130 defender steering problem

[carvs]

Hi all just wondering if anyone could help me with a problem my 130 defender has.
I have a 2010 defender 130 which has done 38,000 klm. It has a strong tendency to pull to the left. So bad if i let go of the steering at 100 i will end up in the bush. I have had several wheel alighnments with no luck in fixing the problem. I have put it into Landrover for a warrenty claim and they measured and checked all the springs and sent the info back to someone in england. There responce was due to the non genuine parts fitted its causeing the left hand springs to sag changing the steering geomatry.
The Extras I have fitted is a warn winch and TJM bullbar to the front. surely im not the only one with this amount of weight to the front.
Has anyone had simillar problems and can let me know what avenu to go down to rectify the problem.
:twisted::twisted:

[DEFENDERZOOK]

If the alignment is all correct.......and there's no play in the swivel hubs......or worn bushes......or wheel pressures........

try swapping the front wheels left to right and see if that helps.......

also.....measure the height on all four corners....with the vehicle on level ground...measure the distance from the bottom edge of the wheel arch down to the bottom edge of the rim......

You may have a spring with too much sag in it.....if this is the case.....then swapping the springs left to right may help correct the problem......
If it does help.....it would be best to replace the springs with some slightly stronger ones to cope with the extra weight........


Defenders are known for a symptom called.....defender droop.....

[camel_landy]

It might also be worth checking the alignment of the rear axle, together with the condition of the bushes.

As for the winch & bar, with the extra weight up front & forward of the front springs, it might be worth changing the springs for the Heavy Duty versions.

M

[newhue]

carves, mine did the same. Tried all the fixes below and still the same. I have been told the caster in the steering geometry is made for driving on the other side of the road, to cater for the roads camber. Not sure if that is correct or just another excuse.

In the end I took it to a truck suspension place that does caster correction. It's a bit brutal, but they start buy putting the alignment tools on the front wheels, then sling a chain over the diff and start bending the long part of the axel housing. Did the trick and was only $140.
Drives very well now no pull at all, has done 40k since in all applications, varied weights and road surfaces. No baring failure, no oil leaks.

Hard to explain, but I see no reason LR cant make two diff housing the same, that cant make much else the same when it come to a Defender. This is the only reason I can come up with because some have it, others don't.
A mate with a TD5 who had his caster corrected 5 years ago also has had no issues.

[ugu80]

also.....measure the height on all four corners....with the vehicle on level ground...measure the distance from the bottom edge of the wheel arch down to the bottom edge of the rim......
.
Keep in mind the right hand springs should be around 1cm longer than the left hand springs. Most cars have longer right springs to allow for driver weight.

[ugu80]

...measure the distance from the bottom edge of the wheel arch down to the bottom edge of the rim...
It worries me when people use Defender build quality as a measuring tool.

[isuzutoo-eh]

Measure your wheelbase on both sides too.

[justinc]

carves, mine did the same. Tried all the fixes below and still the same. I have been told the caster in the steering geometry is made for driving on the other side of the road, to cater for the roads camber. Not sure if that is correct or just another excuse.

In the end I took it to a truck suspension place that does caster correction. It's a bit brutal, but they start buy putting the alignment tools on the front wheels, then sling a chain over the diff and start bending the long part of the axel housing. Did the trick and was only $140.
Drives very well now no pull at all, has done 40k since in all applications, varied weights and road surfaces. No baring failure, no oil leaks.

Hard to explain, but I see no reason LR cant make two diff housing the same, that cant make much else the same when it come to a Defender. This is the only reason I can come up with because some have it, others don't.
A mate with a TD5 who had his caster corrected 5 years ago also has had no issues.


Interesting Jason, I have seen this with camber correction in strut type suspension, but not live axles before :D

Perhaps anyone else contemplating this fix, should also consider the less 'brutal' part by slotting the swivel housings, adjusting and then locking. A bit more expensive but a bit less 'twisty':twisted:

Still, bending/ twisting is an industry recognised practise, and it works:D


JC

[lambrover]

Interesting Jason, I have seen this with camber correction in strut type suspension, but not live axles before :D

Perhaps anyone else contemplating this fix, should also consider the less 'brutal' part by slotting the swivel housings, adjusting and then locking. A bit more expensive but a bit less 'twisty':twisted:

Still, bending/ twisting is an industry recognised practise, and it works:D

JC

JC, I think he has camber and caster confused myself.

For the OP

Bending a housing will change camber. Camber will effect you steering and tyre wear, but it is usually not a problem unless you have bounced your truck up rocky hills. I bent my front housing in my Isuzu county rock crawling.

Do you have a print out off the alignment.

I bet the wheel alignment was only a 2 wheel not 4 wheel. As some one has already suggested you need to make sure the rear axle is aligned correctly. It's called the thrust line and if its not square to the vehicles center line it will push the vehicle around. Have a good look at all the bushes in your control arms front and rear.

I have forgot whilst writing this if you have a lift or not. If you do your caster could be out.

[newhue]

Print out, you got to be kidding. Just some starry looking thing mounted on the wheels. I forgot to mention there was was block of wood in there two. I guess you got to bend it on something. The business owner didn't take it lightly, and did say there could be no improvement. He played it down that he has done a lot of Defenders and many of the RAAF units.

At the time unknown to me I had a slight bend in the left trailing arm. The bending fixed the tacking off to the left straight away with my half worn XZL's. New tyres fixed my wobbling steering wheel, and a new trailing arm fixed the untraceable ever so slightly unevenly warn tyres.
When I rotated my two brand new spares onto the car recently, I had the old wobbly steering wheel again. So a trip to a different tyre fitter and had one tyre rebalanced and no more wobbly steering wheel. I knew it was that one because I could see the front guard going up and down at 80km/h.

I had standard 130 suspension with TJM steel bar and brush bars, and plasma winch at the time of the tracking left problem.

I find the idea of a rear alignment on these things a bit weird. There are two arms the same length in theory and some rubber spacers, if the spacers aren't worn out what is there to align.
Same with the front, if the tow out is set at 1 then the jobs done. Well tha't my understanding.
There is no fine adjustment on these things. They are made to bang and bump over stuff all day.

[460cixy]

Print out, you got to be kidding. Just some starry looking thing mounted on the wheels. I forgot to mention there was was block of wood in there two. I guess you got to bend it on something. The business owner didn't take it lightly, and did say there could be no improvement. He played it down that he has done a lot of Defenders and many of the RAAF units.

At the time unknown to me I had a slight bend in the left trailing arm. The bending fixed the tacking off to the left straight away with my half worn XZL's. New tyres fixed my wobbling steering wheel, and a new trailing arm fixed the untraceable ever so slightly unevenly warn tyres.
When I rotated my two brand new spares onto the car recently, I had the old wobbly steering wheel again. So a trip to a different tyre fitter and had one tyre rebalanced and no more wobbly steering wheel. I knew it was that one because I could see the front guard going up and down at 80km/h.

I had standard 130 suspension with TJM steel bar and brush bars, and plasma winch at the time of the tracking left problem.

I find the idea of a rear alignment on these things a bit weird. There are two arms the same length in theory and some rubber spacers, if the spacers aren't
worn out what is there to align.
Same with the front, if the tow out is set at 1 then the jobs done. Well tha't my
understanding.
There is no fine adjustment on these things. They are made to bang and bump
over stuff all day.

Your right all you can do is toe and go if th caster is out something's bent if camber is out again something is bent or worn. Pretty basic if my memery is correct there's 0degres camber 2mm toe out. And no idea on the caster sorry but I expect about 3 degrees negative. But rove will have the specs

[lambrover]

Print out, you got to be kidding. Just some starry looking thing mounted on the wheels. I forgot to mention there was was block of wood in there two. I guess you got to bend it on something. The business owner didn't take it lightly, and did say there could be no improvement. He played it down that he has done a lot of Defenders and many of the RAAF units.

At the time unknown to me I had a slight bend in the left trailing arm. The bending fixed the tacking off to the left straight away with my half worn XZL's. New tyres fixed my wobbling steering wheel, and a new trailing arm fixed the untraceable ever so slightly unevenly warn tyres.
When I rotated my two brand new spares onto the car recently, I had the old wobbly steering wheel again. So a trip to a different tyre fitter and had one tyre rebalanced and no more wobbly steering wheel. I knew it was that one because I could see the front guard going up and down at 80km/h.

I had standard 130 suspension with TJM steel bar and brush bars, and plasma winch at the time of the tracking left problem.

I find the idea of a rear alignment on these things a bit weird. There are two arms the same length in theory and some rubber spacers, if the spacers aren't worn out what is there to align.
Same with the front, if the tow out is set at 1 then the jobs done. Well tha't my understanding.
There is no fine adjustment on these things. They are made to bang and bump over stuff all day.

Rear alignment, as you said most things should be the same but if there not the rear alignment will be out. Either bent control arms or worn bushes.

Front, as I said I have had a bent front housing and that was wearing tyre out, I stuck it on a aligner and got the print out, so I was able to look at my camber which was out of spec, castor angle as well as I have slotted hubs and toe.

I see you have mentioned that you had a bent trailing arm, this could have been the cause the whole time.

As the rear left arm was bent it is now shorter and this pulls the rear axle forward on the left side this means the rear axle is pushing the car to the left(rear steer).

[newhue]

hmm, possible, makes sense, but if the slightest bend that I had in my trailing arm shot the car off into the scrub within 30 meters like it used to then that's pretty amazing.
The mate who has the TD5 that had the same pulling left problem, the same fix, but no bent trailing arms puts that whole question of the fix back into the court unfortunately.

[lambrover]

hmm, possible, makes sense, but if the slightest bend that I had in my trailing arm shot the car off into the scrub within 30 meters like it used to then that's pretty amazing.
The mate who has the TD5 that had the same pulling left problem, the same fix, but no bent trailing arms puts that whole question of the fix back into the court unfortunately.

Yeah ok, may be not if it was bent so slight. Pretty hard to work out on a forum haha.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

Keep in mind the right hand springs should be around 1cm longer than the left hand springs. Most cars have longer right springs to allow for driver weight.



yes....thats true......but the road is also higher on the drivers side.....

and most aftermarket springs are the same length left to right.....
as for build quality.....humour starts at the factory......and runs right through to the buyer......



as a check for the pulling to the left.....try swapping the tyres left to right.....and see if this makes a difference....