Hi all. Bought my first Rover, a 1992. My wifes always wanted one and i being a big car guy couldnt pass up the oppurtunity to purchase a project car with my wifes blessing!
Im gonna have a bunch of questions cuz this thing is a bit different than a musclecar.

First question. Whats the air shock attached to the rear differential for?

Ill start with that one.
thanks in advance!

Tim

 

Thats your rear suspension.
Sounds like you are not familiar with Rovers, you came to a great place for your questions.
How many miles on your Rover?
Get back to us, have a Merry Christmas,
Mike

 

Your right im not famaliar with Rovers...yet..lol

I layed under the truck today for a while looking around...rear suspension you say? It has coils and shocks at each wheel so what does the air unit do? And how do I know if its doing what its supposed too?

Also the truck seems to roll side to side alot.I know it has no sway bars but it still seems too easily rocked. And lastly the pass side is about 1.5 inches higher that the drivers. Worn out springS?

its a 92 with 165000 miles.It is super clean though.not a spot of rust underneath and well maintained from the looks of it however it has hi miles so im sure some of the suspension is worn.

 

Sounds like the "air shock" you are describing is the Boge self-leveling unit. This is attached to the A-frame, and back before air suspension would gradually self-level the rear of the Range Rover when you were carrying a load in the back.

Regarding the anti-sway bars, I'm quite sureall Rangies after '91 should have had them. My '90 doesn't, two friends '92s both do. If they aren't there then they may have been removed. Even with anti-sway bars the classic RR has significant body lean. Take comfort though in its wonderfully low center of gravity.

The Driver side should normally sit slightly higher, not the passenger side. Each of the4 springs on a Rover has a slightly different length, and from what you are describing all four should be replaced. This is a piece-of-cake job (I've done it about 5-6 times) if you have jack-stands, two floor jacks, coil spring compressors (rent from the auto parts store or buy a set for 15 bucks at Harbor Freight), and an air ratchet. Actually, nothing except the jacks are NECESSARY, but you will curse a lot less and reduce the chances of crushed fingers [:@]if you have the proper tools.

Congratulations on embarking on the journey of Rover ownership! It's going to be an experience (an usually a good one)

 

thanks for the answers. Idid a little research myself and of course you are correct it is a self leveling cylinder. Where is the compressor? And the sensor that activates it?

Springs are definatley shot.Iv changed tons of springs over the years so that will be no prob.
What really stinks is every time you find a prob and need a part......order it and wait for the UPS man!! LOL!!
Auto Zone isnt much help anymore!

Thanks
and HAPPY NEW YEAR
Tim

 

Hello!

That self-levelling unit isn't connected to anything else. It is entirely self-contained and functions to level your rangie in the fore-to-aft axis. It is designed to allow the car to level itself when laden with a big load or towing. It functions entirely mechanically and isn't reliant on sensors or compressors to work.

They do tend to wear out, and with the kind of mileage yours has, it probably is about time to replace it. Good luck; they are disproportionately expensive.

To see if it's doing its job, load the truck up with 4-500lbs of stuff in the trunk. It should squat in the back from the weight. Drive slowly over some uneven ground for a couple of minutes to make the suspension articulate and it should level itself out. If it doesn't, the Boge unit will need replacing.

The ball joints at the top and bottom of the Boge unit are also a common source of clunks from beneath the floor when the weight of the vehicle transfers fore-to-aft like when accellerating or braking. You should replace them at the same time. It's a bit of a job that involves some heavy pressing and you should consult a LR mechanic on the process.

Welcome to the club! Hope you don't like the way your wallet holds your pants down. [:@]

 

Ok that makes sense. Iv looked and couldnt find a compressor and now I know why.

If it doesnt work properly and or the ball joints do clunk couldnt i just eliminate it? It is a very expensive unit and iv got enough stuff to spend money on with this project!