard
rostyles and skinny tyres.

Signature

--
Andy

Disco3 TDV6 GS Auto
Defender 90 200 Tdi

Mark Solesbury - 27 Mar 2008 22:29 GMT
> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good nick.
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Has 265/75/16 MT's fitted but was more or less the same on the standard
> rostyles and skinny tyres.

No...

Mine is sharp.

Probably worn bush in either steering damper or play in the uj's on the
column.

Signature

Mark
1996 90 300tdi
1987 RR V8 EFI
2007 Golf GT

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Nige - 27 Mar 2008 22:38 GMT
> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good
> nick.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> --

Steering damper, worn swivel bushes, not a Disco 3!!

I reckon the tyres arent helping, they look big mate.

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Nige, talking utter shite since 1967.

Focus ST3
Discovery 3  XS
Daytona SE
BMW K1200S (coming soon)

NIGE#1

Nige - 27 Mar 2008 22:42 GMT
> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good
> nick.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> --

Bring it round & I'll have a look for you matey?

Signature

Nige, talking utter shite since 1967.

Focus ST3
Discovery 3  XS
Daytona SE
BMW K1200S (coming soon)

NIGE#1

EMB - 27 Mar 2008 22:46 GMT
> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good nick.
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Has 265/75/16 MT's fitted but was more or less the same on the standard
> rostyles and skinny tyres.

Has it had a suspension lift without a caster correction?
Andy - 27 Mar 2008 23:18 GMT
>> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good
>> nick.
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> Has it had a suspension lift without a caster correction?

No suspension lift fitted.

Signature

--
Andy

Disco3 TDV6 GS Auto
Defender 90 200 Tdi

Andy - 27 Mar 2008 23:19 GMT
>>> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good
>>> nick.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> No suspension lift fitted.

Just went through MOT with no problem too.

Signature

--
Andy

Disco3 TDV6 GS Auto
Defender 90 200 Tdi

Nige - 27 Mar 2008 23:27 GMT
>>>> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very
>>>> good nick.
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Just went through MOT with no problem too.

It will be summat & f.ck all, or summat really serious ;)

Nip round this weekend & i'll give it a good hiding on the road if you
want, could even be tracking really badly out.

Nige
EMB - 27 Mar 2008 23:34 GMT
>>> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good
>>> nick.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> No suspension lift fitted.

Wrong offset on the rims?
Bob Hobden - 27 Mar 2008 23:57 GMT
"Andy"  wrote...
> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good
> nick.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Has 265/75/16 MT's fitted but was more or less the same on the standard
> rostyles and skinny tyres.

I thought the rear "A" frame ball joint can cause this when it needs
replacing? My 90 has started to do the same and I believed it to be the ball
joint, steering column joints are tight, so could it simply be the steering
damper (bloody sight easier to fix than the "A" frame joint!).

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Regards
Bob Hobden

Austin Shackles - 28 Mar 2008 09:33 GMT
>Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good nick.
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>Has 265/75/16 MT's fitted but was more or less the same on the standard
>rostyles and skinny tyres.

Steering damper or tracking is my bet.  My tracking setting-of-choice is
parallel on most of the rangie/disco/90/110 set.  

Also check: play in the steering box, which could exist but not be enough to
fail the MOT - might be able to adjust it but beware of making it too stiff.
Iffy swivel bearings should have shown up on the mot.

Steering damper gone tends to make it much more sensitive to bumps etc in
the road, ISTR.

Front tyre pressure.  Book values as ever are way too low, I'd be looking at
32 or 34 psi even in fat tyres like those.  I ran the 300 TDi disco on
235/70R16 with 36 in the fronts, good tyre wear pattern and nice sharp
steering - lower tyre pressure will make it more vague.

I tend to run it a bit and check the tyre edges for feathering - if the
tracking's known to be OK, then any uneven tyre wear is likely to be down to
pressures.  Discos especially often show uneven wear on the front tyres, and
people who know little say "oh, they all do that".  Oh no they don't - I had
a set of Pirellis (known to be soft, fast-wearing tyre) on one of mine from
new, and when replaced they had almost dead-level wear down to under 2mm,
and had never been rotated on the vehicle.
Andy - 28 Mar 2008 10:29 GMT
>>Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good
>>nick.
[quoted text clipped - 38 lines]
> new, and when replaced they had almost dead-level wear down to under 2mm,
> and had never been rotated on the vehicle.

It's getting a new set of springs and shockers fitted next week so will get
a new steering damper done at the same time. It isn't too bad and I think
the combination of large tyres and a small steering wheel are exacerbating
the problem.

Just need to get used to it probably.

Signature

--
Andy

Disco3 TDV6 GS Auto
Defender 90 200 Tdi

Oily - 28 Mar 2008 11:59 GMT
> >>Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good
> >>nick.
[quoted text clipped - 45 lines]
>
> Just need to get used to it probably.

Don't forget to check the bushes on the rear trailing arms, steering will
be terrible if these are worn.  And if they are worn you really need to fit
them in pairs.

Martin
Nige - 28 Mar 2008 18:26 GMT
>>> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very
>>> good nick.
[quoted text clipped - 47 lines]
>
> --

The steering box might need adjustment matey.

Signature

Nige, talking utter shite since 1967.

Focus ST3
Discovery 3  XS
Daytona SE
BMW K1200S (coming soon)

NIGE#1

Tom Woods - 28 Mar 2008 15:20 GMT
> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good nick.
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Has 265/75/16 MT's fitted but was more or less the same on the standard
> rostyles and skinny tyres.

worn swivel pins (or too many shims in them) on a series can cause a lot
of vague feeling through the steering wheel, and cause it to wander a
lot when you hit a bump/hole.
jg - 29 Mar 2008 21:23 GMT
> Collected my 90 today, seems a real cracker, '91 200 Tdi in very good nick.
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Has 265/75/16 MT's fitted but was more or less the same on the standard
> rostyles and skinny tyres.

I have an '87 RR which I reckon steers like a sponge, the seller said it
was normal and I'm sure he wasn't trying to put one over - he has looked
after the car with almost an obsession.
I discovered a split rubber coupling in the steering column (I would
guess all landrovers are similar?) which I replaced just yesterday. It's
still no formula one, but noticeably better.
Austin Shackles - 30 Mar 2008 09:11 GMT
>I have an '87 RR which I reckon steers like a sponge, the seller said it
>was normal and I'm sure he wasn't trying to put one over - he has looked
>after the car with almost an obsession.
>I discovered a split rubber coupling in the steering column (I would
>guess all landrovers are similar?) which I replaced just yesterday. It's
>still no formula one, but noticeably better.

generally, I reckon this is a combination of a whole pile of very small
wear/faults.  Consider: There're 2 flexible joints in the steering column,
then there's the steering box, then 2 balljoints before you get to the
wheels, then there're swivel bearings and track rod and its damper, and then
finally tyre pressures...

Then there are 10 flexible bushes holding the front axle onto the vehicle: 2
at the front of each radius arm and 2 at the back, plus 2 on the panhard
rod...

Not to mention the damper bushes and their mountings, including the 2 on the
steering damper...

...and all of them affect your steering precision, if there's the slighest
extra play in 'em.
Signature

Austin Shackles.  www.ddol-las.net  my opinions are just that
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jg - 30 Mar 2008 10:27 GMT
>> I have an '87 RR which I reckon steers like a sponge, the seller said it
>> was normal and I'm sure he wasn't trying to put one over - he has looked
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> ...and all of them affect your steering precision, if there's the slighest
> extra play in 'em.

Yes that's right, but with perhaps "squirmier" off-road or truck tyres,
more suspension travel etc than a 2wd sedan you might expect them to
feel a little more rubbery. Some of us don't know what they are like new
or how one compares with another aged... what is considered normal after
forgiving all the minor wear. I might have written the loose feeling off
as normal, but I happened to notice the broken coupling and found the
steering better after I fixed it. It even has to be facing up when you
happen to be under the bonnet, probably looking at something else - it
doesn't jump out.

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