STEERING 14 3. MAINTENANCE, INSPECTION AND TEST : A. PRELIMINARY INSPECTION : i. Inspection Of Tyre : Tyre wear pattern are a good indicators of the condition of the steering and suspension system. Hence the tyre wear pattern should be observed carefully for wear patterns that indicate wrong or lost wheel alignment. For detailed interpretation of Wear pattern refer Wheels and Tyres Section. ii. Steering Wheel Free Play : Check steering wheel play. (Refer steering wheel alignment in regular maintenance) iii. Leakages In The Hydraulic System : Trace the hydraulic system line and check for any traces of oil leakage and rectify the same. Also check for any oil leakages from the power steering pump. iv. Test Drive : During test drive pay close attention to any steering ball joint sounds and steering column vertical slackness, usually observed in rough patched of road. At speeds above 40 km-ph on an even road if the steering wheel vibrates (wobbles), it might be mainly due to out of balance wheel. v. Road Test : Before releasing the vehicle, take it for road tests. Check the following: 1. Self-Centering Test (Without Load) : Drive the vehicle in second gear at about 10-15 Kmph along a circle of 10 meter radius and leave the steering wheel. The vehicle should come back to straight ahead condition freely. Conduct tests for both left and right turns. 2. Steering Effort Test : Check the steering effort while negotiating a sharp turn of about 10m radius at low speeds of 10-15 km/hr. Check that steering effort is satisfactory. 3. Road Holding Ability Test : a. Drive the vehicle on level road at 40 km/hr with steering wheel left free. Check whether there is any tendency of vehicle to pull to either left or right. b. Check for unusual vibration or wobbling of the wheel. c. Check for absence of road shocks on steering wheel. 4. Turning Circle Test : With wheel turned to lock, drive at 5-10 km/hr. Check whether the required turning circle is achieved. Repeat for both left and right turns. Ensure that for all steering Tests the required road safety precautions are followed. In case performance is not satisfactory during road tests. Trace and rectify the defects. VEHICLE TCD (m) 4X2 & 4X4 (All Variants) 12m max TCD – Turning Circle Diameter
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