Steering Seems Vague And Wheell Wobble

[peterg]

I have just picked up a 93 Surf with 11 months MOT.

The problem I have is, the steering seems very vague and I get a slight wheel wooble a t 45 mph and above, in fact the whole of the front end seems to vibrate. I had the wheels balanced this morning and i checked the tyre pressures this morning, but it is till the same.

I have 265 /70/ 16 Tyres fitted and I have inflated these to 30 psi, do not know if this is correct or not.

These questions have probably been asked before, but i am unsure as to what to check on the car.

Any suggestions?

Many Thanks

Peter G

[marky]

Tyre pressure is about fine wheel wobble could be Distorted tyres, wheel bearings or steering idler arm. Did you buy it off a dealer ??

[peterg]

Tyre pressure is about fine wheel wobble could be Distorted tyres, wheel bearings or steering idler arm. Did you buy it off a dealer ??

Nope, not off a dealer.I am happy to tackle any DIY jobs myself, although this is the first4x4, I have owned, and I am not too sure what the idler arms are.

Perhaps it might be a good idea, for me to get hold of a workshop manual. Would anyone know were I could get a manual.

Thanks

Peter G

[ship]

I have just picked up a 93 Surf with 11 months MOT.

The problem I have is, the steering seems very vague and I get a slight wheel wooble a t 45 mph and above, in fact the whole of the front end seems to vibrate. I had the wheels balanced this morning and i checked the tyre pressures this morning, but it is till the same.

I have 265 /70/ 16 Tyres fitted and I have inflated these to 30 psi, do not know if this is correct or not.

These questions have probably been asked before, but i am unsure as to what to check on the car.

Any suggestions?

Many Thanks

Peter G

try a search for wheel wobble, ( God, i,m sounding like Morr), as Marky said the tyres can distort if the vehicle has been stood for a while, ie: auction house, on the boat then dealers forecourt. I think most people run 30 to 33psi on standard tyres.

ship

[marky]

Heres some pics for the time being HAYNES do a manual for the 4RUNNER as it uses the same running gear.

[exmee46]

Try rotating the front wheels to the back and see if the wobble follows them. The vague steering is a worry - I wouldnt call it vague - although the turn-in is nowhere near as sharp as a car - and thst what you might be comparing it to. taken together, your symptoms would suggest a problem with worn stearing linkage somewhere - although with a fresh MOT that's hard to understand . Swapping the wheels should get you on the way to eliminating some possibilities. If the wobble follows the wheels then check carefully for flats and bulges (inside walls too) - and the obvious bent wheel itself.

Kev

[Gizmo]

Try rotating the front wheels to the back and see if the wobble follows them. The vague steering is a worry - I wouldnt call it vague - although the turn-in is nowhere near as sharp as a car - and thst what you might be comparing it to. taken together, your symptoms would suggest a problem with worn stearing linkage somewhere - although with a fresh MOT that's hard to understand . Swapping the wheels should get you on the way to eliminating some possibilities. If the wobble follows the wheels then check carefully for flats and bulges (inside walls too) - and the obvious bent wheel itself.

Kev

Just make sure that you swap the left hand front with the left hand back etc...as the wheels could be rotationally marked

[peterg]

Just make sure that you swap the left hand front with the left hand back etc...as the wheels could be rotationally marked

Thanks for the replies.

like I say though the wheels were balanced this morning, so I would like to think that if the tyres were distorted or they were out of balance, that surely would have picked up on, when they were balancing the wheels!!!!!

Cheers

Peter G

[laser_jock99]

Tyre pressure is about fine wheel wobble could be Distorted tyres, wheel bearings or steering idler arm. Did you buy it off a dealer ??

Yep- check for worn steering idler. Jack up the front passenger side till the wheel is just off the ground. Grab both sides of the tyre and try and move while watching the idler arm (see picture- it's bolted to the chassis just behind the tyre). If you see much movement of the shaft in the sleeve then it's probably worn. You'll need to either fit new plastic bushes or if the shaft is rusted (as they often seem to be) a new idler arm (~£60 from Milners).

Grab the top and bottom of the tyre next and see if this can be moved in and out. If there's more than 1 - 2mm movement the wheel bearings will need a little tightening (do this test both sides).

Nevillef

[da SLUG man]

Grab the top and bottom of the tyre next and see if this can be moved in and out. If there's more than 1 - 2mm movement the wheel bearings will need a little tightening (do this test both sides).

Nevillef

or ball joints