Truetrac and steering

[Davis]

Just installed a truetrac in front, repacked the bearings, ect. My steering is now veering left. I recentered the drop arm/drag link and it still veers left. I searched and found some old posts with suggestions that it is possibly different bearing preload, and I will check that, but I don't think that would cause it since I set them up pretty damn even and light. What should I be checking? Ran straight before. 33" tires, good equal pressure. Detroit in rear.

thanks for the advice in advance

Chris

[Davis]

I also checked that the brakes were not binding on the rotors and they seem fine. Still a bit stumped.

UPDATE:

I redid the hub nuts, bled the front brakes and now all is great--finally have my lockers in and the D90 almost where I want it! Yeah, right. Like the upgrades will ever end.....

[evilfij]

what do you think it was, bearing preload?

[Davis]

It is tough to say since I was too lazy to put on the tires and test drive it before I bled the brakes, but it is my guess. What I would guess is that maybe I forgot to spin one of the rotors when I was compressing the bearings under load before I set the proper tension. Although if that was the case I should have felt a little play, you would guess, and I did not.

I did learn something important--I will never try and bleed the brakes with the wheels on again. Man, is that easy with them off!

[redrover]

Hi chris, did you do or add anything else? Like a gas charged steering stabilizer, or raise the truck to fit the 33s? Caster angle can make it wander left. You may have dimpled the bearing races a little, but i doubt it would cause your problem. Have you tried rotating those 33s to opposite side in front?
Also raise whole front end off ground and spin wheels . Any more resistence on one side?
Also I am not a TT expert, but could it be clutching on the strait? jp

[Davis]

Thanks for the hints, JP, but all is fixed and working. It had to be either the bearings or the brakes as I changed nothing else. It was fun to do all that work, however. It removed one more "wonder" from the fix it world of the rover. I feel like I should know how to do everything on the rover, and now the only thing left (shy of building an ECU) is a rebuild of a transmission/transfer case. The front end was last on the list.

[redrover]

Good deal chris, Its hard to find subtle steering problems. Are you with the Solihull society? I know that they are riding Holy cross city on the 17july and Blanca peak on the 24july. I will be joining Hans on the Blanca trip for sure. And maybe holy cross. If you are not with the club and would want to join the trips , fell free to jump in. jp

[Davis]

J.P.--Thanks, and I am a member of the Solihul Society--I am at most meetings, too--we probably know each other by sight. I have the white hardtop Defender, Charlie and Pam are my close friends and I just finished the Hole in the Rock trip with Mike, Charlie and Hans--it was too fun.

I am in England right now (going to Scorpion Racing tomorrow, BTW) and won't be back in time for Holy Cross--I am doing it with some club members when I get back, though. Blanca Peak? I might ride along--I don't think my 33"'s are up for it, although I believe the rig (other than the small shoes) could.

Strange being over on this side of the pond for the Forth of July! I did not get to see any fireworks--must have gone to bed too early! :)

[deslandes]

Davis, I'm thinking about fitting a truetrac in front diff (already detroit in rear, great in sand).
Does it really change life?
With approx one year back, what are your opinion & does your def goes straight forward or veers left?

[Davis]

I track straight now--it took a lot of fiddling to find the problem which turned out to be two fold. 1) one of the rear trailing arm frame mounts is not in the same position as the other (quality rover engineering) and the other was the front drivers radius arm was bent. My alignment was just screwy and the tru track showed just how much. I really like the truetrac, but if I had an unlimited budget, I think a selectable locker in the front would be my preference. Compared to an open front, I do notice the difference and I am very glad I had it.

BTW, I broke an axle in the rear recently at the Solihul rally and so did one other person also running a Detroit in the rear. Neither of us had any problems with the detroit--they still work just fine. (some people say you brake an axle, you wreck the detroit--and I know that it does happen, it just is not as frequent as some would make one believe).

[deslandes]

Thanks a lot Chris for your quick answer.
Have you got some reinforced halfshaft in your rear diff with your Detroit?
As you, If my wallet was flexible I will prefer some ARB device but...

A little pictures of my def/
<a href="http://img368.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc025890og.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/1198/dsc025890og.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>

Follow-up Post:

Arrghhhh...
Doesn't work...
http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/1198/dsc025890og.th.jpg (http://img368.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc025890og.jpg)