Rangie woes....

[muky-kid.]

:(  Hi all, after sorting the rumbleing problem i had with the front axle after fitting new radious arm bushes and checking front prop for slide and everything else... eventually the rumbleing at low speeds has stopped, but now my steering is up the wall. Now ive got loads of play in the steering ( about 5" either way from centre ) before wheels start to turn which is a bit scary esspeccially when i lift off the accelerator the rangie tends to wander about a bit and is hard to keep in a straight line.

 My question is how easy is it to adjust play in steering box.

Ive renewed all ball joints and steering drop arm ball joint ( which was a pig to get out ), when this was done i ran it over a tracking test board it was fine but recently the steering has got a lot of free play in it. Please help as this is driveing me mad. :(

[coffee boy]

check the drop arm again,i had all mine replaced in a garage but after 3 days and halfway to sodbury sortout the reteining plate in the base came out giving me about the same amount of play. just a thought

[muky-kid.]

check the drop arm again,i had all mine replaced in a garage but after 3 days and halfway to sodbury sortout the reteining plate in the base came out giving me about the same amount of play. just a thought

Cheers mate, ill check it in the morning. :D

[Range Rover Blues]

Let's hope it's that simple 'cos you can't really adjust that much play out of a steering box.

Also did you check the Panhard rod bushes, this is often the cause of vague steering like you describe.
Re-torque the drop arm if you removed it, they can also come loose after a short drive!

[muky-kid.]

Let's hope it's that simple 'cos you can't really adjust that much play out of a steering box.

Also did you check the Panhard rod bushes, this is often the cause of vague steering like you describe.
Re-torque the drop arm if you removed it, they can also come loose after a short drive!

 I replaced the Panhard bushes same time as track rod ends, radious arm bushes etc. Ill check the actual drop arm again as like you say it can come loose. T he drop arm ball joint is o.k i checked it this morning. I did not remove the drop arm when i replaced the ball joint. May need a complete strip down of steering box or bye a new one... :(

Thanks for the advice though.. :D

[coffee boy]

i polybushed the whole car ,i still had a clunk on the steering wheel as the panhard bush on the axle side uses a bolt 2mm smaller on the older classics than the newer. only sussed it when i borrowed the bolt from my 91 to my 89 and it was to big ,so this ment the bush fitted tight in the 91 car but was a little loose in the 89 causing a knock and a bit of play

[muky-kid.]

:D  :D  Finnally sorted the steering freeplay out. It came down to the Drop Arm Nut had come loose ( only by 1 and a 1/2 turns ), so with the help of DPG with a long bar placed over my strong arm and a 34mm socket we tightened the nut up as much as poss. And hay-presto steerings as good as new only 1/2" of play on steering wheel asto 5" as before. Anyway after doing this job, i then looked at one of my Grizzly Claw tyres ( had a slow punture ) and found a whopping big screw in the sidewall, so this is my next job. Fix or bye another one ?. Screw is in a dodgy place for repair, but a freind of ours is in the tyre game and said he would have a look at it for me. Fingers crossed. Picture below is DPG replaceing rear floor panel in his Disco. Very luky caught it in time before too much rust had set in, later my other mate turned up in his Disco so we had a look in the back, and his was worse than DPGs i think Land Rover shouldve stuck with Alluminium like the Classic Rangies.  :D

[muky-kid.]

:D After.......  :D But still lots to do... :(

[Range Rover Blues]

If the hole is in the sidewall then the tyre is scrap but often a hole can be too close to the sidewall even if it's in the tread.  This is because the patch needed is a good 4 inches in diameter and none of it can be fixed to the inside of the sidewall, so many tyre centres will not repair it!
However, if you can find a local tyre specialist who does Vulcanizing (plant tyre specialist for example) then you can legaly have the tyre repaired in this way.

Not sure where you are but for reference I use Rebek tyres in Rotherham.

[muky-kid.]

If the hole is in the sidewall then the tyre is scrap but often a hole can be too close to the sidewall even if it's in the tread.  This is because the patch needed is a good 4 inches in diameter and none of it can be fixed to the inside of the sidewall, so many tyre centres will not repair it!
However, if you can find a local tyre specialist who does Vulcanizing (plant tyre specialist for example) then you can legaly have the tyre repaired in this way.

Not sure where you are but for reference I use Rebek tyres in Rotherham.

Hi mate, ive had tyre fixed by a freind of mine in the buisness. He didnt have to vulcanize the patch, seems ide just got a way with it. Its been on Rangie now for two days and has stayed up, ill just have to see how it goes offroad fingers crossed. If it goes down he has recomended a place nearby that does vulcanizeing. But cheers anyway...  :D  At least the Rangie back to her old good self after replaceing all them bushes and track rod ends etc.. Ill just keep an eye on the drop arm incase it comes loose again. :(

[Range Rover Blues]

Yeah, I notice you said you replaced the balljoint without removing the drop arm, is that because it wouldn't come off?  I tried everything short of an angle grinder to get ours off before resorting to grinding out the old balljoint seat with a Dremel.  Anyway, a couple of days later the damn thing had come loose!  B*****d.  Luckily I saw it whilst doing another job!