110 Steering Damper

OEM all the way with bushes. Poly bushes are said to oval the hole in the chassis. People rarely replace good OEM with polly bushes so any improvement between worn OEM and new Poly bushes isn't worth diddly.

As for the damper. For what they cost and the age of the vehicle I'd just throw a new one on as a matter of course. They are relatively easy to slide from end to end. They are designed as I'm sure you have worked out to reduce sudden changes in the steering mechanics but will never totally elimate slack on a poorly set up system.

Lee D

The damper should be seen as an add-on goody (goodie?) and not part of a system in good condition. It really comes into its own when hitting potholes etc. and shouldn't be needed for normal road use. The damper should have constant resistance, full travel and in both directions.

Once you've eliminated wheel balance - no lumps of adhering mud which can undo your balancing, I hope - you should be looking at the swivel bearings/pins, panhard rod bushes, the main axle to radius arm bushes and the radius arm to chassis bushes. I'd be looking at them in that order.

One thing that rarely gets mentioned in connection with the first two sets of bushes is that for function they rely on the bracket firmly clamping the centre tube of the bush. If the holes in the bracket are worn and/or if the bolt shank is worn you'll never get the thing to work properly and stay in the intended condition.

In article , puffernutter writes

Have you checked the UJs on the steering column itself. There are two, and I've had two of the top ones fail. The second to go was Britpart and it managed only around nine months of *really* light use. If you get an assistant to lightly waggle the wheel whilst you place a finger either side of the UJ, you can feel any slack. It's not obvious.

The effect when they go is of very wobbly steering, wandering all over the road etc.

The new one is OEM (not Britpart) and the steering feels like a new vehicle. It was fitted by my local specialists, who thoroughly checked the rest of the steering, including the tracking, and found nothing else needed doing. I'm hoping it lasts this time!

HTH,

S.

On or around Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:20:03 +0100, Dougal enlightened us thusly:

I don't think that applies as much on the 90/110/disco/rangie suspension as it did on the series.

all the coil-sprung motors I've had gave trouble (and not just potholes, quite minor bumps sometimes) if the damper was iffy or shagged.

It doesn't cure all the faults, but I don't think you can really run without it as you could on a series.

On or around Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:36:32 GMT, SpamTrapSeeSig enlightened us thusly:

Good point - there's scope for play there too.

"Austin Shackles" wrote , Dougal enlightened us thusly

My 1986 90 doesn't have a steering damper, no sign that it ever did, but it does wander about on the modern bumpy potholed patched up roads. I constantly have to correct the steering. So am I right in thinking a steering damper would help? If the answer is yes the next problem is, can I fit one on a 1986 90, are the holes and brackets already there?

No. The damper will only help with high velocity movement - shimmy and/or the effects of hitting a pothole. Slow wandering like getting caught in the inside lane tramlines on dual carriageways or white lines etc. won't be cured.

Land Rovers don't have the most precise steering! Try steering only when you really need to rather than correcting every minor deviation.

No it won't help. Sorting out the tracking likely will. IME 1.5mm front axle toe out would be a good starting point. It's also worth checking caster angle too and correcting it if necessary.

Thanks, I'll check those out after I replace the lock and door handle where some lowlife broke in last night. Luckily they appear not to have taken anything or even disturbed anything inside. Must have been disturbed themselves.

I just set my 109/110 hybrid coiler up so that the front end is parallel (no toe in or out) in the straight ahead position. No antisocial handling, even when towing, and no odd tyre wear. Running BFG Muds on Modulars. With a steering damper, it's got a Disco axle under the front. A little vibration at some speeds (but with Mud's it's sort of expected) but nothing nasty if a pot-hole is hit. It does like tramlines though, I think it remembers it's early SIII days!

Dave B.

On or around Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:16:35 +1200, EMB enlightened us thusly:

I've always set the coil-sprung ones parallel.

The way I was taught was to set full-time 4WD ones with a fraction toe out.

Yes, 1 to 1.5mm AFAIR.

In article , Oily writes

Surely that depends on rim sizes. Have you a rough idea in degrees?

Marge is much more than that, I'm sure, which probably isn't doing the tyres much good, and I suspect it adds strain to the steering system on the road. I guess it ought to be quite a bit less, but haven't changed it in the absence of real data. She's got standard steel rims and town+countrys fitted (110TD/TDi).

Cheers,

S.

It's usually measured as the difference between the distance between the edge of the rims at the front against the back. So (my maths being a little rusty) what's the angle between the two longest sides of a triangle with sides 203.2mm x 203.2mm x 1 or 1.5mm? (406.4mm being 16" rim diameter and you would be measuring from the pivot). I think it would be easier to measure the normal way.

Not really - it would alter with rim diameter (but I guess that we're talking 16 inch rims, so it doesn't). Any difference with rim width is miniscule.

1 mm toe in/out (both wheels taken together) is equivalent to about 9 minutes (0.15 degrees) per wheel.

Not really - it would alter with rim diameter (but I guess that we're talking 16 inch rims, so it doesn't). Any difference with rim width is miniscule.

1 mm toe in/out (both wheels taken together) is equivalent to about 4 minutes (0.07 degrees) per wheel. (Corrected version!)

As Martin suggests, the 'conventional' way of measuring this easier.

In article , Dougal writes [I said]

Thanks guys - will take note and adjust accordingly, as long as the weather holds over the w/e.

Cheers,

S.