Desperately need help or ideas please...

Hi,

We have an M reg Disco, I love her and she is absolutely fantastic. We live in Somerset and generally just use her for round town trips. She gets serviced every year and is a good, reliable beast.

Except for one thing There is something seriously wrong with the steering or something connected with it.

We have had the tracking done, had the balancing done, had new tyres alround, had the steering rod replaced.

Completely intermittent..with no rhyme or reason....you can be driving along and all of a sudden the judder will start and you will feel like the steering wheel is going to be ripped out of your hands as you try to control the wheels from buckling/falling off as you go along. NO I am not exaggerating lol (hysterical laughter by the way as this can be scary at times!)

You can't apply the brakes as this makes it worse. If you ease off the throttle then she calms down and regains her composure and will carry on for days/weeks/miles without losing it again, or she can do it 3 miles down the road on a bend when you're doing 55 mph :doh:

I'm really hoping that someone out there has experience of this and can offer advice, as I'm feeling unsure about driving her now and we really can't afford to replace her and anyway I don't want to trade her in lol!

We've spent a lot on her trying to get this fixed through process of elimination, so now I need to get soeme expert help and thought this might be the place to come!

Really looking forward to some replies, thanks

TCx

Got to be something like the swivel joints are looser than they should be and the steering damper is either not fitted or shagged.

All the symptoms point to suspension/steering issues, also look at the panhard rod bushes and the rear axle locating ball joint.

Lots to look at, but I'd go for the swivels and the steering damper. This is a horizontally located damper that connects to the track rod that runs between the two swivels.

You are getting a self-sustaining oscillation that once it starts is difficult to get rid of, and the root cause is going to be mechanical.

Drag link might be at fault, but unlikely.

Peter

I had an intermittent judder/wobble on my disco I'd put it down to tyres and got used to it. Then when doing a job on the front brakes I noticed play in one of the front wheel bearings. Sorted that out and the judder's gone completely.

listerdiesel said:

Got to be something like the swivel joints are looser than they should be and the steering damper is either not fitted or shagged.

All the symptoms point to suspension/steering issues, also look at the panhard rod bushes and the rear axle locating ball joint.

Lots to look at, but I'd go for the swivels and the steering damper. This is a horizontally located damper that connects to the track rod that runs between the two swivels.

You are getting a self-sustaining oscillation that once it starts is difficult to get rid of, and the root cause is going to be mechanical.

Drag link might be at fault, but unlikely.

Peter

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You're a star, thanks so much. Will pass this on to OH and he can talk about it with mechanic, as I am but a woman (and blonde at that) so clearly this is not my place lol!

TCx

hughesy said:

I had an intermittent judder/wobble on my disco I'd put it down to tyres and got used to it. Then when doing a job on the front brakes I noticed play in one of the front wheel bearings. Sorted that out and the judder's gone completely.

Click to expand...

Something else to suggest hughesy, so thanks for that.

TCx

Have a read through this..... http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f8/death-wobble-65mph-73286.html it's a known problem.

discobill said:

Have a read through this..... http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f8/death-wobble-65mph-73286.html it's a known problem.

Click to expand...

LOL Now why didn't I think of that title....describes it perfectly

Thanks for the link. Looks like we're not alone. I've just finished reading the posts that came up when I searched for 'judder'

TCx

TCx said:

You're a star, thanks so much. Will pass this on to OH and he can talk about it with mechanic, as I am but a woman (and blonde at that) so clearly this is not my place lol!
TCx

Click to expand...

Gentlemen prefer Blondes....

Let us all know how you get on, please.

Peter

i had a similar problem , and doing my swivels didn't make much difference , problem went away completely when i changed the steering damper . that,s not to say yours will be the same , it is still worth checking your swivels too .