I was driving on the beach the other day with the family when we came to a washboard-like section of the ruts. The disco started making a new sound in the front, I think right of the truck. Every time we hit sharp bumps like that it made the noise, but not over any average road bump. A few days later we took it out on some dirt roads we knew (which were sadly all dry) that had similar bumps and the sound reproduced. My wife was recording the trip down the roads and was able to get the sound. I haven't had time to really dig into it and see what it could be yet, but I figured I would post and see if anyone was familiar with the sound. . The sound can be heard well around 15-20 seconds in.

 

I'd start with checking the steering linkage - the drag link and track rod. The joints at the end of each wear out. Mine were way loose when I finally upgraded to heavy duty bars a few years ago.

 

Thanks. I'll look into it. Did you go with the Terra Firma bars? If so, how do you like them?

 

Check you drop links too, they bang and rattle when the ball joints are on the way out, front and rear

 

I was reading about replacing the ball joints last night. I really hope it isn't them lol. Sounds like a PITA.

 

There aren’t many jobs on my Rover I wouldn’t do myself. I did the headgaskets 11 years ago. If my truck ever needs ball joints I’ll pay someone else to do that job. Too many horror stories on his forum about ball joint jobs gone wrong for me to want to do it myself.

To quote The Gambler, “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em …”

 

l believe "frostythor" is talking about the torsion/sway bar links, they are the little rods that connect the sway bar to the axle housing. They have a ball and socket on each end of link. If you notice, "frostythor" is from the UK and over there they call everything that has a ball and socket...a ball-joint. What we call a tie-rod end...they call a ball-joint...and so on.

 

Just listen to video. Jack it up, put some jack stands underneath and start looking around for dry rotted/torn boots on tie rod ends, swaybar links, etc. Grab them firmly and try to move joint ends. You're looking for unusual movement, up and down on tie-rod ends and in and out on links. Checking ball joints (what we call ball-joints) is a little more difficult, you'll need a long bar to put between bottom of tire and ground, lifting up on bar, have someone else watch the ball joints for unusual movement (the spindle will be moving independently of axle housing).

 

Yes Deputy you are correct, in the manual they call the Anti-roll bar links, but they do have a ball and socket joint on each end, I have a lot of banging on my D2, I jacked it up and found nothing, went to my local garage the prodded and poking it and found nothing, the only thing they suggested was take off my shock absorber turn them upside down and compress them to see if there was any sudden movement to so oil loss, they were fine, but to put them back on, I had to jack the car up higher, on a stand the lower the axel down to fit the shocker, and that when the anti-roil link end ball came out of the cup socket, , as the car moved the link came apart and banged, but the vertical section did not move so it always went back in and no amount of pushing and pull did we make it come out for me to see, only when the axel was lowered enough to get full separation,

OK it’s a bit long but it did take several weeks to find it with the banging getting progressively

 

Thanks for the clarification there. I don't think I would have caught that.

That is one of the many plans for the weekend. Hopefully, it'll be something "easy."

Good to know how to test for this. Hopefully, it'll be something more simple, but knowing my luck...