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XD steering & suspension

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The guy we bought our XD from has removed the rust and respayed it, so the body is OK and the engine and driveline seem fair, but the steering is woeful. There's easily +/- 15° play in the steering box and it's way heavier than it should be. So I've got 3 questions:

1. Is the manual steering box an easy fix, or is it better go for a exchange reon unit?

2. It's a 38 year old 360000km car, should I just fix what's worn in the front end, or replace the lot?

3. We're thinking about a 2" drop. What's the consensus?

 

Any input is much appreciated. 

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for Me, lowered falcons don't drive well if they are lower than say Pedders or King Lows or lovells etc. 

 

the biggest DIFFERENCE you'll notice will be nolathane sway bar links, best cheap mod.. (other than non rooted parts)
 

i'd check everything, if you have a pedders there, get a check.. "worn" doesn't mean replace it, ask if they'd do a wheel alignment with the worn parts.. that determines if they NEED replacing. 

 

steering box is adjustable, and it can be topped up with whatever they take(oil i think) @Mr Polson recently replaced his worn manual steering box. might give some pointers

 

i don't trust CHEAP PARTS there's a thread here of my experience 

 

 

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Steering box - they can be adjusted and tightened up, there's a nut/screw on the top of that which allows for adjustment.

Is it loose in straight ahead/just as you turn position? Or the whole way through the turning? A manual box will wear out in the straight ahead position the quickest.

As Dean said, I just had mine replaced in my XF, with a reco exchange unit through Repco.
Worth doing the Pitman Arm if you replace the box. Also check the condition of the flexible coupling that connects the steering box to the column. If it needs replacing I'd try to track down an original type, not urethane for manual steer.



Front end - have a look at your tie rods, ball joints and bushes. If the ball joints are riveted into the upper and lower control arms they're original, and probably due for replacement. Have fun getting the rivets out.

Tie rods, if they're worn replace them, and make sure you get decent ones - ask Dean about his incident with eBay ones. I recommend WASP ball joints/tie rods.

Bushes - you should be able to see how stuffed they are. Few cracks in them doesn't mean they're stuffed but if they're missing any chunks I'd be replacing. Particularly your lower inner control arm bushes - they control camber, and the radius rod bushes under the front radiator support.

I've got a full Nolathane front end under both my XFs and have had no issues. They also now do a "classic" bush which is black instead of the normal red, which looks more original.



Lowering - my XF ute is lowered 2.5" with Kings in the front and blocks in the back. My wagon is lowered 1.5" with Pedders front and blocks in back.
2.5 looks good but is definitely bumpier on the road and will need shortened shocks and short/cut bump stops.
1.5 retains a lot of road comfort, doesn't need shortened bump stops - is on the limit for shortened shocks (I have them).
Make sure you get a wheel alignment after lowering if you do.

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All good advice gents, I'll add to that with how to check the various joints and pivots for wear.

First you have to establish that there is in fact play in the system, and that you're not just feeling sidewall flex from the old high profile tyres. Open the window and shake the steering left to right while watching the rim on the driver's side. You can see that the rim will move but the tyre tread lags behind. This will contribute to a sloppy feel. I like to go as high in pressure as the tyres will handle (often written on the load rating on the tyre). This will increase road feel.

Start by putting the car on ramps or blocks. The wheels should be at ride height.

It's really a 2-person job, so get your Mrs or one of your kids to wiggle the steering left and right to take up the slack in the system. They'll need to be prepared to do this for as long as it takes to check all the joints that affect steering slop.

All joints will need to be checked using this wiggle method.

Start inspecting at the box. Watch the input from the rag joint and feel the output from the Pitman Arm. If there is a delay in movement as the coupling turns left to right, there is play in the box. Adjust as described above. Also check the mounting bolts for tightness.

Pitman Arm joint wear will show as movement in the arm before the drag link moves. Detect by placing fingers on both components and feel for excessive movement. Replace Pitman Arm if needed.

Inner and outer tie rod joints will be the same, detect play by using same method as above. Outer rod ends often wear more than inners due to their proximity to debris and water thrown up by the wheel and the range of movement.

Bottom ball joint may also present as worn with side-to-side steering movement but it is better to lever back and forth with a large screwdriver to check. Wear in this joint will often show as vagueness while changing direction.

Top joint won't show any symptoms as it is always under load. The only truly correct way of detecting wear in this one is to take the load off the rest of the suspension while containing the load in the spring, either with a spring compressor or a block between the chassis and the top arm. This unloads the top joint so you can check it at correct ride height (where it will wear the most). If doing the lower joints, you would replace the uppers as a matter of course.

Radius rod bushes can also contribute to sloppiness but only while on the move and detectable with movement in the back and forth direction. Wear in these bushes will give excessive squirm under brakes due to the loss of castor effect at the wheels, as well as vagueness in steering response.

Lastly, a simple one but often overlooked is wheel bearings. Jack up and check for play, adjust if needed. If the grease is really dirty, they'll likely need replacing.

Sent from my CPH1903 using Tapatalk

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Thanks gerg, great info.

I've looked at the steering shaft input vs output and it's where most of the free play is.

I'm thinking the advice from deankdx about the pedders check might be a good idea, although they're typically conservative and over recommend repairs.

I'm hoping to get some time on the weekend to have a more serious look at it and your tips above will help immensly, thanks.

 

At this point I'm starting to think that unless I can find conclusive evidence of recently replaced parts I'm going to assume that everything is 38 years and 360,000k old and is going to get redone. Think I'll see what a Pedders quote looks like, and where I can save some cash, but I'm also of the opinion that penny pinching with suspension/steering/brakes isn't usually the best option.

 

Thanks again guys.

 

 

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pedders quotes for old falcons can be ridiculous, excess of $2000 easy.. this is because the labour in particular kills it.
for eg, the rear springs fitting on my gemini was quoted at $88(1hr i think)

i said i can do them in less than 10mins.. not paying $90 for 10mins work(gemini springs.. undo shock lower end, lower diff, springs come out..  refit is just as quick. 

 

but they have a "NO BULL" policy, i have always been able to be shown the wear while it's on the hoist.  might be because i always wear work boots and look like i know what i'm on about?  

 

the key think i've learned with dealing with them for 20yrs is say, i'm not in a postion to do everything right now, but i want to fit tyres, what's needed immediately for a wheel alignment to hold.. 
then you'll see the change to.. well, you'll get away with the control arm bushes worn for a while, but the caster bushes are falling apart, need them, 2 ball joints and idler arm(idler arms don't last long.. might be due to being lowered also)
shocks etc won't affect wheel alignment/tyre wear much.. but they make the car feel much safer when they are ok.. 

another tip.. 
as Mr Polson touched on, if you don't go super lows springs, you can get away with much cheaper standard shocks, which have a bonus of being a comfy ride rather than a choppy sports type ride.. (personally i prefer the best shocks in the budget, you do notice the difference in driving confidence, almost as much as decent tyres)

 

you can do a lot of the work yourself, grab a gregorys manual, and a $120 ratchet set and you'll get 80% of the easy stuff done on your own time.

before i bought the $30 socket big enough for castor bars, i used to pay pedders to fit them(the nut is big, and tight all the way, ugga duggas on a rattle gun make it quick work)

changing a pitman arm is also a job i get them to do, for similar reasons.. quick job with the right tools.

and if you are replacing the rag joint on the steering box, i'd consider farming that job out also(power steering one is painful, not sure on the manual one)

 

 

 

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Rag joints need to be riveted with new pins intalled. Those parts alone are upwards of $150, but I cut n shut one off a manual onto my power steer coupling. The pins are only there as a safety measure if the rag joint failed (unlikely)

Sent from my CPH1903 using Tapatalk

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30 minutes ago, gerg said:

Rag joints need to be riveted with new pins intalled. Those parts alone are upwards of $150, but I cut n shut one off a manual onto my power steer coupling. The pins are only there as a safety measure if the rag joint failed (unlikely)

 

the last power steering box i had done on change over(they actually used mine and did it on the spot, while i waited because they didn't have a spare XG one, where the pipes differ at the top) they charged $90 for the NEW original type rag joint including fitting. so it definitely pays to shop around.(this could have been close to their cost price) steering mobs having the right tools etc make light work of some jobs.

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Just a tip,  if you go Nolathene on the whole front suspension, the dash will shake to pieces. 😄

Use it on the hardest wearing points (UCA's and radius rods etc) and original, black Neoprene on the others. It's loads more compliant, and will give a more comfy ride. (Won't last as long though) 

My 10 cents.

 

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i prefer rubber on the upper and lower control arms, they are pain in the ass to change.. rubber lasts much much longer in these places. 

the rest can be either, but you'll notice a difference with sway bar link bushes and probably shockers and spring saddles in nolathane etc. 

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