max West-York Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Okay, so I have a really strange problem that I cant work out.When on the motorway or dual carriageway my car sometimes decides that it wants to shake, however, its not all the time, it just randomly decides when to wobble and when not toIt feels like its coming from the passenger side front wheel and happens anywhere from 50-70mph, and the steering wheel shakes side to side like if you had wheel wobble, the vibrations are stronger the higher the speed.But this is the weird part, it will do it for like a mile then stop and the ride will return to being completely smooth with no shakes or wobbles AT ALL.-I know its not wheel wobble because otherwise it would be all the time (and they spin straight when jacked up)-I have no loose wheel bolts-Tyres are balanced-Tracking is straight and was only done about a month ago-Car drives straight on and off the throttle without holding the steering wheel (however the wheel looks ever so slightly turned to the right even when its driving straight)- drives straight even when its shaking -I haven't hit any potholes or severe bumps that could have knocked anything out-I haven't scraped or caught the car on anything to start it happening-problem doesn't seem to be wearing tyres unevenly-My drive shaft doesn't come into contact with the chassis (at least theres no knocking noises from the front end) so I don't think its related to that either-The car didn't do this when I first bought it and I don't think it did it after first fitting the coils either-when i fitted the coils i pulled the hubs right away from the car (for maximum positive camber) and tightened, but if one side has become loose and slipped back could this be the problem? (however it doesn't look like its any more cambered than the drivers side)-It seems to start it off (when its driven smooth for a while) by turning leftAny ideas? as its really irritating me at the moment.Anything engine related? as thats not running at its best currently either :|-Belts make a relatively loud noise however cambelt was recently changed -Engine ticks/shakes quite a bit and exhaust splutters increasingly more often as of late.-Clicking/tapping noise from the passenger side of the engine bay, couldn't locate the problem last night because it was dark and couldn't be arsed with it because it was late and I was hungry (this was at idle stood on the drive - idle is a bit lumpy but it isn't hunting for revs or anything - throttle body still needs cleaning)That's everything I can think off atm!Any help would be much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_M Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Could be a shot rear wishbone bush on that side..........look for any cracks and tears in itAny whining from the wheel bearing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max West-York Posted February 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Could be a shot rear wishbone bush on that side..........look for any cracks and tears in itAny whining from the wheel bearing?Thanks for the reply mike,No it doesnt really make any noise (well as far as I can tell as the road noise at 50-70 is quite loud in my car ), its just a wobble you can feel and see in the steering wheel, could a nackered bearing cause the wobble though?I've been thinking about it at work and if the garage didnt tighten up my track rod end properly on that side after having it tracked could this cause it?Ill check the bushes as well tomorrow because I've got a day off to try and sort it out CheersMax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brammo Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Is it when you are travelling at a constant speed? Does it stop/get worse under breaking? Could be a wishbone bush? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max West-York Posted February 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 (edited) It will just do it for a while anywhere from 50-70, doesnt have to be constant, and breaking only stops it as I drop below 50 from talking to a friend at work he also thinks its a bush that needs replacing, might just get new ones all roundCan anyone recommend some decent ones?and is it an easy job to do myself?Cheers for replies Edited February 9, 2011 by max West-York Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethlloyd Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Had this on my BMW and it was a sticky brake caliper. pump the brakes a bit when it does it, see if it stops. Also try checking to see if the brake feels hot compared to the other side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max West-York Posted February 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Had this on my BMW and it was a sticky brake caliper. pump the brakes a bit when it does it, see if it stops. Also try checking to see if the brake feels hot compared to the other side.Oh right so it might not be an expensive job after all, I'll give that a try today because I'm driving to LeedsWell I took it to my local garage yesterday to get it over the pit and the bushes are all fine and the driveshaft seems fine tooThe weird ticking noise is coming from the box but it goes away when the clutch pedal is down and reading up on it it just sounds like clutch wear? (not 100% on this but thats what the majority of cases came back with)Found out I had a loose zaust hanger which was welded there and then and I also have a small oil leak on the box, don't know where from though, it needs steam cleaning first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max West-York Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 forgot bout this but, i havent been paying attention to it since the box went but do you think theres anyway the wobble could be related to a broken gearbox?and to whoever said to pulse the brakes when it did it, i think it helped the problem but as i was trying it out my 5th gear went on the motorway and other matters became more important! clutch has been replaced and box is going in on thurs/friany ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethlloyd Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 I would still say brakes, can you get the wheels off and see if there is any signs of them binding.Normal signs would be;Wheel sticking as you try and turn it by handBlue looking brake disc where it has heated upUneven wear on the discs (side to side)If it does turn out to be the brake binding it will probably be a sticky caliper or a colapsed brake hose. Both quite simple and cheap to fix.Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max West-York Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) I would still say brakes, can you get the wheels off and see if there is any signs of them binding.Normal signs would be;Wheel sticking as you try and turn it by handBlue looking brake disc where it has heated upUneven wear on the discs (side to side)If it does turn out to be the brake binding it will probably be a sticky caliper or a colapsed brake hose. Both quite simple and cheap to fix.Good luck. You might be right then, it did seem a little harder to turn that wheel when i had them off last weekIs it something i can do myself or better to take it to the garage so i dont mess anything up? EDIT: how could i tell the difference between a sticky caliper or broken hose?would either cause the car to pull to the side when breaking? (because it currently doesnt pull at all) Edited February 15, 2011 by max West-York Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethlloyd Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 The hoses can colapse inside so it acts as a sort of one way valve. Visually, I don't think is much indication on this. Check for twists and kinks. I would start by taking the wheel off and removing the caliper, give it a good clean and grease up the sliding mecanism. Check the piston dust seal, you might find this has popped off and the piston has corroded. If this is the case idearly it will need to be rebuilt. Rebuild kits can be had for about £20 iirc failing that a recon caliper shouldn't be too expensive. You might get away with just a clean and a grease up though. Once clean and greased SLOWLY press the piston back into the caliper. Bare in mind this needs to be pressed in squarely. Also, if the piston is corroded badly then it might rip the caliper seal causing brake fluid to leak out. It's quite simple to do and should be clear enough when the caliper is off the hub.Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomjw Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Not sure if its been mentioned already but if its only at high speeds have you made sure the spiggot ring is in? I didnt have any on my alloys and this used to happen because the wheel isnt sitting on the hub correctly then when fitted it was fine! You can get them from any alloy wheel specialist for less then £20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max West-York Posted February 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Not sure if its been mentioned already but if its only at high speeds have you made sure the spiggot ring is in? I didnt have any on my alloys and this used to happen because the wheel isnt sitting on the hub correctly then when fitted it was fine! You can get them from any alloy wheel specialist for less then £20im running spigots and theyre on the hub bore, can spin the wheel when the cars jacked up and it spins perfectly straightso i dno, guessing its related to caliper, car goes in tomo so ill look after that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeplupo Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Did this ever get sorted? Looks like i'm experiencing the same problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeplupo Posted November 15, 2013 Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 Anyone?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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