I ended up replacing everything in the steering system on my 90 to eliminate it.
Welcome to the forum, questions are best asked in the relevant section: https://www.landyzone.co.uk/forum/defender-90-110-130.7/ as more people will have a look.
Welcome to the forum, questions are best asked in the relevant section: https://www.landyzone.co.uk/forum/defender-90-110-130.7/ as more people will have a look.
Western Slope Rover
Well-Known Member
+1 to all of the responses.
Bad ball joints, wheel bearings, steering dampers and swivel shims can all cause the very memorable death wobble. Often it is a combo of factors.
70 mph was my highest speed death wobble experience. My wife still cringes remembering the experience.
Bad ball joints, wheel bearings, steering dampers and swivel shims can all cause the very memorable death wobble. Often it is a combo of factors.
70 mph was my highest speed death wobble experience. My wife still cringes remembering the experience.
Dr Strangeglove
Well-Known Member
Also try swapping front wheels to back in case it's a ballance or tyre problem. Easy and costs nowt!
I remember my first time too, doing about 50-55 and the slightest bump in the road upset it.
For those that havent experienced it, try to imagine your vehicle suddenly having square wheels
brianp38dse
Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome
You may be lucky and it's not too many things to change. When it happened to me it was the steering damper only working in one direction. There was no detectable play anywhere else, Hoping to get it back on the road soon after over 15 years laid up though, so I'll likely be doing a lot of bushes soon
LRBruce
New Member
Hello and welcome from fellow newbie.
The site is broken, copy and paste instead of using the upload button.
tony109
Active Member
Wheel shimmy is down to a lack of Pre Load on the swivel pins. Inside the Railko bush there is a Railko Thrust washer. When this wears the pre load is reduced, eventually the swivel housing attached by the swivel pins, becomes floppy and this is when wheel shimmy "death wobble" occurres. Take wheel off, remove track rod and feel the resistance to turn the swivel housing. If it's floppy, increase the preload enough to give a smooth resistance to rotation of just a few Ibs 6 or so. You're meant to remove the swivel oil seal to measure resistance, but if it's floppy remove shims or replace the Raiko thrust washer and then reshim. If desperate you can add thin plastic disks, cut from milk bottle tops, etc to get the right preload, then buy new Raiko shims.
Dr Strangeglove
Well-Known Member
From another forum. Note that folks posting on that thread said they set them 0.5 to 1kg above the figures below IF they were new parts to allow for bedding in. All figures without the oil seals fitted.
On 7/3/2010 at 8:52 PM, Retroanaconda said:
Without the seal fitted, and as to what figure it depends on your axle type.
1. Taper bearing bottom and Railko bush top, 200Tdi and earlier. 3.6 - 4.5kg.
or
2. Taper bearing top and bottom, 300Tdi onwards. 1.16 to 1.46 kg.
Both once the initial inertia has been overcome.
I'd use the figure quoted in the Land Rover workshop manual, which is what the above are.
On 7/3/2010 at 8:52 PM, Retroanaconda said:
Without the seal fitted, and as to what figure it depends on your axle type.
1. Taper bearing bottom and Railko bush top, 200Tdi and earlier. 3.6 - 4.5kg.
or
2. Taper bearing top and bottom, 300Tdi onwards. 1.16 to 1.46 kg.
Both once the initial inertia has been overcome.
I'd use the figure quoted in the Land Rover workshop manual, which is what the above are.
