Disco 2 Road feedback in steering wheel; how much is normal, what to go check?

Naf623 said:

Both my front wheels threw weights a few months ago, and then did it again within a week or two of getting them re-balanced. As a result, I'm now not sure if the road feedback I'm feeling is normal like I had before and I'm just being paranoid, or if something else could be wrong.

So firstly it doesn't just start shaking at high speed, I can drive for miles at any speed and never get the front end shuddering that accompanied the thrown weights. However, hitting just the right (/wrong) bump in the road at around 50mph or so can cause it to start, and it doesn't go away until I drop below ~45 again; or at least it doesn't go within the short while I'm prepared to try lol.
But then even at 30 some bumps and surfaces make me feel like the wheel is shaking a bit more than I remember; and sometimes I get the hint of some oscillations but they always seem to go away quickly and I'm not even certain I've not just overthought the whole thing.

So I think clearly I need to give the whole steering system a good looking over, but I don't even know what I'm looking for. Obviously I'll be able to tell if something is fully broken, or maybe fittings very loose; but further than that I don't have a clue what I'm looking for in terms of anything being worn, having excessive play, or even the full list of what to check. If push comes to shove I can drop by the garage; but having been made redundant a month ago, if I can avoid that it would be preferable - plus I'd like to keep learning.

So what should I be checking; and how?

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Spong said:

Get both front wheels off the ground and have someone waggle the steering wheel to and fro while you follow the path from steering column, box, drop link etc through to the road wheels, looking for anything moving strangely or not moving when it should be.

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Turboman said:

Works better with the wheels on the ground, more load on the steering.

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Spong said:

Firstly, sorry to hear about your redundancy, hopefully you get something else soon. Sometimes these things turn out to be beneficial and take you in a more interesting direction you might not have considered before - best of luck!
Steering wise, I’d go though the front end looking for any loose nuts, bolts, brackets etc, and checking that the track rod end type joints don’t have any wear or movement other than intended. Get both front wheels off the ground and have someone waggle the steering wheel to and fro while you follow the path from steering column, box, drop link etc through to the road wheels, looking for anything moving strangely or not moving when it should be.

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Turboman said:

What wheels and tyres have you got?

Always worth having a look at all the rubber bushes in the suspension.

And get an assistant to sit in the vehicle, while you lie on the ground and examine all suspension and steering joints while they turn the wheel. Hold the ball joints between your fingers while they do this.

If none of that reveals a problem, try jacking up the front wheels and spinning them, and giving them a good pull and wobble in all directions. A length of wood used on the ground, and under the wheel as a lever can reveal play in wheel bearings and swivels.

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Naf623 said:

Laufen all terrains, less than 10k miles old, on 16" standard Disco 2 rims.
I expect bushes to be good - replaced the full set alongside chassis swap just over a year ago; but thanks for the stuff to check.

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Firebobby1 said:

You say 10k miles old, but how old is the rubber. We had an Iveco 4x4 fire truck on station, which had around 5k on it, but over 10 years old. (Was a hose layer, so little use)
It drove like a pig, steering wobble, unstable above 30mph.
The brigade mechanics checked and tested it, then noticed the aged tyres. New ones fitted and it transformed the drive.

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Spong said:

Firstly, sorry to hear about your redundancy, hopefully you get something else soon. Sometimes these things turn out to be beneficial and take you in a more interesting direction you might not have considered before - best of luck!
Steering wise, I’d go though the front end looking for any loose nuts, bolts, brackets etc, and checking that the track rod end type joints don’t have any wear or movement other than intended. Get both front wheels off the ground and have someone waggle the steering wheel to and fro while you follow the path from steering column, box, drop link etc through to the road wheels, looking for anything moving strangely or not moving when it should be.

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Naf623 said:

What would be movement "other than intended"; i.e. what is intended? Wheels on the ground, I can twist the drag link around a bit, but the track rod I can't move at all.

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Naf623 said:

What would be movement "other than intended"; i.e. what is intended? Wheels on the ground, I can twist the drag link around a bit, but the track rod I can't move at all.

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Firebobby1 said:

My D1 has a damper which looks to be part of the steering. Does the D2 have this, could it be worn?

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Spong said:

With the wheels on the ground and wiggling the steering, any wear in the joints would show up as small movement of a drag link or drop arm etc, before the part it's attached to starts to move as well. Ideally it should all move together. To be honest, it's one of those 'you'll know it when you see it' things! The drag link should twist a bit, as it's just rotating on the track rod end joint, but it'll only be 10 degrees ir so.

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