Thread: RR steering all over road

First tighten up your swivel housings , then fit some good bushes to the Panhard rod and tighten it up FT !!! Then check your drop-arm , steering linkage Ball joints for slop , and finally replace your rear Center ball joint while your at it !!!!

steering ball joints would be the first suspects, otherwise all bushings (front & rear can be a cause) and therefore need looking at , and it can be worthwhile having the "A" frame bj replaced by someone who knows what they're doing (this can be very difficult to do in a home workshop due to the press tonnage required to shift the old one)

Thanks for the advice, I see what you mean.

Cheers

Whats with this press tonnage ? a little heat and a 4 lb gympie , it will fall out , done 50 of them that way !! Clean up nicely , bit of moly spray , and goes back in easily !!!
The real hard part is only seperating the ball joint from the Housing , undo the nut until its flush with shaft , then jack/lift the car off the ground (just)by jacking on the center ball joint , two good whacks on the back and its out !!!

Best thing you can do to any old rangie is go around with a big FO pair of shifters or sockets/ breaker bar and tighten up all the suspension bolts as tight as you can.

The problem will be free play somewhere either in the steering linkage or in the (front or rear) axle locating linkage.

I would start by getting someone to wiggle the steering while you look for free play (engine running to give power steering). Look in particular at the tie rod end ball joints on the track rod and drag link, and this should also show any free play on the bushes at each end of the panhard rod (from near the steering box to the axle housing).

Next, jack up the front axle, and see if each wheel can be wobbled. Up and down is swivel free play plus wheel bearing - you can remove wheel bearing free play temporarily by having your assistant hold the footbrake on. Sideways play will be wheel bearing plus any steering play you have identified in the previous step.

Next step will be to check all suspension bushes for any movement, with a pinch bar.

Most likely problems will be the tie rod ends, followed by the rear end of the lower link where it attaches to the rear axle (as these have the most effect on steering), but there are lots of places where there can be a problem, and the wandering is likely to be a combination of several of them. Don't forget to check unlikely problems such as the pitman arm loose on the steering box shaft, or the box itself loose. While there is an adjustment on the box, this would be about the last item to do after everything else is perfect, and if there is much play in the box, it is unlikely that this adjustment would correct it anyway!

John

Originally Posted by loanrangie

Best thing you can do to any old rangie is go around with a big FO pair of shifters or sockets/ breaker bar and tighten up all the suspension bolts as tight as you can.

AKA "Annual Suspension Upgrade".
Highly recommended.