I own a 1988 Defender 90 2.5TD (crap). Motor not the issue right now the issue is when I hit about 50MPH my right front tire goes into a death wobble. I had this issue before and it was the tire itself. I've put on new tires and drove fine up until I had it shipped back to the US. Could it be the tire again or something different?
I'm going to guess either swivel pin preload wheel bearings or or worn suspension bushings or components. A competent tech could diagnose in a few minutes with the that wheel jacked up
A speed specific wobble, that is easily repeatable is usually tire balance. Go get your tires balanced as the first thing you try as it's the easiest and the cheapest. Any wobble resulting from an impact, regardless of speed is always worn components. Wobble at varying speeds, under different engine loads without an impact.. swivel preload, loose steering box/connections, worn bushings etc.
With every new Defender purchase take a few hours and setup the front end properly.....
1) Adjust wheel bearing preload.
2) Adjust swivel bearing preload.
3) Check adjust steering wheel to have the box in the center of travel (many times it is off).
4) Adjust steering box preload.
5) Check all the following for wear and replace if needed:
- Radius arm bushings.
- Panhard rod bushings.
- Steering tie rod ends
6) Tighten all suspension bushing bolts to spec.
7) Check and adjust toe.
8) Adjust front link to center steering wheel.
Thank you all for the information. Looks like I know what I am doing this weekend. Does anyone know a good source in the US for Defender Parts? I found a few that will ship from England not so much here in the States.
I've had it twice. Once a loose wheelbearing. That one was easy. Once a swivel ball preload. I did everything first before I found that one...
And a note on wheel balance--it usually doesn't cause the death wobble in my experience but it certainly kicks it off!! I had a wheel out of balance with the death wobble. I fixed the out of balance and all was good... until I hit a pothole on the freeway and BAM! death wobble (Swivel preload). So I do know that it contributes, but the oscillation IMHO is usually tied to something else otherwise you just feel the shimmy from a tire out of balance which I had when I lost all the wheel weights offroading...
Thank you all for the help. It just ended up being the same tire out of balanced again.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Defender Source Forum
1M posts
24K members
Since 2003
A forum community dedicated to Land Rover Defender owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, overland, classifieds, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!