Thread: Steering wheel wobble

Do a search for swivel preload.

g'day mate igot me own problems but if i were you i would look at the steering dampner to see if its operating correctly.i have rangey that sort of had the same prob

but i would'nt even know if your vehicle 04 Defender Extreme has a damper or not,but if it does check there.

very easy if ya have a hoist,if ya not a fatty,just climb under.

1. Swivel preload
2. Free play anywhere in the steering linkage, including loose steering box or wheel bearings.
3. Wear or softness on any suspension bushes - radius arms (either end), panhard rod.
4. Incorrect caster angle due to being lifted.

Maybe more than one of these, but look at them in that order.

John

As above but I also experienced the same wobble and it turned out to be the steering drop arm ball joint.

A fairly easy fix and now it handles the bumps without me anticipating the wobble.

Thanks for the heads up on that one... If it may make any difference, it has had a new set of heavy duty king springs all around, plus procomp shocks, (but the steering damper was never replaced, still original) which seems to have lifted the vehicle more than I expected, but then again, the original equipment was never that great. I've had a quick check of the balljoints/linkages/bushes, and they seemed ok, but I might need to look a little bit harder. How much movement is too much?? As far as the swivel pre-load is concerned, I've done it once before on my old 2A, I'm assuming that the Defender is no different??
Matt.

Originally Posted by UNDEROVER

Thanks for the heads up on that one... If it may make any difference, it has had a new set of heavy duty king springs all around, plus procomp shocks, (but the steering damper was never replaced, still original) which seems to have lifted the vehicle more than I expected, but then again, the original equipment was never that great. I've had a quick check of the balljoints/linkages/bushes, and they seemed ok, but I might need to look a little bit harder. How much movement is too much?? As far as the swivel pre-load is concerned, I've done it once before on my old 2A, I'm assuming that the Defender is no different??
Matt.

If you have done the swivels on a 2A you can do them on a Defender - pretty much the same setup, although the later ones (not sure when) go to two taper roller bearings. A few minor differences such as the bracket holding the brake pipe held under the swivel pin bolts - most get modified to a slot rather than a hole to make life easier. Note that the parts, although generally similar to the Series, are not the same or interchangeable. But same general setup.

John

Just so you all know. the problem actually ended up being the steering damper. I fitted a Bilstein job sourced from Coffs Harbour 4WD and it's problem solved! Thanks for all the advice.

Hi,

I have faced the very real threat of being thrown out the deefer window by steering wheel wobble a few times, and it has always been panhard bushes. Very cheap, quick and easy to fix.

I do not want to put the mockers on the job, but please make sure that the new steering damper has not just "hidden" the root cause problem. Remember, there are plenty of oldies getting about with no damper, and no vibration (well, no more than "usual")

Have a good christmas,

Andy