Front wheel wobble
Moderator: RichardW
Front wheel wobble
I have had a vibration on the drivers side front wheel for few days now. it is very niticable when slowing down or braking. I jacked the car up and shuved it around abit. When held at 12 o clock and 6 o clock there is no play. But at 9 o clock and 3 o clock it is very wobbely. The suspension strut turns with it and the 1/2 shaft moves in and out of the box. Is this tack rods???
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davethewheel
- Posts: 365
- Joined: 04 Aug 2002, 04:01
- Location:
- My Cars:
So long as you get the locknut loosened off it is easy. Count the number of turns to unscrew the joint so you can get the new one in roughly the right place. You then need to get your tracking done pronto! New joints (track rod ends) will be much more reasonable at a motor factors than a main dealers.
The locknut is shown by the red arrow. Your joint will likely be shorter than this but will work on the same principle.
The locknut is shown by the red arrow. Your joint will likely be shorter than this but will work on the same principle.
Another way to determine wear in any ball joint in the steering, or front suspension is to do a steering shake test. This will involve keeping the front wheels on the ground, and the help of an assistant.
If the steering wheel is moved slightly to the right while in the straight ahead position, and then slightly to the left, taking the form of a rocking motion, and repeated keeping the movements constant, but not too excessive. Then if a joint has so much play that it's audible then you know there is maybe something wrong.
So now with your assistant doing the same rocking motion, and if you can get under the car to check you should be able to hear the noisy joint, or better still by checking each joint in turn, you might then see the joint that has too much excessive lost movement.
Note as I said the car has to remain on the ground, this is so you can get the resistance as you rock it, to help you diagnose the problem. If it is difficult to get under it while it's on the ground, then place it with one side of the car up on the kerb.
On many cars it is common to see the strut turning, and the top mount additionally has a bearing on many cars to enable it to do this.
The driveshaft with it's constant velocity joints is designed to accomodate movement in the suspension on most cars, and this can be noticable in different ways depending on the design.
You have not given specific details about the make and model of car you are posting on this thread, so could you please let us know the specific details.
I have had to change T.C.A. bushes, arms before because of these very symptoms. So if you have track control arms on your car I would check these as well. This is the arm that locates the road wheel/hub at it's lower area, and connects it to the subframe. It will have a ball joint at the outer end.
If a vehicle has wishbones instead of track control arms, then the same applies about checking these also for wear. They will have two mountings at the point where they mount to the subframe, and a ball joint at the outer end.
If the steering wheel is moved slightly to the right while in the straight ahead position, and then slightly to the left, taking the form of a rocking motion, and repeated keeping the movements constant, but not too excessive. Then if a joint has so much play that it's audible then you know there is maybe something wrong.
So now with your assistant doing the same rocking motion, and if you can get under the car to check you should be able to hear the noisy joint, or better still by checking each joint in turn, you might then see the joint that has too much excessive lost movement.
Note as I said the car has to remain on the ground, this is so you can get the resistance as you rock it, to help you diagnose the problem. If it is difficult to get under it while it's on the ground, then place it with one side of the car up on the kerb.
On many cars it is common to see the strut turning, and the top mount additionally has a bearing on many cars to enable it to do this.
The driveshaft with it's constant velocity joints is designed to accomodate movement in the suspension on most cars, and this can be noticable in different ways depending on the design.
You have not given specific details about the make and model of car you are posting on this thread, so could you please let us know the specific details.
I have had to change T.C.A. bushes, arms before because of these very symptoms. So if you have track control arms on your car I would check these as well. This is the arm that locates the road wheel/hub at it's lower area, and connects it to the subframe. It will have a ball joint at the outer end.
If a vehicle has wishbones instead of track control arms, then the same applies about checking these also for wear. They will have two mountings at the point where they mount to the subframe, and a ball joint at the outer end.
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Dave Burns
- Posts: 1915
- Joined: 14 May 2001, 05:30
- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars:
- x 2
Don't forget you will need a ball joint seperator to part the tapers, wire brush the old threads and lube them before unscrewing the nut, if you don't the nut can lockup causing the thread to shear off making a seperator useless, or the excessively high torque its self can part the tapers, then you'll have to cut the nut off because the whole ball will spin.
To get the new locknut to screw past the plastic locking ring, use a wooden batton and lightly lever the trackrod end downwards to force the tapers together, just enough to prevent the ball from turning, the ball will simply spin otherwise.
Counting the number of threads or turns required to unscrew the old joint is not very accurate, it relies on the old and new joint to be identicle so you must get it properly adjusted soon afterwards, if you were to get it just two turns out that would be 3.5mm and a big error in the steering angle.
Measuring is much better and can be done accurately enough not to have to re-track if you are very carefull.
Dave
To get the new locknut to screw past the plastic locking ring, use a wooden batton and lightly lever the trackrod end downwards to force the tapers together, just enough to prevent the ball from turning, the ball will simply spin otherwise.
Counting the number of threads or turns required to unscrew the old joint is not very accurate, it relies on the old and new joint to be identicle so you must get it properly adjusted soon afterwards, if you were to get it just two turns out that would be 3.5mm and a big error in the steering angle.
Measuring is much better and can be done accurately enough not to have to re-track if you are very carefull.
Dave