Steering box adjustment

[wimp]

I tried searching the site for this, but I guess I am not too good at searching. Sorry if this is repetative...

Vehicle:
99 Disco II
ACE
Rear SLS
2" OME lift (fairly new)
OME steering stabilizer (fairly new)
2" rear RTE airbag spacers (fairly new)
245 75 R16 Goodyear MTR's (fairly new)

Symptoms:
When I am at speed (maybe 30 mph or more) and load up the suspension one way or another by cornering, I hear a slight click in the suspension or steering in the front end. It sounds as if something is a bit loose or has a bit of play. Once the suspension is loaded left, it clicks and holds. Once it is loaded right, it clicks and holds. It is fairly slight, but very predictable and not just my imagination.
Under the truck, I re-tightened as many nuts and bolts as I thought pertinent. I have been hearing this sound even before I put the lift in (I thought the new suspension would have fixed the click). I recently also changed the rear drag link and ball joints due to a cracked ball joint boot , loose ball joint, and a U-shaped drag link (supposed to be straight as you know) which found a covered tree stump (ouch!!).
Anyway, I checked the other ball joints for excessive play (with a prybar), checked the front bearings by rocking the weels and feeling for play. All check out fine!
Another symptom is at slow speed. Not sure if it is related, but when I am going slow (20 mpg or less maybe) and go over rough road and potholes and the like, something in the front end rattles. Sounds like a loose shock or something. Like I said, I checked seemingly everything, but I can't find the problem.

Question:

Is there adjustment in the steering box. These clicks and rattles seem to transmit into the steering wheel. Wondering if there is lash (maybe the wrong word) in the steering box. If so, how to I adjust?

Thanks for your input in advance.

[Muddy Oval]

Didja check the steering column shaft? There are joints in the shaft as it goes from the steering wheel to the box. Sometimes they get a lot of play in them or come loose.
For the rattle, it sounds like a sway bar end link OR a shock. With aftermarket shocks, often you get a rattle because the shock bushing sleeves are half inch, but the stock bolts in the towers are 12mm. The bushings will rattle on the bolts. On my DII's, I've either modified the bushing sleeve to fit tight or drilled the towers to take a half inch bolt instead.

[wimp]

I did not check the steering shaft
is there any adjustment in the steering box/shaft/ etc that I should know about?


Does The OME lift have the bolt/bushing problem?
seems odd for OME to make a LR specific part that does not fit the LR
I will look into it though
thanks

[landrovergeek]

Originally Posted by wimp

I did not check the steering shaft
is there any adjustment in the steering box/shaft/ etc that I should know about?


Does The OME lift have the bolt/bushing problem?
seems odd for OME to make a LR specific part that does not fit the LR
I will look into it though
thanks

i have a very similar set up.

99 d2
ace and rear sls
2 in rte springs in front
2 in spacers under the air bags in the rear
(ome shocks all around)

here's my opinion. if you look in the passenger side front wheel well from the side, towards the front bumnper, you will see what looks like a big arm or piston with a rubber boot on it. it will have some hydraulic lines attached.

this is the front ace hydraulic arm that pushes on the sway bar to maintain the stability of the vehicle from left to right during cornering.

the noise that you hear is probably not the steering. it could be the arm returning to the ready position after full load. for some reason, it makes a clunk noise when returning to the ready position.

i have monitored mine for 4 years. been to 2 dealers who say it is normal. also, know one other guy that has the same set up with the same noise.

maybe someone else can chime it.

good luck

[wimp]

Do you get a "loose" rattle sound at very low speeds over rough road too?

maybe the ACE is deactavated at low speeds and is in its "loose" state.
I just made that up, but I am looking for the fix to my problem. MuddyOval suggested that the shock bolts may be slightly too small due to a metric/english bolt size problem.

When I shake the shock by hand (on a lift or on the ground), it feels quite solid. Does that make sense? Maybe the shock under such small load (human hand) would still feel tight.

thanks for your suggestion.

[wimp]

Still looking for anyone who knows about any sort of steering box adjustment. Anyone ever heard of adjusting one. I was told there is an adjustment for "lash". I assume this takes the slop out of the mechanism that attches the gears to the shafts.

thanks!

[scottagnew101]

I would like to know as well. I have lots of play in my DII (2000 with 93000 miles) I too have a 2" OME lift. I have heard about backing out a nut that has a "phillips head screw on it" but have found no such nut, what i have found is one with an allan head. Im not about to touch it unless i can hear of an exact way to adjust.

When i turn the wheel, everything moves as it should all the way down to the box.... then it does not do its job of delivering that to the wheels.

Scott

[scottagnew101]

yay, hit the button twice

[Disco Mike]

I wouldn't try to adjust the steering box, first because it won't cause a clicking sound and second, if you over adjust the steering box you will cause a premature death of the box. They are designed to be adjusted only when wear has started wearing them out and they are getting sloppy.
Mike