The Vectra has been feeling a bit twitchy for a while now - sometimes in a straight line and sometimes when braking. Some of the points I have noticed are:
The car was pulling to the left so I had the tracking adjusted about 2 months ago. It seems better but the steering wheel is sometimes offset slightly when straight ahead; sometimes it is about spot on.
I have noticed that scarring to the road surface can affect the handling although the car always had a tendency to be pulled in this case which I put down to the width of the tyres.
Braking on loose or slippery surfaces can occasionally cause the ABS to chatter.
The car sometimes feels as if it is crabbing.
The near-side anti-roll bar drop link was replaced about 18 months ago.
When I had the tracking checked the tyre dealer used 4-wheel alignment using a laser jig. I have seen another system that measures camber, etc and provides a printout of the vehcile geometry. Has anyone tried this?
The car has not been involved in any accident or had the wheels kerbed.
Any thoughts would be appreaciated before I have the alignment looked at again?
{year found via a forum search}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 16/01/2008 at 21:23
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rear suspension bushes are prone on this vehicle they knock if they are worn out but more importantly they seize making the rear twitch as they cant move about as designed, they are a rose bush (of sorts) and need to be checked correctly ie the vehicle needs to be jacked up but with the suspension loaded then check for free play if no free play then the wheels need removing, the bolts through the bushes removed and a bar/lever put through the bush and check for movement, they are an interferance fit and need a puller to remove, i have seen them removed with a welding torch and a new one refitted while hot causeing the grease in the new bush to boil and then the bush seizes prematurely so make sure that if they need replacement that they have suitable kit to remove/fit them
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they are an interferance fit and need a puller to remove....
Read somewhere that they managed it with some threaded bar, large washers, nuts, etc.
Anyway, here's a how2 on changing them.
tinyurl.com/38hug9
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DD - thanks for updating the year in the header.
I will have a look at the rear bushes this weekend - weather permitting! Nothing was noted during the MOT and during service but worth another look.
There could be more than one issue if the rear bushes are worn as the front is also a possible culprit - I didn't mention that the steering can feel light at motorway speeds and the steering wheel can sometimes snatch on uneven surfaces sometimes under braking or just when turning. Occasional pull when braking so I will have a look at the calipers whilst I am fiddling about under the car.
The car was always been stable but she isn't the same as she was. SWMBO has noticed the feel and she doesn't drive!
The tyre pressure are even - cheked with pencil gauge and a digital gauge bought from Tesco. Slightly different readings but both show even pressure all round - I use about 29psi on the 205/55/16 tyres.
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When were the tyres last changed? If you have chnaged them has it happened since then?
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The rear tyres were changed last year at about 55k but I can't say when the problem became more noticeable. Possibly since the rears were changed but I think the problem is with the fronts.
The fronts were changed December 2005 at about 42k. Front and rear use Michelin Primacy although the rears are a newer version I think - same type on the same axle.
I will have to check the wear patterns this weekend.
A local bodyshop has an alignment machine that gives a printout of wheel geometry - costs £45 + charge per adjustment required. Might be worth a try.
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Sounds like something amiss.
Vectra Bs rarely handle well but they do at least stay in a straight line OK (well mine does). So its almost an achievement to get it to feel twitchy!
Why not try blowing the tyres up - they sound a bit soft. I think Vauxhall say 32 lb's each end, I run my (albeit on 15" wheels) @ 36 ish lb's all time as it improves handling for me, a little.
I shall watch this thread with interest - thanks.
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Certainly something amiss! The handbook for mine shows 28psi all round for just the driver (usual load). After service the car came back with slightly higher pressure and it felt a bit light at the front.
I have always run with 29psi all round without problem but I might give it a try.
I will certainly post my findings after I get the thing sorted. It has a been a reasonable car until recently.
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Well, I still haven't really got anywhere with this one due to house moves, etc.
Anyway, the car still feels "odd" - occasionally light steering, pull to the left, and generally not good on loose or slippery surfaces. So I took the car to Vauxhall for a free Visual Health Check on Friday of last week. The report showed nothing wrong with the steering, suspension or bushes, but I did note slightly different tyre wear:
N/S Front 2mm
O/S Front 3mm
N/S Rear 4mm
O/S Rear 5mm
Could it be that the 1mm on the N/S affects the handling that much? What could cause the difference?
The car does seem to crash across surface lumps and bumps and is pulled by white lines and joins in the tarmac. Quite disconcerting.
I will try swapping the front wheels across to see what it does for me.
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hi derek
ive been investigating something similar to yours. ive also got the same car on which the ride quality went haywire over a period of time. ive got slight improvements by changing the rear shock absorbers and setting the rear tracking. interestingly enough all my wheels appeared to be off on the trackrite gauge but after adjusting the rears the fronts started to read good too.
if youve had the rear trailling arm front bush changed, common mot failure, then its a big clue that correct tracking will have been lost during the change.
although ive had to replace other components aswell the above two are the only ones to have helped the ride quality issue. its acceptable now , but im continueing on to hopefully perfect it. inner rear control arm bushes next
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HI there. I had this problem a while back. The car would sit with the steering wheel straight and br going straight then aftern a corner it would sit off by a mile and still go straight. The garages thought I was mad when trying to explain to them . Tured out to be the steering rack bushes were shot causing the rack to slide from side to side. Not any easy repair on the 2.5 V6 due to lack of space but solved the problem
I am again having a similar feeling problem now and have just looked at it to find the front anti roll bar bushes are gone allowing the bar to move from left to right .
Check these out .
Hope it helps
Alan
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Thanks guys.
I swapped the front wheels across on the same axle and that helped a little but still a bit twitchy!
My friend's father works in a dealership as a service manger and knows a thing or two about cars so I am hoping that he may be able to suggest possible solutions. I have been thinking about bushes but it passed the MOT and a Vauxhall inspection, so it could be a subtle problem. The car is due a service soon so I will ask the mechanic to have a look around the bushes as none of these have been changed since I bought the car at 9 months old.
Edited by Deryck Tintagel on 08/09/2008 at 15:53
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Well, I still I haven't got very far with this one! I had the car serviced in November and asked the garage to change the rear bushes. I got the car back and was told the bushes didn't need changing. Apparently, the mechanic tested them by levering with a bar and the result was that there was no movement, thus they were not changed.
The main dealer found no problem and the car is due an MOT in the next month or so and the last one did not find a fault.
The next questions are ...
What are the symptoms of worn rear and front bushes? My car skips around at the rear on uneven surfaces and over potholes. SWMBO has noticed it too, so it's not just me! On one particular road the car crashes over a ridge in the road. So could it be bushes or the the rear shocks, or could it be both? It also seems to sit very low with a load in the back.
Do cars noramally sit evenly side to side, ie. the gap from the top of the tyre to the wheel arch is even on both sides at the frnt or the rear.
Thanks again for any ideas. SWMBO wants the car sorted! but I do not want to replace shocks if it a bush or vice-versa
Edited by Deryck Tintagel on 25/02/2009 at 23:40
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