front axle housing how much movement

[david livesey]

hi all ive got a 300 tdi defender the front diff and axil housing rotates slightly when i apply load to it. can any one tell me if this normal or are the bushes shot.
thanks david

[JDNSW]

Well, the bushes are elastic, so they will certainly give a little when a load is applie - I guess it is a matter of "how much load" and how much is "slightly", and how do you estimate the movement.

But my guess is that if you can see any movement with the naked eye, the bushes would deserve a very close examination. Removing one of the radius arms to check the bushes is not a big job, and is something I would consider if the question arose. The major concerns are if the rubber in the bush has become very soft, or has broken away from the metal sleeves, or the inner sleeve is moving on the bolt.

John

[loanrangie]

Easy way to check is to get a big screwdriver or similar shaped object and place it in the gap under the diff housing between the mounts and see how much leverage you can apply,if there is a lot of side movement then a pull down for closer inspection is required as John said.