Extreme Tramlining - 2001 MPFI Zen

vivekjayasheel · 30th November 2009, 13:45

I have a 2001 model Bharat-II MPFI Zen that I bought new 8 years ago.

Recently a very disturbing problem has cropped up... whenever I speed up in excess of 130 kmph on surfaces like the Mumbai-Pune expressway, the car suddenly veers to the right from time to time, just for a split second. It is similar to a sudden lane-change manouvre except that this happens on its own.

It happens without warning and is very frightening. It requires me to correct the sudden lane-change by yanking the steering wheel to the left.

I have never had any suspension work done on the car except for changing the right side lower arm once.

My second query is, that if suspension work is required to be done, I would like to move to Koni shocks. The moderator was kind enough to send the link of the website on an earlier post but I noticed that Koni do not have a listing for the maruti zen or alto (as it is called in some markets) like they do for the esteem and baleno. So could any of you point me to a contact in India (preferably in Maharashtra) who could source and install these for me?

Many thanks in advance.

Jaggu · 30th November 2009, 15:12

Get your car and suspension checked completely, its dangerous to drive around with this issue. Does this car has EPS?

Psycho · 30th November 2009, 18:13

I have a query does this happen when the roads are uneven / broken, if so please check the toe of your car at your alignment center.

And as Jaggu mentioned if it does have EPS please check for a short near the EPS area.

vivekjayasheel · 1st December 2009, 18:03

The car does not have EPS. I need to get alignment done at a different place i guess. thanks for the replies.

Jaggu · 1st December 2009, 18:15

Check the suspension and steering parts for excess free play also. Also how are the tires? Are they in good condition?

nitrous · 1st December 2009, 19:04

Be present when they're doing the wheel alignment and check the toe values, even after the print out.

vivekjayasheel · 2nd December 2009, 10:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrous

Be present when they're doing the wheel alignment and check the toe values, even after the print out.

Any specific figure I should be looking for? What should the ideal toe-values be? I checked the Owner's Manual, it does not mention this stuff

Thanks again.

P.S. Tyres are almost brand new. I changed all four at the same time thinking that THAT might have been the problem...

SS-Traveller · 2nd December 2009, 10:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivekjayasheel

...whenever I speed up in excess of 130 kmph..., the car suddenly veers to the right from time to time, just for a split second.

Check for a jamming front/rear wheel bearing or faulty CV joint on the right side. Also check for any unusual wear pattern on the front/rear right tyre treads in the form of a small bald patch.

vivekjayasheel · 2nd December 2009, 11:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Check for a jamming front/rear wheel bearing or faulty CV joint on the right side. Also check for any unusual wear pattern on the front/rear right tyre treads in the form of a small bald patch.

OK i dunno if this helps diagnosing the problem or not, but since I have bought the car, 95% of the time, I am the ONLY person in it; no co-passengers. Once I had to change the right-side lower-arm and when i asked the guy why he didn't change the left one as well, he said it was not damaged.

And I know this is irresponsible behavior

but every time I am on the expressway, i slow down till there are no cars in my vicinity near the Lonavla curves and then go flat out so that I can drift. This car drifts beautifully compared to the older (13 inch wheeled) zen that used to break traction suddenly and just spin. I dunno if that has also caused some damage over the years.

vivekjayasheel · 18th December 2009, 15:28

Got the alignment and balancing done (toe-values are 1.0 on each side). The balancing took away the slight vibrations to the steering wheel between 80 and 100 kmph, but the sudden veering to the right still happens on slightly uneven roads (like the expressway)... :-(

SS-Traveller · 18th December 2009, 15:54

Please try checking the wheel bearings by hand after opening them up.

Jaggu · 18th December 2009, 16:05

Ok did you recently check the suspension for wear/tear (Tie rod, lower arm, strut's, bushes etc)?

1) Do a check of the above.
2) How is the steering damper set, is it hard to turn? Usually kept tight to avoid the damper noise. If so, see if it works out by loosening the damper by a turn or two.

And you need to give more info on the vehicle, like kms done and last time when any steering/suspension jobs was done. 8 years is too vague and too long a time.

30th November 2009, 13:45	#1
vivekjayasheel BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 116 Thanked: 65 Times	Extreme Tramlining - 2001 MPFI Zen I have a 2001 model Bharat-II MPFI Zen that I bought new 8 years ago. Recently a very disturbing problem has cropped up... whenever I speed up in excess of 130 kmph on surfaces like the Mumbai-Pune expressway, the car suddenly veers to the right from time to time, just for a split second. It is similar to a sudden lane-change manouvre except that this happens on its own. It happens without warning and is very frightening. It requires me to correct the sudden lane-change by yanking the steering wheel to the left. I have never had any suspension work done on the car except for changing the right side lower arm once. My second query is, that if suspension work is required to be done, I would like to move to Koni shocks. The moderator was kind enough to send the link of the website on an earlier post but I noticed that Koni do not have a listing for the maruti zen or alto (as it is called in some markets) like they do for the esteem and baleno. So could any of you point me to a contact in India (preferably in Maharashtra) who could source and install these for me? Many thanks in advance.
	() Thanks

30th November 2009, 15:12	#2
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Get your car and suspension checked completely, its dangerous to drive around with this issue. Does this car has EPS?
	() Thanks

30th November 2009, 18:13	#3
Psycho Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,043 Thanked: 110 Times View My Garage	I have a query does this happen when the roads are uneven / broken, if so please check the toe of your car at your alignment center. And as Jaggu mentioned if it does have EPS please check for a short near the EPS area.
	() Thanks

1st December 2009, 18:03	#4
vivekjayasheel BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 116 Thanked: 65 Times	The car does not have EPS. I need to get alignment done at a different place i guess. thanks for the replies.
	() Thanks

1st December 2009, 18:15	#5
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Check the suspension and steering parts for excess free play also. Also how are the tires? Are they in good condition?
	() Thanks

1st December 2009, 19:04	#6
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: UAE/Lon/Madras Posts: 6,965 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	Be present when they're doing the wheel alignment and check the toe values, even after the print out.
	() Thanks

18th December 2009, 15:28	#10
vivekjayasheel BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 116 Thanked: 65 Times	Got the alignment and balancing done (toe-values are 1.0 on each side). The balancing took away the slight vibrations to the steering wheel between 80 and 100 kmph, but the sudden veering to the right still happens on slightly uneven roads (like the expressway)... :-(
	() Thanks

18th December 2009, 15:54	#11
SS-Traveller Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 8,164 Thanked: 27,144 Times View My Garage	Please try checking the wheel bearings by hand after opening them up.
	() Thanks

18th December 2009, 16:05	#12
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Ok did you recently check the suspension for wear/tear (Tie rod, lower arm, strut's, bushes etc)? 1) Do a check of the above. 2) How is the steering damper set, is it hard to turn? Usually kept tight to avoid the damper noise. If so, see if it works out by loosening the damper by a turn or two. And you need to give more info on the vehicle, like kms done and last time when any steering/suspension jobs was done. 8 years is too vague and too long a time.
	() Thanks