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Steering System
Trouble Shooting
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| We have been
asked by one of the clubs whom we support to
write a technical article on the Land-Rover
steering system. We appreciate the opportunity to
address this client's enquiry, and believe that
the information set forth may also be of help to
other owners. |
| At the outset, it
will be well to note that there is no single
service procedure to which one can turn to effect
immediate or predictable gross improvement to the
steering. Stated otherwise, typical remedies
consist of numerous micro-adjustments or
sub-total remedies. When new, the Land-Rover had
essentially light and precise steering response,
but after decades of use, abuse, neglect and
wear, the equipment and performance of the vast
majority of Land-Rovers steering equipment could
easily fall into a category somewhere between
"vague" and life-threatening.
Consequently it behooves those who value their
well being to analyze the possible faults
inherent in older machines. |
| The very first
place where one can anticipate the potential for
difficulty is in the steering wheel itself,
especially on pre-1965 models. This early system
can be identified by the steering wheel with the
12 "banjo spokes" or "spring
spokes" in the steering wheel, in
distinction to the later wheels with three solid
plastic spokes. The early vehicles included those
through the vehicle identification suffix letter
"B". It is not uncommon to find these
early steering wheels loose on the shaft, or
inner column. This fault is sometimes easily
remedied by simply tightening the pinch bolt
found on the leading edge of the steering wheel
itself, but in vehicles which have been left
poorly serviced over long periods of time,
tightening of the bolt may well be insufficient
to assure safe steering. It might be well to bear
in mind that the splines on the steering wheel
and inner column are tiny, and that looseness,
therefore, could lead to complete steering loss
without warning!! To effect the steering wheel
test, simply grasp the wheel gently with both
hands and pull backwards on one side of the wheel
while pushing gently forward on the opposite
side. (No gloves, here, please; feel is critical,
and the test, properly carried out is one calling
for subtle distinctions of feel). If looseness,
however slight, is perceived, try tightening the
pinch bolt on the forward, lower perimeter of the
steering wheel hub. If this tightens the steering
wheel so as to eliminate all play, then count
yourself lucky! If not, the steering wheel may
need to be replaced, and professional assistance
should be sought. |
| A further test
can be carried out whilst one is performing the
above check if you will pull up on both sides of
the steering wheel simultaneously, then release
it forward. Doing this but a few times will
reveal any fault; inevitably (on vehicles Suffix
"B" and before) this is the result of
loose bearings in the steering box. With later
Land-Rovers this could indicate a loose nut which
secures the steering wheel to the inner column.
(More on that later.) The typical remedy for
loose bearings is to remove shims from the
forward, or lower, end plate of the steering box
until the looseness is taken out, and all
consequential end float at the steering wheel is
eliminated. |
| Proceeding down
through the system, the next possible source of
looseness which should be investigated is at the
point where the steering box meets the support
bracket which rises from the main chassis rail.
Four bolts secure the box to the bracket at this
point, three of which are fastened with nuts, and
the fourth is threaded into a special nut-sert
seated in the steering box casting. All bolt
heads are secured by locking plates, but
nevertheless the associated hardware manages
somehow to loosen up over the years. Looseness at
this point assures that the rotation which is
applied to the steering wheel causes the box to
flex in its mountings rather than transmit the
required force to the rocker shaft and drop arm
(and subsequently to the front wheels), where it
was designed to go. The best way to detect
looseness here is to have an assistant turn the
steering wheel while you look at the juncture
mentioned above. If looseness is present, the
steering box itself will flex and squirm
noticeably in its mounts, even though the
movement may seem to be subtle to the eye.
Minuscule amounts of play necessarily translate
into vast amounts of latitude in what could
otherwise be precise steering. Well, RELATIVELY
precise........for a glorified piece of farm
machinery! |
| Tightening all
the affected bits of hardware mentioned above is
a bit of a fussy job, but the results are
rewarding, both in terms of confidence as well as
safety. Bend down the appropriate lock tabs on
the four bolts and proceed to tighten all bolts
and nuts as tight as they can possibly be
made......the tighter the better........there's
probably no such thing as too tight here!
Carefully bend up the locking tabs when finished,
or replace the locking plates if necessary. |
| Additionally,
there are numerous smaller (1/4-inch and
5/16-inch) bolts securing the support bracket to
the stiffener bracket, and the stiffener bracket
to the dash [firewall]. While I am tempted to
exclaim that these bolts play an important part
in steering precision, indeed there are NO
fasteners associated with the steering equipment
which are inconsequential to our concern to
achieve the very best possible steering quality.
Indeed, even loose floors can detract
significantly from good steering, by virtue of
the fact that they help to stiffen the bulkhead
on which various steering equipment brackets are
mounted. Indeed, I have seen the floor plates
shift significantly when force was applied to the
steering equipment, either by the action of
uneven roads on the road wheels or by the
steering wheel being turned! Consequently, be
certain to inspect the five 1/4-inch bolts and/or
nuts which pass through the dash into the area of
the toe box. Also check and tighten the three
bolts which secure the lower end of the
(vertical) steering box bracket to the chassis. |
| While it should
never be an issue with a Land-Rover un-tampered
with since factory days, the control arm which
drops down from the steering box might possibly
have been re-tightened insufficiently upon
re-assembly, consequently it would be wise to
check this point, also, for possible looseness,
and correct as required. |
| Having assured
yourself that all the hardware mentioned thus far
is well secured and tight, it might be well at
this point to check the steering box adjustment
screw to ascertain its adjustment. As with many
operations associated with Land-Rover service, if
one wishes to achieve the required service
operation in a more elegant way, it is frequently
a good idea to determine first how loose an
adjustment may have been, and then to proceed
with the necessary remedy. In this case, this
would consist of counting the number of
"flats" of the adjusting screw which
are rotated when tightening the screw. One or two
flats, for example, might mean that the steering
box was out of adjustment but a small amount, but
five, or six, or seven "flats" of the
adjusting screw should be considered excessive.
The adjusting screw should not be tightened down
hard, but rather moderately snug. Over-tightening
the screw would most certainly lead to premature
and unnecessary wear of the steering box. |
| This brings next
to the track rod, drag link, and longitudinal
steering tube, with their all-important "tie
rod ends", or "ball joints", as
they are sometimes called. Several points should
be noted. The possible points for wear are as
follows: the tie rod end clamps could be loose,
the tie rod end threads could be loose in the
their respective rod, or arm, or the tie rod's
inner threads could be dangerously worn, or the
ball joints themselves could be worn out. It
cannot be stated emphatically enough how very
subtle wear in the tie rod ends which can detract
massively from the steering quality. Detecting
looseness in this area is possibly one of the
most difficult to measure of any wear point in
the entire Land-Rover. One can stare directly at
a loose ball joint and feel absolutely confident
that no play is present. The very best way to
measure wear within the steering system would be
to utilize a dial indicator, or clock gauge, but
this tool is found in the workshop of few home
mechanics. Indeed a special mounting bracket
would be required if such a tool were to be
utilised, so if ANY WEAR is suspected it would be
very much the best part of wisdom to change all
(six) of the tie rod ends to give the greatest
assurance of maximum steering accuracy. It should
go without saying that the very best possible
steering is none too good at the end of the day,
and that regardless how diligent the attempts to
correct steering fault, that one surely cannot
out-do oneself in this most challenging and
elusive of service operations. |
| That
said........what of tie rod end replacement? It
should be emphasized here that the only good ball
joints are Genuine Land-Rover! Period.
"Original Equipment" just won't do the
job ever, EVER, as well as Genuine Land-Rover.
Oh, but they have grease fittings, you say! All
well and good, but I have seen new "Original
Equipment" tie rod ends which were every bit
as good as the worn units which they replaced, so
what good is all the grease in the world if the
new product begins life loose?? A brief word
should be inserted here as regards the track rod
tubes themselves, which is to say that they
should all be checked for straightness. This is
best achieved by sighting along the length of the
tube from either end, or by placing a known
straightedge along the full length of the tube.
(Remember to do this at 90 degree quadrants to
one another, as the rod may well be entirely
straight in one plane whilst badly bent in
another) |
| The boots, or
gaiters, of the tie rod ends may be rotted (which
admits water and debris and causes rust), but
replacing the gaiters takes almost as long as
replacing the tie rod end itself, so why not do
the job right at the outset, and avoid the remake
later on? In rare instances replacing the gaiters
might prove time well spent; that would be
typically on a vehicle which had many years in a
hot climate (drying and rotting the rubber) with
very low miles done. |
| Another point
where looseness might be present is the joint
between the ball joint and the internal threads
of the track rod. This condition can be very
subtle to those new to steering problem
diagnosis, but look for a tie rod which moves
when the tie rod end does not. Sometimes placing
the fingers at the juncture at the point where
wear is suspected will reveal play which they eye
cannot detect. If this fault is detected, it is
the best policy to remove the tie rod completely
and expose the threads, both male and female, to
determine if advanced thread wear is present. If
so, the affected tie rod must be replaced, along
with the ball joint, if its threads are worn
also. If moderate thread wear is detected, it may
be possible to install two ball joint clamps at
the affected end of the tie rod, but for reasons
of safety this should be considered only in dire
circumstances, with the express permission of the
owner/operator, and then only for limited use and
time!! |
| It is perhaps a
fair rule of thumb that if one tie rod end is
faulty that that should be cause to change all
six; after all, they have probably traveled the
same number of miles, and the only way to assure
the greatest degree of steering accuracy is to
change all. This eliminates all cause for
speculation, doubt, and uncertainty. If the
budget is absolutely stretched to the limit, then
perhaps economy might reasonably be factored into
the overall scheme of things, but it should be
borne in mind that our very lives rides on the
quality and condition of our Land-Rover, and,
given the vicissitudes of road travel with which
we are continually faced, powerful argument must
be waged for keeping our steed in absolutely
first-class condition at all times!! |
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