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Steering clunk? U Joint or rack possible?
I recently replaced the tie rod ends and lower control arms in the front. I still have a light clunk when off road and hitting uneven surface. Is there a u joint in the steering shaft or weakness in the rack that could be the issue? 137k on the chassis.
Upper control arms have not been changed and could be worn. Maybe even bearings, but no obvious bearing noises. Kinda hard to track down by myself, arms aren’t long enough! I did a search, but only noted a few non tie rod/LCA issues.... |
....I'd check the anti-swaybar bushings.
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Any slop in the steering wheel when coming off center in either direction?
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No real slop, at least not a bunch. Sway bar bushings were changed at the same time as the LCAs. Forgot about them. I even checked the top nuts on the air shock mounts.
It reminds me of the intermediate steering shaft clunk from my Chevy Avalanche, seems like it’s between the steering wheel and the rack to me, but don’t know if there’s a joint in the middle. I couldn’t isolate it coming from one side or the other. I guess I need to jack it up and start shaking stuff! I’m thinking upper ball joints might be shot, don’t really hear about people changing those however. |
The steering shaft can wear out and is a common replacement. It is usually characterized by a bit of slop coming off center.
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Can’t say that I’ve had any wandering (maybe I’ve adjusted to it over time) nor does it show the hard to turn point that many complain of.
I was able (barely) to get my arm in and wiggle the lower steering shaft. Seemed like the bolts were where they should be, but definitely some movement in the connector or joint. Genuine Land Rover Part on order....$250..... If you’ve changed one and have any tips, it would be appreciated. |
"slop" is one word for it....I'd describe it as a "dead spot" as you turn the wheel, a few degrees off center in either direction.
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That would probably be a better term Houm_Wa, my 06 is in need of the replacement and the 07 has just started to do it.
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Replaced the shaft this morning. Took about an hour. The trick is turning the steering wheel to just the right position to get a ratchet on the bolts. Bottom bolt on mine was a 10mm Torx and the upper a 10mm hex head bolt. I spun the metal bash plate to the side and then realized there was no access from that area. Just take off the plastic cover with the four plastic push rivets. The bottom bolt didn’t need any extensions or flex adapters. Top one, I used a 12 in extension and flex adapter. Top bolt is near the firewall, save your forearm from the sharp edges! Steering wheel kept flopping over, so, I needed to turn the wheel by it’s shaft to line up the sliding intermediate shaft. I put the bottom on first and put the bolt through then pulled up onto the shaft. The part coming through the firewall seemed a little sloppy. Not sure if there’s a bushing up there. Since it has tilt, there must be another u joint under the dash. I’m not convinced this will solve the problem as the one I took off didn’t have excessive play and the bolts were tight. Will know for sure when I go off the road again. Just for future reference.... most of the clunk was solved with upper A arms. There is still slight movement/clunk and I think it’s coming from the rack/pinion or a bushing in the dash area for the steering shaft. |
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