2000 sunfire - steering & Suspension issue

[br87]

I recently, had to change a few parts on my 2000 pontiac sunfire.

all 4 struts
front brakes, pads and rotors
lower control arm bushings

After finishing all, while driving home, the steering did not feel normal. Can the installation of the lower control arm bushings causing issues steering?

The problem I was experiencing felt like there was play in the steering wheel. More so at highway speeds (80km/h), it felt as if the car would swerve left or right and as I turned the wheel I did not get an immediate response as you expect but instead it had some play and didn't truly respond until you turned it further.

Any suggestions whether installing the bushing incorrectly or something along those lines would cause this kind of problem with the steering? Thank you

[maxwedge]

Hard to diagnose this on the net, it is easy to check for play in the steering, just turn the wheels slightly off center and see if the wheels move within that range. 2 notes here, the lower arms should not be tightened unless the car is on the ground and the suspension is loaded. Second did you align it after replacing the struts?

[br87]

Thank you for reply. I did not know to tighten lower control arm while wheels are on ground. Would it be acceptable to go below now and see if it can be tighten further?

As well, I have not gotten wheel alignment yet. Bringing it over to garage tomorrow. So I get thats why it might not be driving straight. But I don't get how that would cause issues with the steering such as not having an immediate control when turning. I also found it more pronounced at high speeds. While turning the wheel stationary it was hard to tell much difference.

[maxwedge]

Loosen the contol am bolts and retorque wheels on the ground or they can bind the bushings if tightened wheels off the ground, this standard procedure. Have the alignment shop check the steering before the alignment which they should do anyway. Also get a before and after printout.