Steering, slight shake!
Discussion
The steering wheel on my V8S gives a slight shake between 60 and 90, not that I ever really go at 90 mph very often!(more like 110!). However, I got the balance on my 15" OZ`s checked on both front wheels and they are spot on. What about you other S series owners, does your car have a similar problem. Is it engine vibration or even vibration from the road surface thats causing the problem? What do you think guys?PS, this is a slight vibration , not a buckled wheel job! Eric Benn aka "Simba"
I have exactly that on my S2. My TVR friendly mechanic assures me it's nothing more than flat spots on the tyres. Has it been parked up over winter? He suggested I put the front tyres on the rear and vice versa, just to clarify that is the problem, but I haven't bothered (yet). It does seem to be sorting itself out though!
Jack the front of the car up, grap the road wheel with both hands and shake it top to bottom. It could be the top ball joint which has worn, it's quite common on 'S' series cars. Not too difficult to replce one, any reasonable mechanic can do them. Not too expensive either.
If it's bushes in the wishbone which have worn, you can replace them using Griff shock absorber bushes. These are made of solid nylon with a stainless steel sleeve insert and have virtually no lateral give in them. They require a little modification however as they are very slightly too big for the wishbone holes, just file them round slightly smaller and they work a treat. They make steering feedback much better and more positive. I fitted them to my S2 18 months ago and have had no problems at all!
If it's bushes in the wishbone which have worn, you can replace them using Griff shock absorber bushes. These are made of solid nylon with a stainless steel sleeve insert and have virtually no lateral give in them. They require a little modification however as they are very slightly too big for the wishbone holes, just file them round slightly smaller and they work a treat. They make steering feedback much better and more positive. I fitted them to my S2 18 months ago and have had no problems at all!
quote:
Jack the front of the car up, grap the road wheel with both hands and shake it top to bottom. It could be the top ball joint which has worn, it's quite common on 'S' series cars. Not too difficult to replce one, any reasonable mechanic can do them. Not too expensive either.
If it's bushes in the wishbone which have worn, you can replace them using Griff shock absorber bushes. These are made of solid nylon with a stainless steel sleeve insert and have virtually no lateral give in them. They require a little modification however as they are very slightly too big for the wishbone holes, just file them round slightly smaller and they work a treat. They make steering feedback much better and more positive. I fitted them to my S2 18 months ago and have had no problems at all!
Depending how the ball joint has gone it may not be obvious until you put a high load on it, and it's quite hard to do that just by putting your hands top and bottom of the tyre and rocking it. What you can do is instead of jacking the car up, just open the bonnet, crouch down next to the suspect wheel, put both hands on the top of the tyre and both feet on the bottom of the rim and hang your weight off the wheel. If you bounce your weight you will feel a slight 'clunk' if there is any play in the ball joint. While you're there you can do the 'wheel bearing' test too. Quick and easy tests worth doing once or twice a year just to make sure there aren't any problems creeping up on you.
Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)
Depending how the ball joint has gone it may not be obvious until you put a high load on it, and it's quite hard to do that just by putting your hands top and bottom of the tyre and rocking it. What you can do is instead of jacking the car up, just open the bonnet, crouch down next to the suspect wheel, put both hands on the top of the tyre and both feet on the bottom of the rim and hang your weight off the wheel. If you bounce your weight you will feel a slight 'clunk' if there is any play in the ball joint. While you're there you can do the 'wheel bearing' test too. Quick and easy tests worth doing once or twice a year just to make sure there aren't any problems creeping up on you.
Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)
I'm sure I've seen that move on the Cindy Crawford fitness video
Gassing Station | S Series | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff