Feeling bumps in the
road? Is your steering whining? Enhance your steering and suspension system at
parts avatar Canada.
The auto steering
allows you to point the car to where you want to go and suspension helps to get
there without feeling any bump in the road. The main function of steering and
suspension system is to allow wheels to move of the car independently. The steering andsuspension system of car closely controls the vehicle alignment.
STEERING
COMPONENTS
Worn or loose
components may result in loss of directional stability and accelerated tire
wear. The main steering components are:
STEERING GEARS
The steering gear
converts the rotation from steering wheel into the right or left motion that
steers the front wheel. There are two types of steering gear as: rack and
pinion and recirculating ball. The rack and pinion gears are popular in small
vehicles while recirculating balls are more popular in large vehicles. The rack
and pinion gear has long bar with gear teeth while the recirculating ball has a
round gear in it.
BALL JOINTS, TIE RODS,
LINKAGE
When the suspension
moves up and down, lowerand upper ball joints of car and tie rods help the steering gear to
move. This allows the suspension to move up and down and keep the tire flat to
the ground. Tie rods connect the steering gears to drive wheel. Linkage is used
as connecting bar to hold and tie rods together and connect them to steering
gear.
POWER STEERING
Car's power steering
uses hydraulic or electric power to assist in the turning of the wheels.
Hydraulic systems are run by pump that is hooked to a belt that runs off the
front of the engine.
SUSPENSION
COMPONENTS
SPINDLES
The spindles hold the
wheel and brakes in place and rotate on top and bottom mounts to turn the drive
wheel. Spindle is for rear wheel drive car and the shaft in the middle is
connected to bearing that allow the wheels to move freely. A front wheel drive
spindle will have a hole through the drive spindle feeds and rotates the wheel.
CONTROL ARMS
Control arms enable the
spindles or axle to rotate and give the surface to the road. To move the
vehicle as needed mostly car's control arm with ball joint is needed. Depending on the suspension
designs, there may be one or two control arms per wheel.
SPRINGS
Springs help in
smoothing the ride by enabling the wheels to move with road. They also help in
turning. Springs absorb the impact from the road but they aren’t very good with
dissipating energy. Springs may be coiled or arc shaped.
Shocks and struts
dissipate energy. They convert the moving spring energy into heat and dissipate
it. For dissipation they use gases, oil or valves. When the spring wants to
return to its original position, it slows the process down. This reduces the
bouncing effect of the springs.
Dampers work like mini
shocks. They take out the vibrations of the moving parts of the car and
dissipate the energy to smooth out the ride. Sway bars of car
which are also called anti roll bars or stabilizer bars are used to stiffen the
suspension when the car wants to roll. This enables car manufacturers to run
softer springs and improve ride quality.
COMMON
STEERING AND SUSPENSION PROBLEMS
STEERING PROBLEMS
1. If your car is pulling to one side then the
front steering may need to be aligned. This may be because of damaged steering
wheel components and blockage of power steering.
2. If there is leak in
hydraulic system and broken belt in power steering pump then it would become
difficult for the car to turn.
3. The worn out
steering components like tie rods or internal gears may cause the steering
system to hang up in certain places.
4. If you hear whining sound by power steering
then this may be due to air bubbles in the lines, power steering pump may be
failing or bearing on the pulley may be failing.
SUSPENSION ISSUES
1. Anything that moves in the front end may wear
out and cause vibrations. The ball joints cannot stand against the pressure
exerted by the tires so the front begins to vibrate.
2. Lack of enough greasing to the joints may
cause squeaks and noises. Springs and shocks also contribute to noises.
3. If the car hits a
large bump and the suspension bottoms out, the suspension may be wearing out.
STEERING
AND SUSPENSION MAINTENANCE
If you suspect you have
a problem with your suspension system then you can check for damage to specific
parts.
BENT COMPONENTS
Suspensions are generally symmetrical side to
side, so check the components against the other for damage.
TORN BOOTS
Due to over greasing
tie rod may get torn. It will fail soon if its grease gets pushed out whenever
you break the seal. The cover may get torn apart whenever you break the seal.
So check all the tie rods if they rotting.
RUBBER COMPONENTS
Check all the rubber
components for dry rot, splits or cracks.
LEAKS
Check the power
steering connections for leaks and the grease fittings for grease coming out of
the fittings.
TOE IN AND TOE OUT
Pointing your toe towards each other is toe in
and vice versa is toe out. On rear wheel drive cars, pointing the front wheel
towards each other help keep the car stable. Front wheel drive cars are usually
toe out because front wheels are pulling the car rather than pushing. The
handle turns better and driving turns straighter if you give tires a slight in
or out position.
POWER STEERING FLUID
Check your fluid level
and fluid condition on regular basis. Fluid level should always be checked when
the engine is running. If the fluid is black colored it means rubber from the
seals and hoses is seeping into the system which could cause pump failure. In
this case have a professional check it out. You need to fill required amount of
fluid in the pump as overfill may cause hydraulic fluid to expand when heated.
LUBRICATION OF
SUSPENSION SYSTEM
Ball joints, tie rods
and other metal parts need to be lubricated or they will grind against each
other and fail. These have special grease fittings called zerk fittings that
allow you to pump grease into the joints. Too much grease could break the
rubber cover so be careful while filling it.
INSPECT SHOCKS AND
STRUTS
Monitoring your car when
driving is the best way to examine shocks and struts. If the nose of your car
dips towards the road under hard braking then there is some problem with
shocks.
If the car is leaning
towards the side when taking a turn, then the shocks are worn. If regular road
grime is mixed with the oil from the shock, then you need to repair the shocks
immediately. Inspect the exposed pistons for the signs of rust or scratches. If
the shock is not working properly then it may cause tire to bounce up and down.
If you keep in mind these points regarding shock damage then you may save your
shocks from getting more damaged.
If you need steering
suspension repair assistance and parts then do visit partsavatar.ca for best deal.
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