| Author |
Message |
    
Mike g.
| | Posted on Monday, August 12, 2002 - 03:43 pm: | 
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I took my 95 D1 with 80,000 miles to the dreaded LR dealer for several problems. One of which was "wandering" on the highway. When the problem started last Winter I replaced the shocks and steering damper with Bilsteins. They feel great and the steering shimy are gone, but the wandering problem remains and isn't any better.
The dealer says I need new tires. I've got Michelin XPC 235/70/16 with abou 25,000 miles on them and they look great and still have lots of tread left. They offered to sell me TWO for nearly $600 (to which I impolitely said "NO").
So my question is, is the dealer full of it or could 1/2-worn Michelins really cause my D1 to wander around on the highway like it's possesed?
Thanks.
Mike g. |
perroneford
| | Posted on Monday, August 12, 2002 - 04:07 pm: |
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What pressure are you running in the tires? Also how are the bushings?
-P |
Mike g.
| | Posted on Monday, August 12, 2002 - 04:33 pm: |
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I typically run 32 front and 30 in the rear.
Which bushings would I want to look at? The dealer says they checked the tie-rods and "other steering-related components" and found nothing amiss.
I should have mentioned that I have a severe power steering leak and have run the PS system dry on a couple of occasions. Could this cause excessive wear to the steering box which would cause the wandering (most noticable on highways with ruts in the driving lanes)?
Mike g. |
Ron
| | Posted on Monday, August 12, 2002 - 07:52 pm: |
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Play in steering box is the most likely cause if the ball joints are in good shape. Then swivel ball bearing wear
Which dealer?
Tell them to go screw themselves. Unless the tires are damaged them no way thats the issue.
Ron  |
petern12
| | Posted on Monday, August 12, 2002 - 09:20 pm: |
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Mike, I also have a '95 w/68k with identical wandering problems. I mean this thing is all over the road. So far I've replaced the damper and as expected it only helped curb the steering shimmy problem. I've also replaced the tires, but only because the old ones were worn beyond the wear bars (60k), and of course, the new tires did NOT make any significant improvement to the wandering problem. I would get a second opinion on the condition of the bushings if I were you, since these so-called experts actually had the balls to suggest that two $300 tires(!) are the magic bullets. Furthermore, 80k miles is about the life-expectancy for bushings on a heavy rig like ours, so it doesn't hurt if you start with bushings replacement anyway. I'm going to replace one set of bushings at a time in order to hopefully pinpoint the culprit. I've ordered and will replace the tie-rod ends first, since these guys are high on the "usual suspects" list. After that it will be Radius Arm & track bar bushings. Swivel ball bearings and steering box will be in line after them. Pray that it's cured before you get the $$$$ steering box! Good luck! |
disco1lover
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 12:36 am: |
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wandering? sounds like an alignment problem |
Leslie N. Bright (Leslie)
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 08:19 am: |
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Alignment?
The only thing that can be adjusted on a Disco as far as alignment goes is the toe.... the rest is fixed. Usually, that's not the problem......
-L |
Mike g.
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 03:10 pm: |
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Great info! If the dealer ever gives me back my truck (still there for oil-leak diagnostics after 1 whole week), I'll get under there and start going through the bushings and such myself.
I've done all the maintenance and repairs on my Porsche 914 and VW bus for over 10 years so am no stranger to mechanics, I've just never worked on anything this big and modern before.
Thanks!
Mike g. |
Ron
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 08:53 pm: |
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Big yes, modern no.
You are driving a buick engined tractor with leather seats
Ron |
Leslie N. Bright (Leslie)
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 09:42 pm: |
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That's about it!
-L |
Bryan
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 10:04 pm: |
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Could it be worn bushings in the Watts linkage? I had a Rover SD1 that would wander all over the place on the freeway and replacing the Watts linkage poly bushings solved the problem. But this would only apply if the wandering is coming from the back end, not the front. |
Ron
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 - 10:26 pm: |
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Watts linkage is only on DII, on a DI a worn A-frame ball joint would cause the equivlent. Stick a prybar under it and see if it moves to test.
Ron
PS Leslie, you found a disco yet? There is a 5-speed SD7 96 you could get a great deal on. |
Leslie N. Bright (Leslie)
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 14, 2002 - 08:35 am: |
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Yep, Laura's got a beautiful red '95 now, the one that was at Keith's... see the thread about it at ../27/7167.html"../../clipart/sad.gif" ALT=":("> lol.......
-L |
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