C5 2.0 HDI 2003 - Shaking Steering Wheel

[Clogzz]

Because it’s a very small movement of the steering column that affects it.
You should feel some very small free play of the steering wheel in the straight ahead position.
I’ve been there, even in old bombs with worn recirculating ball steering that had much free play.

[RichardW]

I had this problem on a Xantia - turned out to be a very small amount of play in a track rod end. Trouble was if you you jacked it up the play went away! Try rocking the wheels 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock with it on the floor, if there is any play you will be able to feel / hear it.

[10mbc]

Because it’s a very small movement of the steering column that affects it.
You should feel some very small free play of the steering wheel in the straight ahead position.
I’ve been there, even in old bombs with worn recirculating ball steering that had much free play.

I cannot feel any play in the steering wheel. I have tried today and it seems good.

I had this problem on a Xantia - turned out to be a very small amount of play in a track rod end. Trouble was if you you jacked it up the play went away! Try rocking the wheels 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock with it on the floor, if there is any play you will be able to feel / hear it.

The suspenstion and direction was checked with the car on the floor, the mechanic has a trench in the middle of the floor for getting under it. He have found nothing wrong this time (last time there was a worn anti-roll bar link and I had it replaced).

When rocking the wheel at 9 and 3 on the ground, it would immediatly move the steering wheel so I could not feel any play. Tried with both front wheels.

I would say that the only confirmed issue at this time is the left hand driveshaft that has some play, my logic would be to follow that one. Also, at this time I think I need to set a hard spending limit to fix this as it might get really expensive realy fast on a 18 years old car. Also, the fact that I like this car a lot does not help

[10mbc]

I went to an independent garage today with this issue and they sent me this one. It's a 40 euro fix, including labor, for a Lemforder ball joint. They stated that no other issues have been detected.

[10mbc]

So I got good news and I got bad news.

Went to the highway to test the car after the ball joint replacement and it's definitely better but the problems is not 100% fixed. Yet.
What has improved: I can now drive at 120km/h without major shaking which is an improvement and, generally speaking, the steering wheel does not shake that much even at 130km/h.

What's bad: The geometry allingment is bad I would say because when the car goes straigt, the steering wheel is a bit to the left. That's not horrible but I have asked them if an alignement is needed and they said no. Obviously, it is needed.

At 130km/h it it seems the remaining shaking is more from the chassis and less from the front wheels, so I would probably replace the rear disks and pads as soon as possible.

[Clogzz]

Wonderful to see a Lemförder ball joint put in for €60.

Work on the front end often affects the steering centring.
Try swapping the front tyres around.
I have variations of steering centring as the tyres wear down.

I’ve had shaking from the rear at 130 km/h caused by tyre imbalance.
The rear discs and pads do nothing at 130 km/h unless you apply the brakes.

[10mbc]

The actual number is 44 Euro, all included. Yes, the parts and labor are a bit cheaper here in Romania, but also keep in mind our wages are lower.

Already did swap the front and rear wheels.

After I replaced the front disks and pads there was some improvement and the rear discs are just horrible. Also, the braking was way better after the front disks and pads were replaced.

[10mbc]

I had an alignment done on the car - 16 euro all included (as it seems local pricing is interesting for some ) and I can say we have some results.

At 130km/h, there are still some vibrations but they are well less noticeable and I think I am on the right path. I can do 120km/h now almost without issues so, for the moment it's acceptable.

I will still do brakes and pads on the rear and the the accessory belt (hope this is the proper name) for safety reasons and I hope there will be some improvements on the vibrations. I am not sure where I will go from here, I'll see.

[10mbc]

OK, so back on this topic. I am setting a hard budget of 500 euro starting from now for both parts and labor. I am going to start spending this money on potential fixes and I will stop when the money will run out or the problem is fixed. I am willing to give up on 500 euro and admit defeat or to get this fixed. If it's not fixed afterwards, I will get another car as I cannot enjoy this one at all.

First thing to try is the cv axles and the left one is the first as I think I feel the vibration more on the left. Of course, the first speed bump, there are no new cv axles from a reputable manufacturer available. I think I saw Spidan at one time but it seems it's no available anymore. The only ones available are from GSP or Sorea, none of which I ever heard. I will be looking for some salvage yard ones but not sure about that.

I really want to get it done or be over it but this half working state is not good.

[10mbc]

I have ordered an SKF cv axle last week. I have received the information that it is no longer available. The only brand that could be in stick is Maxgear and I have to place the order for this one if necessary.

First of all, have you ever heard of Maxgear and are Maxgear cv axles any good?

Because I have a Xantia 2.0 HDI 110 that will, unfortunately, go to the junkyard that does not have this issue, I must ask: are the cv axles from 2000 Xantia 2.0 HDI 110cp Estate the same as 2003 C5 2.0 HDI Sedan? Thank you!

[10mbc]

I received the Maxgear driveshaft. It will be installed by my mechanic tomorrow. Wish me luck. If this does not work, the right (long) driveshaft is next and then the junkyard

[lcwin]

Hi have you fixed the vibration? If not check and replace the engine mountings . I was chasing a vibration at high speed before by going to multiple tyre shops and changing tyres but to no avail. Another thing is make sure the steering wheel is dead centre when car is moving in a straight line. Its very important as the car will self steer to centre if steering wheel is offset .

[10mbc]

I have replaced the left one and there are still vibrations but I would say mainly on the right.

I will replaced the right one today at 20:00 and I will see afterwards. Wish me luck! My mechanick checked the engine mounts and he said that they are ok. Nevertheless, he said the same about the left cv axle and it was bad. We will see after today.

[10mbc]

My mechanic replaced the right cv axle yesterday afternoon. I did not have a chance to test it properly as I was too tired but I had a short run on the highway. While the most part of vibrations went away, it is still not perfect but I think I can go 130 km/h now without issues. I will have a 800km trip on this weekend and it's 100% highway so I will have more details afterwards.

I like that I have a lot of progress with this but the level of frustration is immeasurable. I also found out that the turbo is loosing some oil and the clutch is about to go.

[10mbc]

FIXED!
I think the cv axles (driveshafts) were the main culprit. The rest of the problems were probably related to my winter wheels. I have now replaced the winter wheels with the summer ones and now it works properly... finally. They are the OEM alloys and new 2021 Dunlop tires.

It is clearly a victory but I don't feel like I've won anything. I've pumped some money into the car and the results were slow to appear. At least now I can just go the maximum allowed speed on the highway - basically 140km/h.