Steering Dampers

Video Transcript

[00:00] In this video, we're going to have a chat about a very simple device that plays a critical role in the way our four-wheel drive performs. It's called the steering damper.

[00:20] Imagine we're driving down the road, and our tire hits a big bump, and that forces the wheel to move suddenly in a certain direction. That input from the tire is now going to be transferred through the steering system into the steering wheel. That's going to give you a couple of things. Personally, it's going to jar the steering wheel in your hand. It's also going to mean that you don't have perfect vehicle control because of that movement and that motion. So, we want to be able to control it, and that's what the steering damper is going to do.

[00:53] Now, if we increase tire size and put a suspension lift into our vehicle, that is also going to change the way the vehicle reacts to that bump. And that means that we want to make sure we have a really good quality steering damper that is going to control the vehicle correctly, so that we can keep our vehicles on track heading the way we want them to head, not the way the bump wants it to head.

[01:18] So, having a quality steering damper like this Terrain Tamer unit here is imperative to good vehicle control and having a comfortable vehicle to drive. Let's face it, I'm sure we've all driven one of those old four-wheel drives that has a steering wheel that's just about doing its own thing. It's not a fun experience. So, that's where having a good quality steering damper is really going to make a difference for you.

[01:45] Now, there's a couple of things about a steering damper. As simple as they are, it's basically a shock absorber. There's got a couple of design features that make it different from a shock absorber. Firstly, it's designed to operate in a horizontal position, not the vertical position like a shock absorber would. So, that means that some of the internals are designed slightly differently so they can operate in this fashion.

[02:11] The other difference between a shock absorber and a steering damper is this: in a shock absorber, we have a compression and a rebound shim stack, and they have different jobs depending on whether the car is going up or going down. Well, in a steering damper, we have the same shim stack whether it's being extended or compressed, and that's so that we have the same steering feel and effect whether we're turning to the left or to the right.

[02:35] One of the other features of the Terrain Tamer steering damper is grease nipples here on the ball joints. Put a shot of grease in there at servicing time and keep it in perfect working order. Traditionally, a steering damper is mounted with rubber bushings, but the unique feature of having a ball joint on the damper means that you get far more positive control from the steering damper. This allows the steering damper to easily move with the articulation of the steering system as the vehicle rides over bumps and undulations. It's also got this plastic stone guard here so you can protect the damper's shaft from damage from rocks and stones or whatever it might be.

[03:08] So, I'm going to install the steering damper into my 105 series Landcruiser. How about you come on over to the workshop, and I'll show you how easy it is to do? Obviously, every vehicle is a little bit different, but this is a 105 series Landcruiser, and it's fairly similar to a lot of the Toyota vehicles out there. You're not going to need much in the way of tools, but you do need a ball joint breaker. You can get ball joints undone with a hammer and all that sort of stuff, but geez, for the price, get yourself a ball joint breaker. It makes the job really easy.

[03:41] Sorry, from that, 14-millimeter, 19-millimeter socket, a ratchet, a pair of side cutters or pliers. That's all I need on the Landcruiser. Now, a rattle gun is also a really handy tool because when you're undoing ball joints, they can turn in the taper sometimes, and a rattle gun will overcome that problem.

[04:00] Let's dive under the car, and I'll show you how this works. So the first thing we're going to do is undo the 14-mill bolts up here, and that'll bring this end of the steering damper down. Then we remove the split pins out of the castleated nuts on both ends.

[04:23] Then we undo the castleated nut for the arm. Then using the ball joint breaker, we take the ball joints off. A really important step before you install the damper is to bleed it, and this is going to settle down the oils and the gases inside the damper. To do it, hold the damper in a vertical position, fully extend it, and then fully compress it. And now it's ready to install, but before you install it, go through and clean out the tapers. Just make sure that the whole area is nice and clean and clean any machining oils off the tapers on the new ball joints.

[05:01] The first thing I'm going to do is install the damper onto this end, just loosely put the taper in, castleated nut on. Make sure you have the plastic guard end up towards the chassis. Now, we'll put our plate back on, the castleated nut.

[05:20] Now we've got the castleated nut timed up, and the split pin in place to hold it there. Now we can put this up onto the chassis. Four-millimeter bolts up, and this end's done. Now tighten up the other end's castleated nut. Now I'll install the split pin, and that's the job done.

[05:47] Now, most vehicles are going to be something similar to this process. I trust that gives you the confidence to understand how a steering damper works and what to look for in a quality product. I'm Mad Matt; stay safe on the trails. Terrain Tamer has a 50-year-old promise to deliver quality engineered four-wheel drive parts. Close

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