jezzertd4
Member
- Posts
- 52
- Location
- Cupar, Fife, Scotland
Hi All
Thought I would post some feedback on the Front Suspension issues I have had on my MY02 Freelander 1 3 Door TD4 as may be of benefit to others with similar irritating problems.
Faults:
Vague Steering, tramlining (ruts) clonking on rough dressed roads, vibrating through steering/pedals... particularly when turning, heavier than normal steering, juddering from N/S/F wheel over bad ruts etc... all issues mainly on the left front side.
Thoughts:
Drop links, ARB bushes, Inner Wishbone Bushes, lower strut bearings, track control arms, strut top bushes.
With 109k on the clock it is only fair to assume that most of the parts will need doing at some point soon.
But where to start
Repairs:
I started with the ARB Drop link on the passenger side first to see if it was limited to one side only, this made a big difference in reducing some of the rattles/clonks, but the other issues were still there.
So was told by a mechanic at a local LR Garage that I try the 'lower strut bearings'
"always the first thing we check when one comes" in he said.. so ordered some and booked into local garage for repair.
Problem, old joints were welded in so tight they couldn't get them out, so advise new wishbones 'with' new inner bushes would be cheaper overall than hours of bashing away at the old joints and potentially damaging the wishbones to boot.
Agreed and these were fitted along with a new ARB drop link on drivers side, 'AND' front ARB Bushes.
TOTAL Repair costs just over £230 with Fitting and VAT. More than expected,but not bad either since I had replaced most of the joints/bushes!
Results:
FANTASTIC! All the issues have gone, smoother ride, slightly lighter steering, no clonks/rattles at all, crisper handling, slightly less body roll.
feels like new...
Conclusion:
Always nice when a cheap fix works like ARB Links, but the root of the problem often goes deeper as I have found out driving all manner of vehicles over 45 years. But normally it involves more
The Wishbones do a lot of work, not just suspension but steering alignment, camber etc.. so no surprise these were key to the fixes.
I am lucky I have a very good local garage that lets me buy the parts and they fit them, saving a lot of cash.
Hope my work helps other diagnose potential problems
Thought I would post some feedback on the Front Suspension issues I have had on my MY02 Freelander 1 3 Door TD4 as may be of benefit to others with similar irritating problems.
Faults:
Vague Steering, tramlining (ruts) clonking on rough dressed roads, vibrating through steering/pedals... particularly when turning, heavier than normal steering, juddering from N/S/F wheel over bad ruts etc... all issues mainly on the left front side.
Thoughts:
Drop links, ARB bushes, Inner Wishbone Bushes, lower strut bearings, track control arms, strut top bushes.
With 109k on the clock it is only fair to assume that most of the parts will need doing at some point soon.
But where to start
Repairs:
I started with the ARB Drop link on the passenger side first to see if it was limited to one side only, this made a big difference in reducing some of the rattles/clonks, but the other issues were still there.
So was told by a mechanic at a local LR Garage that I try the 'lower strut bearings'
"always the first thing we check when one comes" in he said.. so ordered some and booked into local garage for repair.
Problem, old joints were welded in so tight they couldn't get them out, so advise new wishbones 'with' new inner bushes would be cheaper overall than hours of bashing away at the old joints and potentially damaging the wishbones to boot.
Agreed and these were fitted along with a new ARB drop link on drivers side, 'AND' front ARB Bushes.
TOTAL Repair costs just over £230 with Fitting and VAT. More than expected,but not bad either since I had replaced most of the joints/bushes!
Results:
FANTASTIC! All the issues have gone, smoother ride, slightly lighter steering, no clonks/rattles at all, crisper handling, slightly less body roll.
feels like new...
Conclusion:
Always nice when a cheap fix works like ARB Links, but the root of the problem often goes deeper as I have found out driving all manner of vehicles over 45 years. But normally it involves more
The Wishbones do a lot of work, not just suspension but steering alignment, camber etc.. so no surprise these were key to the fixes.
I am lucky I have a very good local garage that lets me buy the parts and they fit them, saving a lot of cash.
Hope my work helps other diagnose potential problems
