ok guys I have developed a steering wobble (not a death wobble) but it does shake the wheel and front end pretty good when I hit bumps just right. I know my suspension is worn out and the truck leans to the right when my wife is in the passenger seat. I also notice the truck likes to pull to the right (mostly notice this when braking but it does it all the time). The shaking problem is NOT all the time, maybe once every 3 or 4 trips and it is not severe enough to make me slow down when it happens it just feels like I am hitting multiple bumps instead of just one. I was thinking that this sounded like a steering damper issue so I decided to replace it with the supergaz that AB.com just had on sale. I still notice the problem and was looking for suggestions as to where to look next. I really don't want to just throw money at this problem because I don't have much right now! do any of you have any tests that might help pinpoint the problem like a certain type of play in the front wheels or maybe jacking up both front wheels and moving one while looking for play in the steering system?

 

1. How old are the shocks, more than a couple years ? new ones might be in order.
2. Yes, get the frt wheels off the ground and look for anything that might be loose. panhard rod, bushings, tie rod ends, etc.
I chased a wobble for a couple of months and it ended up being no more than the panhard rod bolts were loose !

3. The swivel ball pre-load is important on these vehicles, I've seen threads on how to check / adjust it here.
let us know how the search goes...

 

yeah i would start by jacking the front end. cuz im cheap and look for the cheapest fixes first.

 

Also check for uneven wear on tires and check the hubs for play.

 

If the rover is leaning to one side, odds are very high you need new springs. Shocks have nothing to do with supporting a vehicle, their only purpose is to dampen spring rebound (that's why they are called dampers). About the only other thing that could make it lean is if something is broken.
But if you have enough mileage that your springs are shot, there's a good chance the shocks are as well.
Your suspension bushings (panhard rod, radius arms etc) are probably worn and need replacing.
Do the above, and see how it is. If you still have the wobble, order a swivel pin rebuild kit. Don't bother with removing shims trying to adjust the preload, it'll only be temporary. Coilers have different design swivel pins than the Series Rovers, that removing shims worked well on.
Do not replace your steering damper until you have the rest of the suspension sorted and the wobble fixed. Only then replace it.

 

I just had a fortune thrown at my Disco, although its a D2, try looking at the radius arms. My steering would shake violently when hitting bumps, and I changed the steering damper and both steering rods (stupid). When I went to get it aligned, they said they couldn't do it because of the radius arm bushings. I didnt believe them but then I saw the mechanic manually move the front wheels by hand horizontally, and then stuck a prybar next to the arm and completely compressed it. Shot. This would cause the shake, I believe, and I have all new bushings on order. I'll let you know how it works out.

 

I have a 97 DI also. When I bought it, it was sagging terribly. It really was noticable when parked in between two other Disco's at a club gathering.

I got a pair of Old Man Emu heavy duty +2 inch rear springs from one of the club members at a great price. He came over and help me change out the shocks and springs. Bought a new set of ProComp ES9000's from Rover's North and moved the original rear springs to the front.

It now sits right at 3+.5 inches higher than what it was at when sagging. zI had 110K on it and all the shocks and springs were the original equipment. The OME's are a bit stiff if you hit a pothole it wil bounce a little. But it really sits up nicely now.

When I first got it, I could not get under it on a creeper, now I can do flips under it.

 

PS,

If it sags more to the right when the wife climbs in.................

That's not too good a thing...............

But I better shut up before I go and say something like Larry the Cable Guy might come up with!!!!!!

When I had my old 67 Chevy Van with the tractor tires on the back and a 283 V8 with the Holley 4 Barrel, If I needed extra traction for going mudding, we just threw two or three fat girls in the back. If it still got stuck, I'd tell them to bounce up and down real hard. That usually got us out of the mudd.

 

I actually replaced the front passenger side tire and the sagging, most of the vibration went away (maybe I threw a weight) although the hitting a bump thing is still there a little bit, anyways the tire was pretty warn and both front hubs have a little play, I did replace my passenger side wheel bearings (only the one against every ones suggestions) and the truck felt great for a few days the, wheel was smooth with no vibrations at all! I intend to do the front rotors and the wheel bearings but money is pretty tight right now so it will have to wait until the money is available or it becomes a more serious issue.

 

The bounce you are talking about is most likely the Pro Comps which don't work well on our Rovers.