Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: minifreek on 19 January 2016, 13:21:21
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What could cause an Omega to feel like it has a buckled wheel...? when it hasn't...
Iv tried swapping wheels one at a time to try and eliminate a distorted tyre or buckled wheel....
This driving me ruddy nuts.... is it maybe a bearing...? but theres no play in any bearing at all, on all four corners...
So far Iv tried swapping each wheel, Iv tried 3 sets of wheels....
Its to the point where I dont like driving my Omega as the thing is giving me motion sickness... the wife can't feel it and thinks Im making it up LOL
Help and suggestions welcomed....
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In order:
Knackered wishbone bushes
Knackered wishbone bushes
worn steering idler
wornout struts.
Knackered wishbone bushes.
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Wishbones
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What are the symptoms? Just vibration through the steering?
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Failed shocks worth considering too :-\
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OK....
Wishbone bushes.... front or rear....?
Front ones are poly's installed into new Lemforder wishbones around 18-20 months ago...
All shocks are brand new Bilstein B4's....
Steering idler replaced 3 weeks ago...
No vibration or movement through steering....
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This Iv just remembered...
We brought our caravan home yesterday from storage, only a few miles away, and the problem felt worse....
I vaguely remember something about rear driveshafts can cause a similar problem as to what Im getting...
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If fronts are poly, then it will be the rears...
Worse with the van suggests that either the problem is with the rear shocks/springs or the front is suffering with less weight on it...
Rule out busted rear spring and knackered front wishbone rear bush and report back...
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Springs are 100% perfect Al.... all round..
The thing is its a constant thing, no knocks at all and not intermittent.... I will take a look at the rear front wishbone bushes to see if theres any play in them... I know I need a TRE on the O/S but that won't cause this problem... Im seriously pulling out whats left of my hair trying to sort this ruddy problem out...
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This Iv just remembered...
We brought our caravan home yesterday from storage, only a few miles away, and the problem felt worse....
I vaguely remember something about rear driveshafts can cause a similar problem as to what Im getting...
Had it on front wheel drive cars, worth checking the driveshafts for play along with propshaft and bearing/donuts.
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Diff mounts or rear subframe mounts?
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Diff mounts or rear subframe mounts?
That'd be my guess. Is it worse when accelerating?
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You say it's like a buckled wheel. Is it regular, and in time with wheel revolution? Is it a swaying, a vibration, or a sound? Does it do it under power, and/or on overrun? Does it seem to be from front or rear?
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Doesn't seem to get any worse under acceleration... not under normal acceleration anyway.. I dont drive like a nutjob LOL
It is regular and feels like the car is moving from side to side, it more a feeling than a sound... Theres no noise and doesnt feel like vibration. Feels like its from the rear, Id feel it through the steering wheel maybe if from the front...?
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If she's seen over 150k then probably worth changing the rear donuts anyway. (says the man who has 181k on the clock on factory originals ::)) I know it's not guaranteeing to cure your issue, but it'll both tweak the handling nicely, and also remove this from the list of possible causes. :)
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Probably worth taking it to someone who can actually look at the car instead of playing 'guess the fault without seeing the car'. ;D
My diagnosis is an extreme case of garage phobia. :y
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The rear donuts got changed about 6 months ago for new Febi's.. easy job TBH....
Got a bit bust today with the caravan as its just come home and we needed to sort a few things out with it...
Might get onto looking at it tomorrow - maybe... all depends on the weather...
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Probably worth taking it to someone who can actually look at the car instead of playing 'guess the fault without seeing the car'. ;D
My diagnosis is an extreme case of garage phobia. :y
I dont have a case of garage fobia, but a phobia of seeing money fly out my wallet...
I much prefer to work on my own car anyway then I know the job thats been done, and not what the garage tells me has been done... Im the only person that I trust to work on my car anyway...
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Probably worth taking it to someone who can actually look at the car instead of playing 'guess the fault without seeing the car'. ;D
My diagnosis is an extreme case of garage phobia. :y
I dont have a case of garage fobia, but a phobia of seeing money fly out my wallet...
I much prefer to work on my own car anyway then I know the job thats been done, and not what the garage tells me has been done... Im the only person that I trust to work on my car anyway...
With you, there. Excluding well-known OOFers and my mechanic mate who had run Carltons/Sennys/Omegas for donkeys years. If you can do it yourself, then do it yourself. However in this instance it looks like your being advised to take it to one of the said trusted well known OOFers, which can only have a happy ending. Hope you get sorted soon minifreek, I like your car/mods you've done to her :)
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Thanks DBG :)
Iv only ever done my own repairs to any cars Iv owned, mainly because I cant really afford to get ripped off my garages for them to not fix my car and then have the pleasure os sending me a bill for work they haven't done... but say they have... and theres no trusted members on here that are local to me...
I'll be getting onto my Omega later today, need to find my pry bar and see if it is any bushes that might have play in them....
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I'm hoping it's worn rear bushes, as that's a 'relatively simple' fix. Keep us updated :y
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Been out today to have a look around at bushes and driveshafts etc.... theres no play in anything, the driveshafts have side to side play but that will be because the have to because of the presrcribs arc they follow with the suspension geometry etc...
Iv put my 19" Snowflakes alloys on today, but only because they have plenty tread on them.... the problem seems to have gone away....? How can this be...?
I know there is a TRE that needs replaceing on the O/S, which is going to be changed before MoT time in March, probably next week when the part gets here, then I can take it for a geo set-up...
I swear now that 3 different sets of wheels can't in anyway have exactly the same problem, and the only set that differs is the 19" Snowies...?
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One for Mulder and Scully ;D
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Tyre pressures :-\
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I recently put air into all four of the wheels, thinking the same too...
Well it's OK for now, just had a good run around town and a dual carriageway, only thing it does need is 1 of the wheels is out of balance.... it never ends LOL
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Perhaps I,m being a bit nieve but isn,t 19" inch wheels on an Omega a bit extreme? This is speaking as an old fart who drives a bog standard Desmond. :D
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15"s on mine, here! Plenty big enough!
(actually in all seriousness, I can't believe how much lighter these are to move around than even the 16"s on the old turbo weasel.
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Perhaps I,m being a bit nieve but isn,t 19" inch wheels on an Omega a bit extreme? This is speaking as an old fart who drives a bog standard Desmond. :D
No not being an old fart fella, just the 19" wheels actually fill the arches quite nicely and look 'right'... they do to me anyway... all a matter of taste at the end of the day...
Still only fitted with 235 tyres so not massive - not really....
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How about jacking up one side of the rear at a time, front wheels chocked , and driving it up to the trouble speed.
Least that would eliminate drive train issues at the rear.
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Put the other tyres back on now and see if it returns.
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Put the other tyres back on now and see if it returns.
That is my next plan of action :)
I got the TRE to be replaced yesterday, so thats going to be fitted today if the weather behaves itself...
I think I might just swap 1 wheel at a time.... but why would it happen on 3 different sets of wheels but not on the 19" 'summer' wheels...?
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What tyres?
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The odd thing about this is that as a general rule, great big wheels (certainly an inch over what the Omega was ever designed for, & 4 inch bigger than what they were launched running on) will amplify any suspension issues. The idea they've removed it just feels 'wrong' to me - as it does you, of course.
It sounds like imbalanced wheels - though I appreciate the probability is low. Very odd ???
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Put the other tyres back on now and see if it returns.
That is my next plan of action :)
I got the TRE to be replaced yesterday, so thats going to be fitted today if the weather behaves itself...
I think I might just swap 1 wheel at a time.... but why would it happen on 3 different sets of wheels but not on the 19" 'summer' wheels...?
You'll be lucky to change the track rod end without removing the track rod from the car, the threads usually rust solid; they can be freed with hammering or heat. I always change whole track rods, they come cheap with wishbones and drop links from ATP. Having changed the track rod end, you will need to reset the tracking; I have never got it right simply setting new track rod to same length as the old. My 'wishbone ends on stands front wheel parallel to rears' method always works for me, but is derided on this forum, otherwise it will mean a trip to a hated garage, or ideally to WIM Chesham.
If your TRE is really 'knocky' it might be your problem.
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Put the other tyres back on now and see if it returns.
That is my next plan of action :)
I got the TRE to be replaced yesterday, so thats going to be fitted today if the weather behaves itself...
I think I might just swap 1 wheel at a time.... but why would it happen on 3 different sets of wheels but not on the 19" 'summer' wheels...?
I have come across it were the hubs are quite rusty or a small foreign body gets between the wheel and disk surface causing vibration/strange running.
A big favourite of this is when someone changes disks and doesn't thoroughly clean the hub surface.
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Righto folks....
Fitted TRE and got the Omega aligned, drives like a dream now...
Put the Elite wheels back on and it returned....? Took a look at the condition of the tyres and wheels, all look OK but just for peace of mind, I'm having all 4 tyres changed for new Bridgestone Proxes next week :) 235 45 17 all round, so should be good when I take it round the local track again when the next track day is on.... I'll be taking either the Omega or my Mini, whichever is on the road at the time LOL
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Righto folks....
Fitted TRE and got the Omega aligned, drives like a dream now...
Put the Elite wheels back on and it returned....? Took a look at the condition of the tyres and wheels, all look OK but just for peace of mind, I'm having all 4 tyres changed for new Bridgestone Proxes next week :) 235 45 17 all round, so should be good when I take it round the local track again when the next track day is on.... I'll be taking either the Omega or my Mini, whichever is on the road at the time LOL
Do you know the history of the tyres ?
Have they ever been left deflated (with or without a car sat on them) ?
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The tyres on the Elites where part worn but in very good condition... I got them off a mate who was a mobile tyre fitter, so I knew that they would be good, if they was shite he wouldn't have let me use them, nevermind fit them for me...
I hope it isn't the wheels themselves, otherwise I'll be on the lookout for a set of Elite alloys....
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The tyres on the Elites where part worn but in very good condition... I got them off a mate who was a mobile tyre fitter, so I knew that they would be good, if they was shite he wouldn't have let me use them, nevermind fit them for me...
I hope it isn't the wheels themselves, otherwise I'll be on the lookout for a set of Elite alloys....
I don't want to question the ability of your mate but.......
When he was balancing the wheels and tyres it should have been obvious to him if one of the wheels was buckled :-\
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I understand what your saying fella, thats why Im doubting the wheels are buckled...
Maybe the tyres got distorted maybe... god knows but Im ordering new tyres fo them tomorrow...
Would I be able to have fitted 245 45 17 tyres for the rears....? and 235 for the front...?
Currently they have 235 on the rears and 225 on the fronts....
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Well one things for sure, if your problem returns you know one of the wheels is buckled ;)
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I understand what your saying fella, thats why Im doubting the wheels are buckled...
Maybe the tyres got distorted maybe... god knows but Im ordering new tyres fo them tomorrow...
Would I be able to have fitted 245 45 17 tyres for the rears....? and 235 for the front...?
Currently they have 235 on the rears and 225 on the fronts....
No wonder it drives funny ::) should be 235/45/17s on standard 17" wheels :-X
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Its been driving fine for ruddy ages Al on the staggered sizes... it kinda got worse as time went on...
Anyhoo, I'll get new tyres fitted and put the Elite wheels back on and see what happens...
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It may well have been, but point is all bets are off if you start moving away from design spec ;)
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And as a reminder, one only has to review the myriad tyre threads on here to remember how sensitive our Omegas are to tyre type/wear/size/pressure etc., never mind suspension issues.:y
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Where Gixer when you need him..... LOL
I'll get a full set of Bridgestone Potenza's fitted and go from there....
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Just perhaps out of interest, there's a tyre circumference calculator on this page
http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible_pg4.html (http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible_pg4.html)
Just as a quick experiment, shows a 19.3mm, or 1% difference in size between standard 205s and 225. Feel free to have a play about. :)
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Your tyres are out of shape I reckon. :)
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Your tyres are out of shape I reckon. :)
What? All of them? ;D
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Your tyres are out of shape I reckon. :)
What? All of them? ;D
Quite possibly given that they are a)secondhand from lordy knows where, and b)half of them are the wrong size for the task in hand ::)
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Your tyres are out of shape I reckon. :)
What? All of them? ;D
Quite possibly given that they are a)secondhand from lordy knows where, and b)half of them are the wrong size for the task in hand ::)
It happened to me a few years ago. The car was shuddering like hell and the symptoms were like the wheels needed balancing. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and several rebalances, the tyre shop accepted that the tyres were out of shape and replaced them. Problem solved! :y
And no the tyres weren't Triangle's! ::) Boom Boom!! ;D
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Your tyres are out of shape I reckon. :)
What? All of them? ;D
Only needs one of them to be out of round! ;)
Given they are second hand with unknown history, not overly suprised. Surely with tyres being only contact with the road it is not sensible to buy and fit anything but "known quantity" tyres of ther correct size.
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Your tyres are out of shape I reckon. :)
What? All of them? ;D
Only needs one of them to be out of round! ;)
Given they are second hand with unknown history, not overly suprised. Surely with tyres being only contact with the road it is not sensible to buy and fit anything but "known quality" tyres of the correct size.
Edit!! - misspelling corrected
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The tyres hadn't been replaced and then suddenly the car was feeling like it was wobbling....
The tyres that was on had been on for several months and been perfectly OK, no fault with them...
Iv had all tyres replaced with the Bridgestones, not got round to fitting them as yet, and all the same size on all 4 corners....