Strange Vibration Through Steering

[fliprio 9]

I have a strange vibration feeling coming through the steering when exiting roundabouts at medium speed - I haven't noticed it at speed or on more gradual corners. I swear its getting worse till the point today I almost pulled over as it was quite strong and really coming up through the steering wheel. Its a bit like the vibration feeling you get if you have ever driven down the road without your wheel bolts done up (tell me its not just me that has done this in the past).

 

It almost feels like its either catching on something or a wheel is 'twitching' until you get yourself straight and it goes away.

 

I have had the front wheels off and gotten a pry bar on all the ball joints, wishbone bushes and made sure callipers are tight and everything seems fine with no play or clunks.

 

I have only noticed it since putting on the A048 tyres, which are a lot stiffer than the Prada spec 2 tyres that came off and less clearance to the coilover body as the 195/50/15 A048 seems a good 10mm wider than the Prada 195/50/15 (I can just about get 1 finger down in between tyre and shock). Also the shocks have been rebuilt by AVO and when at full extension when its jacked up, you can lift the wheel and there is no damping on the return so it drops with a thud.

 

Anyone ever experienced anything like this?

[DamirGTI 342]

Fallen wheel weights/unbalanced wheels perhaps ..

 

Also , when working on suspension components - wheel alignment check is preferred afterwards , and readjusted as/if needed .

 

 

D

Edited August 26, 2013 by DamirGTI

[fliprio 9]

Fallen wheel weights/unbalanced wheels perhaps ..

 

Also , when working on suspension components - wheel alignment check is preferred afterwards , and readjusted as/if needed .

 

 

D

 

its much more prenouced than a unbalanced wheel and only at slow speeds like less than 20 mph with a reasonable amount of steering lock.

 

It has been since I had the shocks rebuilt from AVo which went on the same time as the tyres.

 

Bouncing on the wings to try and get the suspension to move - which is very difficult because it is so stiff, I can feel a slight clunck from the passenger side, although there is no play in the bushes on that side when jacked up, unless the top mount has play but its a sperical solid joint so should be fine and can top mounts cause that kind of thing?

[fliprio 9]

from looking at a few search results - could driveshaft's cause this problem? when doing the suspension I had the CV boot off and pulled the shaft out the CV joint to do the inner boot, but all seemed to go back together properly.

[stanz 0 2 Cars]

Yeah maybe driveshafts, i think i remember getting the vibrations through the gear stick when mine went though. Could also be wheel bearing

[fliprio 9]

Yeah maybe driveshafts, i think i remember getting the vibrations through the gear stick when mine went though. Could also be wheel bearing

 

I will hold my hand on the gearstick to see if its doing that. It doesn't sound like a wheel bearing, its much more of a shudder through the steering

 

How would you check that driveshaft's are at fault?

[fliprio 9]

Another person said it was like driving over cobbles, which is just what this feels like!

[fliprio 9]

I have had the top mount apart this evening and there is a small amount of play in the rose joint as its got eccentric top mounts - its vertical movement of a fraction of a mm so I don't think it would be enough to cause this type of vibration.

 

so, it sounds like it could be a drive shaft unless anyone else has any suggestions on things to check - which ones seems most likely to be at fault - the long one? That got disturbed when changing the shocks over as well as the short one.

 

Also the vibration only happens when exiting roundabouts, so it would load up the passenger wheel and then unload it slightly as you turn off

[fliprio 9]

Anyone got any ideas on how to diagnose if its a driveshaft issue?

[2052NV 24]

only real way is to "call a mate" and and swap yours for known good units and go for a hoon and see if the fault is any better if not gone.

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

Sounds like CV joint under load if it's only when exiting roundabouts, as you say n/s front wheel is under load but it's actually only the off weighted o/s front wheel that has drive at this point while the steering lock is applied. So it is likely the source is coming from the o/s where the drive is, if the car was fine before you had the shocks off and tyre change and everything has went back together the same then process of elimination would point to driveshaft/CV joint.

 

Try turning circles in a car park (clockwise and anti-clockwise) to eliminate the n/s - also check all bolts are tight, i.e strut pinch bolt where it joins hub etc. I'd remove and check the driveshaft to be sure as it is unlikely to have changed since you changed parts. Might be obvious if you have another look.

 

When it is fixed mind and check your tracking, vital with A048's unless your made of money

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

Sorry, forgot to mention but sometimes an unloaded component makes more noise than when it is loaded, I had a front wheel bearing that was only noisy when unloaded, damned weird but true

[fliprio 9]

Sorry, forgot to mention but sometimes an unloaded component makes more noise than when it is loaded, I had a front wheel bearing that was only noisy when unloaded, damned weird but true

 

Yes, sometimes the process of unloading it causes the movement, or the bearining to spin/move

 

The offside (drivers side) shaft seems to move forwards and backwards a fair amount quite easily, this is the shaft that I pulled out of the CV joint on that side to change the boot, but it all went back together nicly, maybe it was just distrubring it that has caused it to play up. The noise only happens when you go back across dead ahead on the steering wheel to turn left off the roadabouts and ocationaly on sharp left hand turns.

 

Will give it a go in a carpark, it doesnt always do it which is the issue, sometimes its when you have slight camber differences on the roundabout exit that give the suspension a bit more movement.

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

I don't think the driveshaft should have as much movement as you describe, but I can't say due to not having separated a 205 one yet (Classic Mini Background)

 

Have done a lot of Mini driveshafts (Pot Joint & Hardy Spicer types) and there is little or no "forward or backward" movement when fitted as everything is positively located so your description of movement suggests something isn't right.

 

Let us know when you diagnose the problem as a matter of interest, chief

[fliprio 9]

I don't think the driveshaft should have as much movement as you describe, but I can't say due to not having separated a 205 one yet (Classic Mini Background)

 

Have done a lot of Mini driveshafts (Pot Joint & Hardy Spicer types) and there is little or no "forward or backward" movement when fitted as everything is positively located so your description of movement suggests something isn't right.

 

Let us know when you diagnose the problem as a matter of interest, chief

 

a fellow mini enthusiast! I had to sell mine (below) 2 weeks ago

 

 

My 205 shaft has a lot more forwards and backwards movement than a mini shaft

Edited August 30, 2013 by fliprio

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

Yip, but should it have more movement? I'd heckle some of the Pit Crew and see what they think? I'd check my own car but not in UK at the moment...

 

The old mini, hard to say anything about mini that hasn't been said before, reluctantly sold off most of my old spares recently and although gutted about that it was kind of liberating in a way, sometimes you gotta let go... I like to think the mini would have developed into something like the 205 if British Leyland had had any forward thinking about them... now we have those wretched BMW things masquerading with mini badges and the worst thing is that kids these days think it is a mini... what's mini about it? now I'm sounding my age but goddamn a fridge is a fridge and a mini is a mini!

 

Can't help but smile everytime I see it but when you walk back to your 205 parked beside modern cars and it looks so small in comparison... maybe it's a mini thing?

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

it got to the point with my car, that at the first sign of a knock like you describe, I change the shafts. Seems to cure it most of the time! (probably not the most cost effective method mind you!)

 

I also had a hideous noise once from a slightly loose lower engine mount bolt, I thought the bloody engine was about to fall out!!

 

You mention that the spring is loose when the car is jacked up. I dont like the sound of that, is it on coilovers? as a helper spring might ... help... with that if it is.

[fliprio 9]

Yip, but should it have more movement? I'd heckle some of the Pit Crew and see what they think? I'd check my own car but not in UK at the moment...

 

The old mini, hard to say anything about mini that hasn't been said before, reluctantly sold off most of my old spares recently and although gutted about that it was kind of liberating in a way, sometimes you gotta let go... I like to think the mini would have developed into something like the 205 if British Leyland had had any forward thinking about them... now we have those wretched BMW things masquerading with mini badges and the worst thing is that kids these days think it is a mini... what's mini about it? now I'm sounding my age but goddamn a fridge is a fridge and a mini is a mini!

 

Can't help but smile everytime I see it but when you walk back to your 205 parked beside modern cars and it looks so small in comparison... maybe it's a mini thing?

 

its while the wheel is in the air jacked up, so there is no load on the shaft - it does by nearly an inch though. Perhaps a new shaft is worth a try and at £55 for a new assembly, its not going to kill the bank balance.

 

I had a BMW mini for a short space of time and lost a lot of money, and it always felt very fragile. As you say, liberating to get rid of all the stuff :-(

[fliprio 9]

it got to the point with my car, that at the first sign of a knock like you describe, I change the shafts. Seems to cure it most of the time! (probably not the most cost effective method mind you!)

 

I also had a hideous noise once from a slightly loose lower engine mount bolt, I thought the bloody engine was about to fall out!!

 

You mention that the spring is loose when the car is jacked up. I dont like the sound of that, is it on coilovers? as a helper spring might ... help... with that if it is.

 

The movement is in the spherical mount in the top mount, only a small amount.

 

The spring will become disconnected when wheel is at full droop with the car jacked up, it cant come out and I doubt the wheel would ever drop that much. Yes, its on AVO coilovers

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

I just have an image of nastyness happening with a bit of enthusiastic driving over a hump-back bridge, if the springs can move about! I'd sort the top mount out, and see if that helps

[fliprio 9]

this turned out to be the offside drive shaft, you could feel play in the CV and the intermediate bearing was knackered once I got it off the car