Front End Vibration

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

Hi all,

 

Today my car has developed a new vibration.

Its especially pronounced under braking above 40 mph but can also be felt(slightly) just driving along.

 

Its felt through the steering wheel.

 

in the last 1000miles the car has had new pads/discs all round, a nearside side ball joint and a couple of weeks ago offside front wheel bearing.

 

I jacked it up this morning and discovered play in the nearside front wheel and after a bit of investigation found the hub nut wasn't tight. so tightened that up. I thought this would cure the problem, however after taking it for a drive its actually worse.

 

After I had the wheel bearing done I had a wheel alignment check carried out as the car had scrubbed a set of tyres in just under 3000miles- the alignment was adjusted and all was well.I'm wondering if the loose hub nut has now thrown the wheel alignment out after tightening the hub nut.

 

Also whilst the car is jacked up ive checked the steering rack- lying underneath and moving the wheels- it clicks in both directions but it isn't excessively stiff- is that normal?

 

I also noted that the drivers side driveshaft is quite hot to touch( the long one) whilst the short shaft is completely cool- so im wondering if maybe there is a problem with the driveshaft?

 

Sorry a lot of questions I know but I'm a little stumped. I think Ive checked the basics - play in the wheel bearings, the braking system is mostly new and theres no visual damage

 

Any help would be really great

 

 

Paul

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

ive noticed having had another play that the gearbox whilst idling has a strange rattle- as soon as the clutch is pressed it stops, the starts when released- I don't now know if this is maybe the issue!

[jackherer 543]

Check the gearbox to engine bolts are fully tight.

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

If you are lucky it could just be a wheel balance weight that has come off and thrown one wheel and tyre out .

The problem could be the hub nut , how loose was it ? They are usually torqued up very tight and this is because they effectively hold the parts of the wheel bearing together , if it was very loose the bearing could be permanently damaged and need replacing .

Have you got 205 wishbones and driveshafts or have you gone widetrack with 309 items .Are the driveshafts fully located into the gearbox .

[camgti 56]

The gearbox noise is your throw out bearing. They get noisy when old/hot and when you press the clutch they quieten down.

 

The driveshaft is hot as its behind the engine, normal.

 

What are your engine mounts like?

 

Cam

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

Hi all, thanks for the replies.

 

The hub nut wasn't massively loose- I got about a 1/3 of a turn on it- it did stop the play that could be felt when rocking the wheel up/down. The car is completely standard. As far as I can tell the drive shafts are fully engaged. A garage recently did the drivers front bearing but it all looks like its back together as it should be.

 

The clutch is I'm sure pretty worn- its next on the list to be replaced- if this vibration hadn't appeared I would already have done it (limited funds however so trying to figure the vibration out first!)

 

As for the engine mounts the top ones are fine. The bottom one I'm not so sure. I don't really know what to look for- it looks OK, I've been thinking for a while I should replace it- every so often I get a random clunk which I have thought may be something to do with the mount.

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

Since you tightened the hub nut has all the play in that wheel bearing gone . A loose nut allows the 2 halves of the inner bearing to separate and a bit of crud from inside the bearing could have gone into the gap , when you tightened it up it might not close up correctly .These nuts are very tight , I normally use a 4 ft length of steel tube on a socket wrench to undo them .

Not sure why your steering rack would be clicking .

Where is the long driveshaft hot , near the U/J's or the centre support bearing ? Are the 2 'hockey stick' bolts that hold the support bearing nipped up tight .

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

Hi,

The play in the wheel has completely gone.

 

The vibration remains! I'm starting to think I should just replace both driveshafts and the bottom engine mount whilst I'm doing the clutch.

The car has now done 237K. Ive got a pack of receipts for all kinds of work over the years but nothing relating to driveshafts etc.

 

I wonder if the wear and tear is such that it might be better to replace items en masse to try and cure the issue.

 

There are a set of driveshafts on ebay from neat car parts for £50, and the vibration mounts are £20 - it might be a relatively cheap fix rather than slowly replacing one worn part after another

[luggy 13]

How old are the tyres?

Try swapping the front wheels with the rear see if it makes a difference, cheaper than replacing parts

[Alan77 78 1 Cars]

I would definitely replace all the engine mounts, any rubber possibly 237k old would be shot. Don't forget the little fork bush.

[jackherer 543]

Did you check the gearbox to engine bolts are tight?

 

The noise you have that is similar to the noise a clutch release bearing makes and the vibration both make me think the gearbox might be loose, it's a common problem.

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

hi again.

 

the front tyres are new- less than 500 miles. I've noticed one of the gearbox bolts is missing- however the others are tight.

 

I did abit of research it seems that £20 driveshafts might be a bad idea- I noticed that GSF has more expensive ones at £98 with £32 back if you return your old ones. I've double checked the massive service record of the car- the drive shafts have never been replaced- does anybody think its likely they are contributing to the problem?

 

I have ordered a new lower mount and have checked the upper mounts -both look ok, I'm also thinking the gearbox mount might as well get replaced but I'm having problems finding a replacement- don't really want to pay £80 for a demontweek one!

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

As Jack said , definitely check all the engine to gearbox bolts , I once bought a car then drove it home and found only 1 bolt finger tight holding the whole thing together .

The bottom engine mount often breaks up and can allow excess movement and clonking .They are not too expensive to buy but need to be fitted correctly off the car in a vice/press .

If you replace the clutch change the yellow top and bottom release arm bushes , with that mileage they could be worn out .Cheap too .

By all accounts cheap driveshafts are not recommended , a place in France on Ebay has SKF ones for about £65 inc p+p , I have bought from them . They are far better quality .

[jackherer 543]

If a problem with the driveshafts or the lower engine mount causes vibration it tends to also make the gearstick flap about quite a lot during acceleration, have you noticed that at all?

[Alan77 78 1 Cars]

Item 301286524372 on the bay, Febi and £5.99. Not a fancy gearbox mount but perfectly decent.

 

I got new SKF drive shafts from Mister Auto. Never had an issue with anything SKF.

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

Alan thanks so much- bought and fitted- mine was completely wrecked!

 

so ive changed the bottom engine mount, gearbox mount and a worn long drive shaft

 

(also the clutch- which is now great)

 

I still have the vibration!

 

I'm now thinking the other driveshaft- that had some play in the outer CV and maybe the droplinks and bushes-I'm tbh running out of ideas, whilst the gearbox was off I checked and rattled everything I could get my hands on but I cant see anything wrong!

 

Paul

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

after further investigation it appears I have a warped front disc.

 

This is a bit annoying - I only fitted them 4000miles ago. I think maybe the calipers are past their best- what would be the best option? Buy new calipers?(not that I can find any online!), Refurbish them? or fit something newer like a 306 brake set?

 

any help would be great, thanks for the help so far

 

P

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

Jackherer- I did check the gearbox bolts as the clutch was being changed- 1 missing completely and 1 very loose- thanks for that good advice!

[camgti 56]

Either just refurb the standard stuff with OE gear. Or fit late model brakes from 306,xsara,c2 etc etc with a larger MC.

 

Glad it was nothing terminal!

 

Cam

[Telf 224 2 Cars]

Discs changed and the vibration gone- I reckon the flooded roads might have caused the warping, anyway my local European car parts outlet replaced them for free -so happy days!

 

Now to try and fix that clonking noise when I go over any substantial bumps! I think maybe the anti roll bar bushes?

 

Paul

[jackherer 543]

More likely to be anti roll bar drop link ball joints rather than the bushes. It's worth checking all the subframe bolts are tight too.