03 grand vitara wanders

[me217]

hey all, i've had my 03 grand vitara for abit over a year, its got just under 150,000km on the clock and when i got it, it drove really well like driving a small car, but recently its developed a pretty bad wander in the steering, and gets affected by bumps on the road. the only things done to it since i bought it are fitted spotlights and new tyres, its still stock height and has a ecb bullbar. i've checked underneath, jacked it up and checked everything and it all seems good. no movement in the bushes or tie-rod ends. the only other things i can think of is the steering box. and possibly wheel alignment. has anybody got any other things i should check.

[me217]

anybody?

[DarkHorse Vitara]

Wheel alignment, wheel bearings, steering box, tyre balancing.

[laurient]

as above. i would check the steering rack and alignment first, wheel nuts,bearings,tyres try rotating your tyres also.

[zook4fun]

Check you idle arm on the left side. They tend to die after some ruff knocks

[atari4x4]

Check you idle arm on the left side. They tend to die after some ruff knocks

rack & peanut steering doesn't have an idler arm.

[V.W.Dave]

Get the car up on a hoist or a few jack stands and with a pry bar move around all the bushings till you find the ones that are worn out. I would look for the rear bush in the control arms.
Take a good look at your tires. find the one or two that have some odd or bad wear on them and start looking there.

[built4thrashing]

I have a GV also and have experianced very similar problems.

Several things can cause this Weird handeling.
First thing is check rear Panhard bushes, If they are flogged out it allows the rear diff to walk about. very comon if you have a panhard relocation bracket.
Up front check the inner steering rack ends. They have a ball joint setup and wear out. even the smallest play here is amplified at the wheels.
Check the outer steering ball joint. Wheel Bearings and bottom ball joint.
Struts can develop lateral movement that can cause wandering.
And lastly get your wheel alignment checked..... if you dont have enough toe in it can wander badly.

[built4thrashing]

If you cant find it yourself im more than happy to have a look for you if you wanna bring it over. Im In Dandenong North.

[me217]

Thanks. I'll have a look at all that. Also might be abit of a drive as I'm in qld lol

[built4thrashing]

Thanks. I'll have a look at all that. Also might be abit of a drive as I'm in qld lol

Road trip.

[me217]

haha yeah only a small road trip. just an update, i got a wheel alignment on it and it seems alot better. managed to get it at standard car alignment cost