Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: terry paget on 03 September 2018, 15:41:09
-
3.2 manual saloon ex-police
My son Ben complains of a strange noise when he turns hard right. I have just tried it. It does it when the car is stationary. It is a creaking sort of noise, I reckon it is the steering column bearing. Is this a known old Omega affliction?
-
Are you sure it's inside the car?
A dry strut bearing is much more likely.
-
Are you sure it's inside the car?
A dry strut bearing is much more likely.
I had not thought of that. How do I check? Get car over pit and have son turn the steering with me in the pit?
-
If you're in the pit, you couldn't get much further away from the bearing.... try listening in the engine compartment when he turns the steering without the engine running.
-
If you're in the pit, you couldn't get much further away from the bearing.... try listening in the engine compartment when he turns the steering without the engine running.
Right. The strut bearing is at the top, isn't it. Will invetigate tomorrow.
-
Anti roll bar drop links can also creak when turned
-
and the steering lock stops if on full lock can creak bad
-
and the steering lock stops if on full lock can creak bad
Common on Carltons and Senators. Dab of grease on the steering stops cured it.
-
It's certainly not top strut bearing, nor anti-roll bar bush. Got the car over the pit, and am pretty sure its the o/s wishbone ball joint. It creaks loudly between full r/h lock and straight ahead. I last changed that wishbone in August 2011, 29,000 miles ago. It will be an ATP kit wishbone, so it's done well enough. Anybody else had a similar noise from a bottom ball joint? I've had several become sloppy, but none noisy before.
-
With a finger on underneath the ball joint (away from squishing said finger) can you feel anything as it creaks?
Repeat for top mount and report back ;)
-
With a finger on underneath the ball joint (away from squishing said finger) can you feel anything as it creaks?
Repeat for top mount and report back ;)
Not much, nothing conclusive, either top or bottom. Wife then asked whether it would help with the engine off, might be easier to hear, she said. With engine off the sound clearly came from the bottom. So wishbone ball joint it is.
-
With a finger on underneath the ball joint (away from squishing said finger) can you feel anything as it creaks?
Repeat for top mount and report back ;)
Not much, nothing conclusive, either top or bottom. Wife then asked whether it would help with the engine off, might be easier to hear, she said. With engine off the sound clearly came from the bottom. So wishbone ball joint it is.
If you couldn't feel the noise through the ball joint then it isn't the ball joint ;)
If you are under the car, then the sound from the top mount will pass the ball joint on it's way to you having first resonated down the strut ::)
-
With a finger on underneath the ball joint (away from squishing said finger) can you feel anything as it creaks?
Repeat for top mount and report back ;)
Not much, nothing conclusive, either top or bottom. Wife then asked whether it would help with the engine off, might be easier to hear, she said. With engine off the sound clearly came from the bottom. So wishbone ball joint it is.
If you couldn't feel the noise through the ball joint then it isn't the ball joint ;)
If you are under the car, then the sound from the top mount will pass the ball joint on it's way to you having first resonated down the strut ::)
I hear what you say, Doc. With my head at the top, beside the strut top bearing, the creaking sounded some way away. at the bottom of the strut. Standing in the pit, staring at the bottom ball joint, the creaking was miuch louder and seemed to come from the lower ball joint. I could take the wheel off, but I suspect without load it would not creak. Son Ben has taken the car away now, but will be back in the morning.
If the sound is resonating down the strut, might I feel it holding the strut?
-
In theory yes, but you stand to lose a finger or two...
The top nut isn't insulated, so you should feel it there ;)
-
If it does turn out to be the ball joint then if all else is in order with the wishbone[inner bushes and the arm itself]then I'd just change the balljoint,this can even be done without removing the wishbone from the car if you wish.
-
I had creaking sound that I though was coming from top mount. I could hear that inside cabin engine running when rotating steering wheel.
I took wheel off trying to find something from top mount, but it was ball joint. Rubber was ruptured allowing water and stuff in the joint. It was couple years old ball joint, so really wasnt expecting that..
-
The annual MoT test here should highlight this BEFORE it fails, but equally having been looking at it today, this should have been obviously split...
New ball joints are indeed available separately, and £7-8 each... That said, it will still require a geometry check afterwards and cheap wishbones are basically a service item, so may as well replace the lot :y
-
If it does turn out to be the ball joint then if all else is in order with the wishbone[inner bushes and the arm itself]then I'd just change the balljoint,this can even be done without removing the wishbone from the car if you wish.
It's a job I have never done. I presume all it involves is dropping the old ball joint out of the hub, drilling out the three rivets, and attaching the new ball joint to the wishbone with the nuts and bolts provided. I see two ball joints cost £14.99, free postage. Thanks for the tip, Doc. Are there any snags?
-
Beyond getting the geometry correctly reset? only drilling the rivets out in situ...
Much easier to remove the wishbone, at which point, you may as well replace it ;)
-
Wishbone changed, creaking gone.
Thanks to all for advice.