Thread: Swivel Hub Preload and shims

Well yes but have you looked at the swivel bearings?

If they are Brinelled, and that has caused the clearance to open , you will not get rid of shimmy even with the apparently correct preload.
Regards Philip A

If you've had play in the wheel bearing, and also in the swivel, I'd suggest you do the job properly and strip the hub and swivel.

I'm not 100% sure if the Defender's run the same style top pin as the earlier 110's, but having done my County ones recently the pins were quite worn and no amount of preload would have removed the play.

Do it properly and you wont have to worry about it again for years.

Steve

Hi,

I had the same problem with my County and followed the same path until the swivels were rebuilt, which solved it. Tried adjusting swivel preloads too.

What I found when I pulled down the hubs, and removing the swivel bearings is that the needle rollers had worn a corresponding set of radial marks around the straight ahead steering position.

When you increase the preload, by removing shims, you are driving the needle further into the worn/formed notch, which is why, I suggest, you've run out of adjustment, since it below datum.

When I did mine replaced all seals throughout: swivels, hubs, axle, etc.

Mine has bearings at the bottom bush/pin at top, later ones I think have bearings top & bottom. I needed to use my press for the bush at the top.

Clive

Everyone is giving the correct answers here. All components have to add up: Weight of steering rods, steering damper, tyre pressure, swivel pre-loads, tie-rod ends. Defenders have bearings top and bottom. Remove all shims from top and tighten top pin down untill pre-load of 5 to 6 kg is measured on a scale attached through the ball joint hole, and preload remains pretty consistent from lock to lock, measure gap between swivel housing and pin flange and fit correct thickness of shims. I did all of the above on a Disco 1 once, and it still didn't fix it, eventually discovered a couple of the radius arm bush bolts were loose, replaced the bushes, fitted new bolts, solved the problem!

Originally Posted by PhilipA

If they are Brinelled, and that has caused the clearance to open , you will not get rid of shimmy even with the apparently correct preload. Regards Philip A

Hi Philip

Brinelled.

That's a word I haven't heard for a long time.

The problem with tightening the swivel pin bearings, when that has occurred, is that, the rollers can grab the wear marks and lock and then either the cup or the cone can then rotate, in / on their mounts.

Start looking for something like, worn tie rod and link rod knuckles, get someone to help, then gently swing the steering wheel and watch for any slop in the steering train.

Usually the swivel pins can be tested by jacking the vehicle up, just enough to take the load off the wheel, but still touching the ground.
Try it by grabbing the top of the wheel, then push and pull it, look at the top edge of the large seal, where it meets the ball of the swivel pin housing , see if there is any signs of movement.

Thanks guys.

I should add that I have already jacked the wheel up and rocked it vertically to diagnose the wheel bearing play and eliminated that.

I have also checked the steering damper which seems sound. I'd rather not rely on it to mask the symptoms though but address it at the source.

The preload seems consistent lock to lock. I was thinking that with brinelling, I'd get a different feeling coming into and out of straight ahead. Perhaps not with no load.

How big a press do I need to do the swivel hub bearings ?

How big a press do I need to do the swivel hub bearings ?

About 4 lbs manually held and a drift.

Regards Philip A

If your steering goes funny after hitting a pot hole, there is a good chance it is due to incorrect toe-in. Especially if you cant get any vertical play when shaking a jacked up wheel.