Xantia Vibration

manic_man · Post by **manic_man** » 03 Jul 2005, 06:37

Hi all

Ok we all know most ppl who have xantias have a vibration they just cant cure at a certain speed :p
Ive had one at between 70 and 80 on mine since i bought it. Balanced it (at 3 different places) no luck, it now has totally different tyres on all corners from when i bought it (they needed replacing anyway) and the vibration is no different, so im guessing its not a tyre defect... Its been 4 wheel aligned... soo... im hoping you good people can give me a list of things to check (and perhaps how to check them as im a bit clueless!)
I have been told i might be looking at a driveshaft as the vibration is inconsistent. Some days its hardly noticeable, other days its fairly bad, sometimes it ONLY occurs at 75 other times it starts at 70, gets worse at 75 and then stops when i get to 80 (oo err officer!) I have been ignoring it till now but my front right tyre is starting to get a flat spot on the outer side (normally alignment i know but this is literally around a tenth of the outside of the tyre, nothing major but i dont want to ruin a nearly new tyre)
I can feel the vibration through the car(phone rocks back and forth in its cradle noticeably) and i can also feel it through the steering wheel.
A checklist of possible faults and how i check would be fantastic

i really wanna track this down now and fix it if it isnt gonna be too expensive cos i sit on the motorway for a good chunk of the day and it makes it much less enjoyable to drive (Ive lived with it for nearly 2 years

i would say it is slowly getting worse though)
Much appreciated everyone

Post by **Peter.N.** » 03 Jul 2005, 13:52

I would hve said 'definitly tyres' but you seem to have exhausted all the possibilities. Are any of your wheels damaged? Does the vibration increase when the car is hot (long journey) if so it could be the inner joints on the driveshafts that are worn, only usually happens on a very high mileage car, as the temperature increases the grease looses its viscosity and so doesn't take up the wear. The strange wear pattern on your front tyre could be caused by a faulty wheel bearing or binding brake caliper, but I would have thought this would have shown up at a much lower speed. It could of course be a defective tyre, the uneven wear could itself give rise to those symptoms

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 03 Jul 2005, 14:18

driveshaft and brakes cant cause tyre wear,usuly if only one tyre has worn its down to susp arm bush or lower swivle joint,try running your hand around both tyres on both edges,if wheel is out of line you will feel the tread blocks standing up at one edge,then you know there is prob that side regards malcolm

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 03 Jul 2005, 14:39

ps the only way brakes could cause tyre wear is if you have warped discs,this would also be your vibration regards malcolm

manic_man · Post by **manic_man** » 03 Jul 2005, 19:36

The car is pretty smooth at lower speeds BUT once i have taken it upto motorway speeds its never as smooth at lower speeds after till the next journey. The tyre WAS perfect (I checked itspecifically before it went on as i was hoping to cure this vibration then) There are no funny noises anywhere, no obvious knocking etc.
Front brakes were replaced by moi about 2 months back, im 99% sure they dont bind.
How do i go about checking susp arm bush or lower swivel joint? I am a bit clueless

Im pretty sure it must be something more obscure like that.
Car is a 1997 on 101k btw
Thanks guys [:)]

Post by **Peter.N.** » 03 Jul 2005, 23:18

Does the vibration get worse as the transmission gets hotter?

manic_man · Post by **manic_man** » 03 Jul 2005, 23:31

i would say no to that peter as, as soon as i get it up to speed and then sit at the speed range that causes problems for upto an hour things dont get worse, but they dont tend to get better either [:p]