2000 SUZUKI SWIFT steering

3-4 STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES
Wander or Poor
Steering StabilityMismatched or uneven tires Replace or inflate tires to proper
pressure.
Loosen ball joints and tie rod ends Replace suspension arm or tie rod
end.
Faulty struts or mountings Replace strut or repair mounting.
Loose stabilizer bar Tighten or replace stabilizer bar or
bush.
Broken or sagging springs Replace spring.
Rack and pinion adjustment Check and adjust rack and pinion
torque.
Disturbed front end alignment Check and adjust front end align-
ment.
Erratic Steering When
BrakingWorn wheel bearings Replace.
Broken or sagging springs Replace coil spring.
Wheel tires are inflated unequally Inflate tires to proper pressure.
Disturbed front end alignment Check and adjust front end align-
ment.
Brakes not working in unison Check and adjustment brake sys-
tem.
Leaking wheel cylinder or caliper Repair or replace wheel cylinder or
caliper.
Warped discs Replace brake disc.
Badly worn brake linings Replace brake shoe lining.
Drum is out of round in some brakes Replace brake drum.
Defective wheel cylinders Replace or repair wheel cylinder.
Low or Uneven Trim
Height
NOTE:
See NOTE *1.Broken or sagging springs Replace.
Over loaded Check loading.
Incorrect springs Replace.
Ride Too Soft
Faulty struts (shock absorber) Replace strut.
Suspension Bottoms
Overloaded Check loading.
Faulty struts (shock absorber) Replace strut.
Incorrect, broken or sagging springs Replace.
Body Leans or Sways
in CornersLoose stabilizer bar Tighten stabilizer bar bolts or nuts,
or replace bushes.
Faulty struts (shock absorbers) or mountings Replace strut or tighten mounting.
Broken or sagging springs Replace.
Overloaded Check loading.
Cupped Tires
Front struts defective Replace.
Worn wheel bearings Replace.
Excessive tire or wheel run-out Replace tire or wheel disc.
Worn ball joints Replace front suspension arm.
Tire out of balance Adjust tire balance. Condition Possible Cause Correction

STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES 3-5
TIRE DIAGNOSIS
IRREGULAR AND/OR PREMATURE WEAR
Irregular and premature wear has many causes. Some of them
are: incorrect inflation pressures, lack of tire rotation, driving hab-
its, improper alignment.
If the following conditions are noted, rotation is necessary:
Front tire wear is different from rear.
Uneven wear exists across the tread of any tire.
Front tire wear is unequal between the right and left.
Rear tire wear is unequal between the right and left.
There is cupping, flat spotting, etc.
A wheel alignment check is necessary if following conditions are
noted:
Front tire wear is unequal between the right and left.
Wear is uneven across the tread of any front tire.
Front tire treads have scuffed appearance with “feather”
edges on one side of tread ribs or blocks.
WEAR INDICATORS
Original equipment tires have built-in tread wear indicators (1) to
show when they need replacement.
These indicators (1) will appear as 12 mm (0.47 in) wide bands
when the tire tread depth becomes 1.6 mm (0.063 in).
When the indicators (1) appear in 3 or more grooves at 6 loca-
tions, tire replacement is recommended.NOTE:
*1: Right-to-left trim height (“H”) difference should be
within 15 mm (0.6 in.) with curb weight. (same with rear
side.)
“H”
[A] : Hard Cornering, under inflation or lack of tire rotation
[B] : Incorrect wheel alignment, tire construction not uniform or wheel heavy acceleration

3-6 STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES
RADIAL TIRE WADDLE
Waddle is side to side movement at the front and/or rear of the
vehicle. It is caused by the steel belt not being straight within the
tire. It is most noticeable at a low speed, 8 to 48 kph (5 to 30
mph).
It is possible to locate the faulty tire by road testing the vehicle. If
it is on the rear, the rear end of the vehicle shakes from side to
side or “waddles”. To the driver in the seat, it feels as though
someone is pushing on the side of vehicle.
If the faulty tire is on the front, waddling is more visual. The front
sheet metal appears to be moving back and forth and the driver
feels as though he is at the pivot point in vehicle.
Waddle can be quickly diagnosed by using Tire Problem Detector
(TPD) and following the equipment manufacture’s recommenda-
tions.
If TPD is not available, an alternative method of substituting
known-good tire/wheel assemblies can be used as follows,
although it takes a longer time.
1) Ride vehicle to determine whether the front or rear waddles.
2) Install tires and wheels that are known to be good (on similar vehicle) in place of those on waddling end of
vehicle. If waddling end cannot be identified, substitute rear ones.
3) Road test again. If improvement is noted, reinstall originals one at a time till waddle causal tire is found. If no
improvement is noted, install known-good tires in place of all four. Then reinstall originals in the same man-
ner as above.
EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURE’S RECOMMENDATIONS
In flate tires to recommended pressure
Road test vehicle on level unrowned road in both directions
Switch front tires side to side and road test again
Lead corrected,
if roughness results, replace tiresLeads in same directionLeads reverses direction
Put tires back in original position
and check alignmentInstall a known-good tire on one front side
Lead remains install a known-good
tire in place of other front tire
Lead remains known-good tires are not goodLead corrected replace tire
Lead corrected replace tire

STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES 3-7
RADIAL TIRE LEAD
“Lead” is the deviation of the vehicle from a straight path on a level rod even with no pressure on the steering
wheel.
Lead is usually caused by:
Incorrect alignment.
Uneven brake adjustment.
Tire construction.
The way in which a tire is built can produce lead in a vehicle. An example of this is placement of the belt. Off
center belts on radial tires can cause the tire to develop a side force while rolling straight down the road. If one
side of the tire has a little larger diameter than the other, the tire will tend to roll to one side. This will develop a
side force which can produce vehicle lead.
The procedure in above figure (Lead Diagnosis) should be used to make sure that front alignment is not mis-
taken for tire lead.
Part of the lead diagnosis procedure is different from the proper tire rotation pattern currently in the owner
and service manuals. If a medium to high mileage tire is moved to the other side of the vehicle, be sure to
check that ride roughness has not developed
Rear tires will not cause lead.
VIBRATION DIAGNOSIS
Wheel unbalance causes most of the highway speed vibration problems. If a vibration remains after dynamic
balancing, its possible causes are as follows.
Tire runout.
Wheel runout.
Tire stiffness variation.
Measuring tire and/or wheel free runout will uncover only part of the problem. All three causes, known as loaded
radial runout, must be checked by using a Tire Problem Detector (TPD). If TPD is not available, alternative
method of substituting known-good tire and wheel assemblies on the problem vehicle can be used, although it
takes a longer time.
[A] : Tire out of round 1. Smooth road
[B] : Tire stiffness variation 2. Suspension movement (loaded runout)
[C] : Rim bent or out of round

3-8 STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES

FRONT END ALIGNMENT 3A-1
6F1
6F2
6G
6H
6K
7A
3A
7B1
7C1
7D
7E
7F
8A
8B
8C
8D
8E
9
10
10A
10B
SECTION 3A
FRONT END ALIGNMENT
CONTENTS
GENERAL DESCRIPTION ...............................3A-2
TOE SETTING .............................................. 3A-2
CAMBER ....................................................... 3A-2
ALIGNMENT SERVICE DATA
(REFERENCE) .............................................. 3A-2
DIAGNOSIS ......................................................3A-3
DIAGNOSIS TABLE ...................................... 3A-3
PRELIMINARY CHECKS PRIOR TO
ADJUSTING FRONT ALIGNMENT............... 3A-3TOE ADJUSTMENT ..................................... 3A-3
CAMBER AND CASTER CHECK AND
ADJUSTMENT .............................................. 3A-4
STEERING ANGLE CHECK AND
ADJUSTMENT .............................................. 3A-4
SIDE SLIP (REFERENCE) ........................... 3A-4

FRONT END ALIGNMENT 3A-3
DIAGNOSIS
DIAGNOSIS TABLE
For the details, refer to Section 3.
PRELIMINARY CHECKS PRIOR TO ADJUSTING FRONT ALIGNMENT
Steering and vibration complaints are not always the result of improper alignment. An additional item to be
checked is the possibility of tire lead due to worn or improperly manufactured tires. “Lead” is the deviation of the
vehicle from a straight path on a level road without hand pressure on the steering wheel. Procedure for deter-
mining the presence of a tire lead problem contains in SECTION 3. Before making any adjustment affecting toe
setting, the following checks and inspections should be made to ensure correctness of alignment readings and
alignment adjustments:
1) Check all tires for proper inflation pressures and approximately the same tread wear.
2) Check for loose of ball joints. Check tie rod ends; if excessive looseness is noted, it must be corrected
before adjusting.
3) Check for run-out of wheels and tires.
4) Check vehicle trim heights; if out of limits and a correction is to be made, it must be made before adjusting
toe.
5) Check for loose of suspension arms.
6) Check for loose or missing stabilizer bar attachments.
7) Consideration must be given to excess loads, such as tool boxes. If this excess load is normally carried in
vehicle, it should remain in vehicle during alignment checks.
8) Consider condition of equipment being used to check alignment and follow manufacturer's instructions.
9) Regardless of equipment used to check alignment, vehicle must be on a level surface both fore and aft and
transversely.
TOE ADJUSTMENT
1) Loosen right and left tie rod end lock nuts (1) first.
2) Rotate right and left tie rods (2) by the same amount to align
toe-in to specification. In this adjustment, right and left tie
rods (2) should become equal in length “A”.
3) After adjustment, tighten lock nuts (1) to specified torque.
Tightening torque
Tie rod end lock nuts (a) : 45 N·m (4.5 kg-m, 32.5 lb-ft) NOTE:
Before rotating tie rods (2), apply grease between tie
rods and rack boots so that boots won't be twisted.
NOTE:
Make sure that rack boots are not twisted.

3A-4 FRONT END ALIGNMENT
CAMBER AND CASTER CHECK AND
ADJUSTMENT
Should camber or caster be found out of specifications upon
inspection, locate its cause first.
If it is in damaged, loose, bent, dented or worn suspension parts,
they should be replaced.
If it is in vehicle body, repair it so as to attain specifications.
STEERING ANGLE CHECK AND ADJUST-
MENT
When tie rod or tie rod end was replaced, check toe and then also
steering angle with turning radius gauge (1).
If steering angle is not correct, check if right and left tie rods are
equal in length “A”.
Steering angle
Inside : 35° ± 3°
Outside : 31° ± 3°
SIDE SLIP (REFERENCE)
For inspecting front wheel side slip with side slip tester:
Side slip limit
IN : 2 mm/m (0.079 in/3.3 ft)
OUT : 1 mm/m (0.039 in/3.3 ft)
If side slip exceeds above limit, toe-in or front wheel alignment
may not be correct.NOTE:
To prevent possible incorrect reading of camber or
caster, vehicle front end must be moved up and down a
few times before inspection.
NOTE:
If tie rod lengths were changed to adjust steering angle,
reinspect toe-in.