Thread: Roaming P38

Originally Posted by njz

Could it be the swivel pin preload?
I had some wandering probs with the disco that were fixed by getting the above fixed.

That model doesn't havel swivel pins as such. Upper and lower balljoints on the end of the axles.

I have just fixed this same problem in a '98 HSE. The symptoms were as you described and I found play in all the steering tie rod ends. Replaced both tie bar assemblies and steering damper and all is well. It tows a 30foot boat and was a bit hairy on the highway apparently.

JC

Mine pulled to one side when I bought it, adjusted the steering box to find it was covering bad wandering, and as JC says tierod ends fixed mine good as new.

Originally Posted by jsp

Mine pulled to one side when I bought it, adjusted the steering box to find it was covering bad wandering, and as JC says tierod ends fixed mine good as new.

Also, forgot to add that another service agent had recently passed all the front end with a clean bill of health.() I will point out here that the play in these tie rod ends may not cause a 1980's camry any grief, but certainly affects the P38!!! All the steering and alignment in these needs to be tight to make them handle as they are designed. 0 to 2mm toe out and it will love the highway again.

JC

The panhard rod bushes in both my previous classic rangies gave the same symptoms.

Good point about the tierod ends. Mine were buggered in my P38A, too. The plastic boot on the ends isn't as good as rubber and seems to fail and let dirt into the TRE.

The same material is used on the suspension ball joints and they, too, were torn in mine so I had to replace those. That's not a cheap job. (We did the half-shaft seals in the ends of the axle housing at the same time as they were leaking - there's a new design seal which hopefully will last a bit longer).

Ron

Finally home after racking up a few miles over the weekend. All fixed, thanks for the suggestions. The alignment was out by a whapping 1 degree on each wheel (still don't understand the difference in degrees and mm but it works)..
Does not sound like much, but with it altered to a 0 mm toe in, all is well. Had the wheels balanced while it was at the doctors too, but only required 30g weights so they cannot have been bad.
Finally I am driving the P38 I always dreamed of.

Thanks again guys, your help saved me lots of hair pulling, and no doubt heaps of $$$$$$$ too.