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[Terbs]

Hi all,

Have a major problem with the Gold 2.6 Estate.
You may remember I posted on this topic a few months back. Since then, the car has had a change of calipers, TWO sets of wishbones, now fitted with poly bushes today but still acts like Torvil and Dean when braking.......

Any ideas left. I believe its being tried on a rolling road too see if it is brakes.
When you brake, you get a small left pull, followed by what feels like the right side snatching, then a pull/swerve to the left. Let off the brake and it pulls back to the right.  At speed it is very dangerous.

Tony

[tigers_gonads]

Have you stripped the back brakes down ?

[Terbs]

No, in a nutshell !!!

[Terbs]

Just checked my records, and this vehicle had front and rear brakes including discs and handbrake shoes fitted a year ago.

[05omegav6]

A few questions...

Who set the geometry?
Has the brake fluid been changed?
Any other suspension work?
What's the current mileage?
When the wishbones were replaced what brand was fitted?
How does the car behave when not braking?

[Terbs]

Right Al....lets see if I can remember details.

Geometry is done at WIM Chesham (5 miles from me)
Not sure about the brake fluid change
No other suspension work
Current mileage is 87,000
After car started swerving, wishbones were changed, Eurocarparts bits, problem not solved, they then fitted Delphi. No change, so calipers were changed. No change so I have had Powerflex poly bushes fitted today. No change, if not worse.
Car drives very well till you try to stop. Does not wander at all. Steering does seem lighter than the blue 2.5 estate .

[tigers_gonads]

Might be pishing in the wind here but what condition are the shocks in ?
If one shock collapses under load .............. 

[05omegav6]

Right Al....lets see if I can remember details.

Geometry is done at WIM Chesham (5 miles from me)
Not sure about the brake fluid change
No other suspension work
Current mileage is 87,000
After car started swerving, wishbones were changed, Eurocarparts bits, problem not solved, they then fitted Delphi. No change, so calipers were changed. No change so I have had Powerflex poly bushes fitted today. No change, if not worse.
Car drives very well till you try to stop. Does not wander at all. Steering does seem lighter than the blue 2.5 estate .

That's your problem... their vertical bushes are almost as bad as the front ones... mine lasted a week.

There are three solutions...
1. replace the rear bush with genuine Vauxhall, about £15-20 each.
2. replace the rear bush with poly. Tested to 20k, but other factors need considering, about £32.
3. replace entire wishbone with known good alternatives, from £50-160.

I would recommend option1. without seeing the wishbones, the welding might not be suitable for  option 2. although it is the longest term solution.

Unfortunately all three options require resetting of the geometry in addition to the parts costs above

[Terbs]

I hear what you say Al, but.....The first time the car swerved was on the M3 if you remember, putting me from the outside lane into the centre lane. Then new wishbones were fitted. But it still did the same, so they then tried Delphi, but it made no difference. Surely all these wishbones can't have bushes that don't work, from the minute they are fitted ?

Its been up on the ramp, and they can't find any looseness in any of the bushes, and that's not just one chap. Anti roll bushes have been change with poly too.
Subframes checked etc.

[05omegav6]

Should add, the reason the poly bushes feel worse is because the rear bushes are substandard...

In answer to your last post Delphi and Firstline are piss poor. The pattern ones I buy come from Germany, as do Lemforder ones that Allgerman supply

[martin42]

Might be worth putting the car on brake testing rollers that they use for mot's will show if there is a problem with the brakes if 1 side is pulling stronger than the other.

[Terbs]

Car been on brake tester this afternoon.......all clear.

Just been up to get it back, and it does still 'skate' on braking, but, personally, I thought it was not as bad, but could not really stress it due to traffic conditions. Will test tomorrow, and will be probably going for wishbone rear bushes to eliminate that area. Suspension is ok.
 

Only good thing is its not costing me anything

[chrisgixer]

Ask your mechanic how he's tightening the bolts. Ie how tight...?

[chrisgixer]

Just to confirm.

The initial symptoms of swerving right at the start, did they appear in their own? No work done?

[Terbs]

Original symptom as I reported in original thread a few months back, outside lane M3, 70mph or thereabouts, car in front braked, I hit mine and promptly swerved left into the middle lane. Luckily, I had overtaken a car and there was a gap for me.
No work had been done on the car. Went to WIM after first wishbone replacement, then again after the second wishbone replacement.