So you have Loose Steering, Death Wobble?
 

Applies to all Discovery 1, Defender & Range Rover Classic.
Worn or missing steering damper is not the problem. Replacing/installing a damper merely masks the problem.

You should be methodical in your diagnosis.

With the wheels on the ground have someone move the steering wheel back and forth.
While they are doing that start with the steering wheel to steering gearbox shaft and find where there is movement on the steering wheel side of a connection and none, or less, on the road wheel side of the connection.

It could be (probably is) any combination of:

• Steering shaft u-joint loose on shaft or steering gearbox (least likely)
• Internal play in steering gearbox (adjusting nut on top)
• Loose pitman arm
• Loose steering box mounting bolts (or any other loose bolts in the steering system)
• Ball joints
• Panhard rod fixings/bushings (Not directly connected to steering, but centralizes axle with chassis to prevent relative side to side movement)
• Loose wheel bearings

Other worn suspension bushings will contribute, as will unevenly worn tires.
Check everything in the list and make sure they are all up to par. If the problem persists then you need to adjust the swivel pin preload. I didn't include it in the above list because it's not typically visually detectable.
If you have ABS then I strongly suggest a rebuild of the swivel pins, or at the very least new bearings. Because of the design of the ABS swivel pins the upper thrust bearing tends to get crushed and just removing shims is, at best, a very temporary fix.
For non-ABS just removing shims should suffice, unless it's a high mileage vehicle.

edit - Once you find a problem and correct it, continue the diagnosis to see if there are further issues that need correcting.

Tom, your signature is really cool and all. but what does it all mean?

learn me some info on:

62 88 reg
67 NADA x2
74 Air Portable - The Antichrist (tag 6A666)
95 D1 - R380
95 D90 - R380
97 D1 - ZF

He's showing off. ;-)

I'd probably take anything on the list except the 97 disco.

Reg.... not sure about that. I'm guessing it's not a station wagon?

NADA means North American Dollar Area. I think these are usually series iia 109" with a 2.6L six instead of the 2.25L four banger.

R380 means his disco and Defender 90 have a 5 speed manual.

ZF means his other disco has an automatic.

Air portable is a special series model that was lightened so that it could be... you guessed it... air portable.

I just fixed mine last weekend. Loose pitman arm was the culprit. I was thinking it was gonna cost me a bundle but only cost me about 5 min. You would think they would have put a cotter pin there. I would hate to think that nut could just work itself off there. :eek:

hey hey !
 

Hey fellas ! Haven't been on in a while, hope everyone is doing well.

I also have acquired the death wobble, ive checked balance all bushings and rod ends, checked axle play and whatnot, My wobble is intermittent. The only addition ive done to the front end lately is added a new steering stabilizer, The old one was shot. Sooo im thinking that the stabilizer might have caused this in some way ? Also Wilma has the 3" RTE lift, with camber adjusting bushings up front. Unfortunately I didn't put the lift on myself do to location. I noticed there is no spring retainers front OR rear. And my drivers side suspension, will pop, during braking or accell, occasionaly and over bumps and turns. This seems to get more prevelent during warmer weather. I would be a happy man indeed if ya'll have any suggestions or experiance with this kind of issue/s. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions !!

Get rid of those castor corrected radius arm bushings, they're terrible. You might find your wobble goescswsy too.

Did you methodically go through everything as in the OP?

actually Anti i was pretty darn thorough. The popping noise Has been going on for quite some time, ive checked EVERYTHING, i can feel it in my feet when it does it. Unfortunately it only does it while driving. It Feels like the radius arm, bushing where it connects to the frame, but its snug and i get no play when i lift it and check or turn lock to lock while weighted. I see no loose bolts cracks or anything of that nature anywhere. As for the death wobble from hell its intermitent and only started after i installed the new terrafirma steering stabilizer.

I am holding on putting on my lift since the D2 needs some probing for and engine knock.
Thank You
George P.

Oil gets on the panhard bushings and rots them.

Put in POLY panhard bushing and fix the oil leaks.

Wobble of death then goes away.