I have a 04 Disco and have replaced wheel bearings and Steering Drag Link & Track Tie Rod Bar. Still my steering is very loose feeling. I assumed putting my lift kit with new shocks and springs would possibly be my answer but it did not help either. Is the steering box the possible culprit? Thanks for any help.

 

Feels like your driving like in an old timey B/W movie? Lots of info on loose steering boxes and how to adjust them on here and in the RAVE.

 

yep...real simple to pinpoint...just turn the steering wheel back and forth gently, and if the tires don't move, it's the box, or steering shaft....

 

If it is the steering gear box, just make adjustments in small increments. What happens over time and as mileage increases...the center area of of the sector and worm gears get worn in the centered position, from going straight down the road 90% of the time. So, if you over adjust, in the centered position so it feels tight/right, when it gets turned left or right to full locked position (fully turned one direction or the other) it will bind or cause damage to the worm gear that are not as worn in those areas, and could, completely ruin the gearbox.

So, adjust in small increments and turn from side to side, while vehicle is on jack stands and feel for any type of binding. If you feel any binding at all, while in the air, it will be amplified while on the ground...so any binding...back it off slightly.

A generic picture...



Normally, you loosen locking nut on sector shaft and tighten inner protion with screw driver head. Righty-tighty, lefty-loosy. Hit it with some WD40 first.

But, before any of this attempted, check steering shaft joints and coupler, as previously mentioned.
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I’m gonna try tightening the steering box. I’ll have to try the steering test, to me it’s more of the front wheels straying back and forth and me correcting it.

 

The coupler or steering shaft u-joints could give you the same sensation. Only takes a minute to do a wiggle test, before jumping into gearbox adjustment.

 

Ok, I’ll give it a shot, thank you for the tip

 

Update: I have tightened the steering pump a few times, but still have a good gap of play. It’s better but not there yet for sure. Tested the steering shaft for play and found that there is play but at the steering box only, not at the joints.

 

So it looks like the steering wheel is on point when going left to right? No gap. Any chance the front ball joints could let the steering stray while driving? It’s the only parts I haven’t replaced yet.

 

Dry ball joints could definitely give you a sway sensation. What happens. Powersteering pump fights to turn the dry ball-joints and it, usually, kind of, over corrects steering position/direction. And you feel this as sloppiness in steering, because there is some lag time between feeling results. So, you immediately try to bring it back to center and it over corrects the other direction. So you end up "driving" the thing all the time, instead of finding the "sweet-spot" which would center you in your lane.

And, dry ball-joints are leading cause of premature power steering pump failure (besides the crappy gasket on back plate). The pump is working its a** over to turn dry joints.

Drop the tie-rod bar and drag-link, then turn wheels from side to side by hand...should move super easily. If not...your last thing on the list became the first.