driveshaft diagnosis

Post by **xantia_v6** » 09 Nov 2005, 22:10

My Xantia V6 has had a slight vibration at 70MPH since I got it at 60,000 miles. Now at 90,000 miles it has suddenly got worse and is quite annoying. I have had the wheels balanced a couple of times, and tried swapping the wheels around, but no change.

I am now thinking that I have a worn or damaged driveshaft. Any hints as to how to check the driveshafts?

Any sources of V6/Activa/HDI drfiveshafts?

regards,
Mike

citroenxm · Post by **citroenxm** » 09 Nov 2005, 22:30

I would certainly bet the drive shafts. We had a Xantia TD that vibrated and wobbled the whole dash and brake pedal when accelerating in gear, or making the engine work, we swapped the driveshafts for new ones and the problem dissapered...

As for getting shafts, I do not know... Good luck sourcing them

Regards
citroenxm

Post by **Peter.N.** » 09 Nov 2005, 23:01

On my CX I had a vibration that got worse as as the unit warmed up which eventually turned out to be worn inner drive shaft joints and was immediatly cured by replacement.

I think GSF do drive shafts considerably cheaper than Citroen or you could always try the breakers.

Post by **xantia_v6** » 12 Nov 2005, 10:30

I put the front of the car up on stands, and ran the engine in gear with one wheel held stationary.
With just the left wheel spinning, there was no vibration, but quite a rumble.
With just the right wheelspinning there was rumble and vibration, which seemed to be the same with the wheel removed.

I am thinking that the rumble is due to the suspension hanging so that the CVs are not running in optimum alignment.

Is this a valid diagnosis that my RH driveshaft needs replacing?

Can someone tell me what size socket I need for the hub nut?

TIA
Mike

Mandrake · Post by **Mandrake** » 12 Nov 2005, 11:00

xantia_v6 wrote:I put the front of the car up on stands, and ran the engine in gear with one wheel held stationary.
With just the left wheel spinning, there was no vibration, but quite a rumble.
With just the right wheelspinning there was rumble and vibration, which seemed to be the same with the wheel removed.

I am thinking that the rumble is due to the suspension hanging so that the CVs are not running in optimum alignment.

Unless the CV joints are stuffed, the angle they're running at (within the normal travel of the suspension) won't cause any extra noise, especially under no load, and with the types of joints Citroen use. (Tri-Axe joint on the inside end)

The rumble when doing a test like this is normal and it comes mainly from the diff in the gearbox because it is operating in the condition of one side being locked which means the differential speed between the left and right wheel is maximum, something which is an abnormal condition for the diff in a road car.

With normal driving there is only a very small percentage difference in speed between left and right when cornerning, thus a low differential rotation speed.

Another thing that contributes to the rumble is that without the consistant load of the car on its wheels, the slack through the gearbox, diff, and driveshafts is not taken up consistently, so there can be a little bit of overrun with tiny speed fluctuations of the motor.

In short the rumble when you lock one wheel like that is nothing to worry about.

Is this a valid diagnosis that my RH driveshaft needs replacing?

Well it certainly shows that something is wrong on the right hand side, quite possibly the driveshaft (due to a stuffed CV or Tri-Axe joint) but it could be something else like the wheel bearing.

Also remember that the right hand side has an intermediate shaft and bearing as well - so that bearing is also a potential culprit. But the driveshaft is the most likely...

Regards,
Simon