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Old 9th October 2012, 23:08   #16
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Probable reasons for vehicle to drag towards a side, in the order of probability
  • Alignment issues
  • Uneven tyre wear
  • Saggy suspension.
  • Brakes locking up
Please check one by one and see if the problem is sorted out.
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Old 10th October 2012, 06:42   #17
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Neeraj Dabake View Post
lsp - thanks! Well, as you guys must have guessed by now, am no expert - but will nonetheless try to see if i can figure out anything using key/coin at multiple points. I came across one more post on team-bhp with pictures of how to do this - thats pretty helpful!

I am just having a thought - if I am going to have to replace the tyres anyway pretty soon, i might as well do it right away, rather than doing the whole alignment/balancing thing now, only to replace the tyres soon. Although there have been no direct hits to the tyres, having driven it all over the pathetic roads and potholes in Mumbai must have been pretty bad on the tyres - probably worthwhile just replacing them? Any thoughts on this?

If and when I replace the tyres, I will be opting for tubeless - I think costs around Rs. 3-4 k per tyre. I presume wheel balancing/alignment is much cheaper? Budget is not a primary issue, but if I could rather stretch these tyres for a further minimum 3 years, would definitely prefer to postpone the replacement costs.

Has anybody used their tyres for ~ 7 years before?! (given that my running is on the lower side)..

Okay here's a suggestion. First of all, get the tyres, double checked. Someone who wants to sell tyres will be more happy replacing them even if its just wheel alignment that needs to be taken care of. Like a member above suggested wheel alignment should be carried out every 5-8 k even if the steering feels okay as a precautionary measure.

If your tyres can run along for another 10-12k I would suggest holding on. Get it checked from a reliable source, maybe a good reliable wheel workshop.

If the tyres turn out to be okay then hold the temptation. You can run along for some more time and then exchange your wheels by selling off the old ones. Please also check the wheel size so you do buy the correct tyres for your car.

My personal opinion is that if the wheel is okay, get the alignment done and of course not to forget get a computerized alignment.

Last edited by AbhishekB86 : 10th October 2012 at 06:45.
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Old 10th October 2012, 14:11   #18
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Do get the Alignment and Balancing done, do look for uneven tyre degradation, but if all this does not fix it do not fret. I have personally seen my earlier Indica and one of my colleagues Swifts steering slightly tilted and whatever they do at MASS gets it right for sometime and then it goes back again to the original defective/incorrect state.

Hope that its not to do with some steering work.
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Old 10th October 2012, 17:28   #19
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Even I have a similar problem in my Figo

The steering remains tilted slightly to the right side. Though on a straight road, the car drives in a straight line even if the steering is left momentarily. The car doesn't drag itself to left or right but the tilt in steering is present.

The car has clocked 38k kms and I have got it serviced a few weeks back. The wheel alighment, balancing and rotation is done after every 10k kms along with the service. I can trust the A.S.S guys as I always ask for the print out of the alignment / balancing & weight added sheet.

What could be the issue in this case ?
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Old 10th October 2012, 17:51   #20
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Neeraj Dabake View Post
I am just having a thought - if I am going to have to replace the tyres anyway pretty soon, i might as well do it right away, rather than doing the whole alignment/balancing thing now, only to replace the tyres soon. Although there have been no direct hits to the tyres, having driven it all over the pathetic roads and potholes in Mumbai must have been pretty bad on the tyres - probably worthwhile just replacing them? Any thoughts on this?

If and when I replace the tyres, I will be opting for tubeless - I think costs around Rs. 3-4 k per tyre. I presume wheel balancing/alignment is much cheaper? Budget is not a primary issue, but if I could rather stretch these tyres for a further minimum 3 years, would definitely prefer to postpone the replacement costs.

Has anybody used their tyres for ~ 7 years before?! (given that my running is on the lower side)..
Firstly, don't use it for like 7 years. Tires tend to dry up and develop cracks which you wouldn't even realize. However this could be quite dangerous if you are on the highway, say just for a impromtu trip. So change it after 35 to 40k.

Secondly, wheel balancing and alignment together wont cost you more than 1k maximum depending on the weights required. However make sure you stand next to them while they are doing it. I had to get mine done again in a month since it wasn't done properly and my car was wobbling beyond 90 km/hr.
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Old 10th October 2012, 18:44   #21
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sabareesh View Post
Even I have a similar problem in my Figo

The steering remains tilted slightly to the right side. Though on a straight road, the car drives in a straight line even if the steering is left momentarily. The car doesn't drag itself to left or right but the tilt in steering is present.

What could be the issue in this case ?
An Off centered steering? Mostly. While doing alignment the steering is usually locked at the center position and then the wheels are aligned. Perhaps this step was skipped and they just straightened the tyres and locked the steering there.

Quite simple to correct if the problem is an off centered steering.
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Old 10th October 2012, 21:07   #22
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Dont trust the A.S.S guys to do the alignment, balancing and rotation properly. With the amount of volumes they handle, they will never be able to give appropriate attention to detail that is required. There are loads of private players who do it in front of your eyes and that is always the better option, not to mention cheaper too. Something that you should always keep in mind,

1. Wheel alignment every 5k kms
2. Wheel balancing - same as above, or if you have had a rim bend or any change in tyres.
3. Wheel rotation - Every 7k kms.

Plan to complete these activities twice every year, that way you will remember it more often than not. I have been doing it likewise for the last 6 years on my Indica and believe me its worth the effort and time.
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Old 10th October 2012, 21:09   #23
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sabareesh View Post
What could be the issue in this case ?
If there is no dragging to the sides:

Keep the wheels pointing straight, remove the steering wheel and replace it pointing straight. Problem solved. Prolly a 50 buck/10 min job in a competent tyre shop.
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Old 11th October 2012, 05:49   #24
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I had a similiar problem with my accord.No matter how many times I got it alligned it never became straight. The mechanics used to center it while alligning but still the steering used to tilt. Later found out that the lower control arm had to be replaced.
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Old 11th October 2012, 10:31   #25
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Neeraj Dabake View Post
All,

I have a 4.5 year old wagonr, done about 25,000 km. The car as such has run fine all these years without any issue. Recently, i have a feeling that the power steering feels as if it is tilted ever so slightly to the right and i have to apply just the slightest of pressure to keep it straight. Its not a very obvious
Could these two issues be related in any way? I wonder if it is related to do with wheel alignment/balancing, my service station has recommended to do this at the next service, but i am wondering if there may be some other issue. Or is it just a feeling?

Any comments/thoughts appreciated.
I had same problem in my new honda city when it was 4.5 yrs old and steering used to have slight left tilt but no punctures, car had run 26000 kms. Had to keep slight right pressure to keep it straight. Got balancing and alignment done multiple times but no benefit. FInally i replaced my two tyres and put new in front and the problem vanished
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Old 11th October 2012, 11:42   #26
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Quote:
Originally Posted by dhanushs View Post
If there is no dragging to the sides:

Keep the wheels pointing straight, remove the steering wheel and replace it pointing straight. Problem solved. Prolly a 50 buck/10 min job in a competent tyre shop.
Dhanush, how do I know that the wheels are pointing straight?Pointing straight takes into account the toe-out angle also, right?

The reason I am asking is, for my Santro there is a faint vibration from the steering wheel when going at speeds above 80 and I suspect any of the problems cited above could be the reason
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Old 11th October 2012, 12:24   #27
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Neeraj Dabake View Post
lsp - thanks! Well, as you guys must have guessed by now, am no expert - but will nonetheless try to see if i can figure out anything using key/coin at multiple points.
=========
Has anybody used their tyres for ~ 7 years before?! (given that my running is on the lower side)..
Hi Neeraj,

7 years is surely a very long time to have not changed the tyres irrespective of the running. The rubber also wears off with time. Alignment and wheel balancing is normally done during tyre change. IMHO, it would be best to have them changed right away. You will notice a MASSIVE difference in the drive quality as well
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Old 11th October 2012, 12:43   #28
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Quote:
Originally Posted by mallumowgli View Post
The reason I am asking is, for my Santro there is a faint vibration from the steering wheel when going at speeds above 80 and I suspect any of the problems cited above could be the reason
It is also advisable to check the wheel balancing and also the disc for trueness. How old are the front tyres and also check for tyre distortions.
What dhanushs is referring and your Santro's problem is quite different.

Last edited by rajeev k : 11th October 2012 at 12:46.
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Old 11th October 2012, 12:53   #29
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

Quote:
Originally Posted by rajeev k View Post
It is also advisable to check the wheel balancing and also the disc for trueness. How old are the front tyres and also check for tyre distortions.
What dhanushs is referring and your Santro's problem is quite different.
Tyres are just 5K kms old and there is no uneven wear as of now. Wheel balancing was done around 2K kms back.
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Old 11th October 2012, 13:02   #30
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Re: Maruti WagonR : Steering tilted to the right?

An excellent flowchart to help diagnosing cause of a steering wheel vibration. Please find the same attached with this post. Hope this helps.

Source : http://www.tirerack.com
Attached Files
File Type: pdf Vehicle Vibration Diagnosis Chart.pdf (67.9 KB, 755 views)
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