First post on here. Looks like a nice board. I bought a 1997 Discovery yesterday, and it is in pretty good shape. The miles are a bit high at 163k, but it's in good shape for those miles. It's never been off-road, and it was well taken care of by it's two other owners.

The one issue I have is that it "drifts" or "tracks" a bit. It is most noticeable at speeds over 50 mph. It manifests itself when you take your foot off the gas---it tracks right--- and when you put your foot back on the gas,it tracks left, or straightens itself (hard to tell which).

I had a mechanic look over the vehicle before I purchased it, and the only thing he could come up with is that a sway-bar in the right rear is loose at the linkage on both sides. The front end parts are all tight, per the mechanic, but to me, the truck appears to be sagging ever so slightly in the right rear. Could that be the sway-bar too? Or do you think it's something else altogether?

Thanks in advance for any advice offered. This won't be a one-time post, though. I'll stick around, so your efforts won't be wasted on a lurker!

 

Congrats on the new vehicle and welcome to the forum. Where's the pictures so we can all admire it with you?

I don't think the sway bar will cause the lean or the tracking problem. With 163k on the clock your springs have settled 1" to 1.5" from their original height. The spring in right rear may have just settled a little more than the rest. I don't think the sway bar would cause what you're describing. My rear sway bar is completely removed and I haven't noticed any difference in how my truck drives aside from a little more body roll in the corners.

What are you planning to use the truck for?

The first thing you need to do is go through the 60k service list that is always at the top of the thread list. That way you know all the maintenance on the vehicle is current and also gives a chance to look closely for potential causes of your problem.

 

That looks like some great stuff to do to, but I think I'm going to have to buy a manual or something, as I have no idea how to begin doing most of that stuff. Is there a manual that's recommended here? Or a source of info with detailed instructions on how to do these things---one for newbies?

And while I think all that stuff looks great, I don't see how it would help the problem I've posted about. Do you mean that in the midst of doing all this I might "see" the problem because I would be looking more closely at everything? If so, I can assure you that I won't because I won't know what looks right and what looks wrong.

Thanks for your response, and I'll get a pic up here in a few.

EDIT- oh yeah-plans for the truck. Tow my little boat around, maybe a little casual off-roading here and there, looking cool, and my wife will be driving it around too. And after looking on here, working on it. LOL!

 

ONe more thing, the mechanic said the front bearings are a little loos, and that they needed a re-packing of grease. Could loose bearings make it track?

pic:

not bad for all those miles and 13 years, huh?

 

Grab yourself a RAVE manual here http://green-oval.com/joomla/index.p...d=13&Itemid=29

They're downloadable, it's the same manual the mechanics use, and best of all it's free

You want to do the 60k list because even though there is a chance that something on that list could be causing your tracking problem, even if it's not doing all the things on that list will get your truck running like new again and it will bring all maintenance up to date. I'm just finishing up doing it myself. The only thing though is you have a DI so send DiscoMike a PM and tell him to give you the list for DI not a DII as they are different.

Your tracking problem could be a number of things. Worn out steering components, worn out suspension components. Check your brakes as well, maybe you have a stuck caliper.

 

The only thing the mechanic could find suspension-wise, was the sway bar linkage. No stuck calipers either, at least not according to the mechanic.

I was thinking it must be something that only you LR experts would be able to tell me about. I talked to a service advisor at the dealer, and he said loose tie-rod ends (which there aren't), or a slight chance of a tire issue. To me, it doesn't feel like a tire issue, but maybe?

It's not really that big of a deal to me, but it freaks my wife out. And now that I'm checking this forum out, I think I will be more intent on putting my Disco in "standing tall" status.

Thanks for the tip on the manual!

 

Is your steering wheel tight and responsive to the wheels turning? If not, you may want to adjust out the slack on sector shaft of the steering gear. Its very simple to do.

 

It's not as tight as my other car...and it's not as tight as a Land Cruiser I drove, either. It had 2k more miles on it, but it wasn't as clean as the Rover and the guy was asking a little more than I was willing to pay for it.

So does it explain how to do this in the RAVE manual?

 

Yes i believe so. But all you have to is loosen the jam nut on the top of the steering gear and turn the allen screw till the slop between the steering shaft (input) and pittman arm (output) is brought closer together. Usually doesnt take make.
In rave its under steering gear adjustments.

 

Cool, I'll try it and let ya know. Thanks.