Steering Dampner

[usadventureracing]

I was told I need a steering dampner on my SIIa 88, does have any pictures of theres. Is this true? When I am driving down the road and hit a bump I am all over the road. Thanks for your help

[Eric W S]

I was told I need a steering dampner on my SIIa 88, does have any pictures of theres. Is this true? When I am driving down the road and hit a bump I am all over the road. Thanks for your help

If your steering is adjusted properly, its components are in good order and your suspension components are in good order than you should not need one.

My 66 has no such problems. . .

[Jim-ME]

Neither does my 64 after a proper rebuild.
Jim

[I Leak Oil]

I was told I need a steering dampner on my SIIa 88, does have any pictures of theres. Is this true? When I am driving down the road and hit a bump I am all over the road. Thanks for your help

A steering damper won't help your current problem. Most series owners don't run a damper at all. Check the steering components for wear, check the box adjustment, check the bolts holding the box to the frame, alignment, and swivel pins.
The lack of a damper is certaily not your issue.
Jason T.

[Andrew IIA]

x2 on the no steering damper - Series steering is heavy enough as it is. YMMV

[Eric W S]

x2 on the no steering damper - Series steering is heavy enough as it is. YMMV

Check the factory manual. Should be fairly light if it's properly adjusted.

[daveb]

Mine's nice and light. Try putting some oil in there!



(edit: EWS for the win)

(edit again: It's "Damper," FYI.)

Series steering is heavy enough as it is. YMMV

[SafeAirOne]

I believe there occasions where a dampner couldn't hurt even on tight steering systems. Here's why:

The steering is tight on my 109 (1" or less free play in the steering wheel). No steering dampner and never any difficulty at high speed on washboard roads, medium speed on rutty surfaces or low speed off road. A front wheel dropping into and bumping out of a pothole was never a worry. NEVER a shimmy in the steering system. That is with one exception:

There was a rough railroad grade crossing that crossed the road at just the right angle near where I worked. If I crossed them at a 25-30 mph, the timing on the wheels crossing the tracks was just the right frequency to start an oscilation in the steering. Any faster and I'd be OK any slower and I'd be OK. Any OTHER railroad grade crossing was no problem--just this particularly angled one. A steering dampner couldn't have hurt, but I'm cheap so I just drove slower.

EDIT: That being said, I just re-read the original post...Save the steering dampner money and invest it in rod-end ball joints and steering box adjustment...

[daveb]

the timing on the wheels crossing the tracks was just the right frequency to start an oscilation in the steering.

Mark that is indicative of a problem in the steering. Either a wheel out of balance or swivel pins or steering relay that are not providing sufficient pre-load. And it's DAMPER. Not dampner.

[thixon]

The only benefit I've ever gotten out of a damper on a truck is to reduce the steering kickback on rough trails. I'd say spend the bucks on fixing the real steering issue.

Just my 2 cents.

[SafeAirOne]

Mark that is indicative of a problem in the steering. Either a wheel out of balance or swivel pins or steering relay that are not providing sufficient pre-load. And it's DAMPER. Not dampner.

It's indicitave of a very minor issue then. The first series rover I had as a ****ager was a bucking bronco when it would hit anything with only one front wheel. I've really never had my 109 oscilate at any other time...ever. And that's saying a lot, since most New Hampshire roads are just an infinite series of 2-foot patches of tar that touch each other and stretch from one hamlet to the next.

You are correct--it is damper or dampener. "Damp'ner" is a new word that splits the difference.

[usadventureracing]

great feedback and thak yu for corectig my spelig

[daveb]

Sounds like DC roads. At least in NH they use tar for the patches. I once saw a pothole in DC with a matress in it to try and fill it up. No kidding, right in the center of downtown.

Anyway, the shimmy thing happened a few times on my SIII, before I rebuilt the completely knackered front end. This was like "rip the steering wheel out of your hand" stuff. It never happened after that rebuild or with any of my subsequent LR's.

And fine, damp'ner it is

most New Hampshire roads are just an infinite series of 2-foot patches of tar that touch each other and stretch from one hamlet to the next.

You are correct--it is damper or dampener. "Damp'ner" is a new word that splits the difference.

[BGGB]

When i was doing my restoration i thought i would go the extra step of installing one on my 65 since the new tie rod came with a bracket to attach. i had never driven the rover before and once i had a rolling chassis and was moving it came right off. The steering was too heavy to justify it. it works great without it, i agree with everyone else to check all your steering components and make sure everything is tight.