I'm picking up good vibrations.

[marko]

Not the Beach Boys song I'm afraid. I get it when acelerating in any gear at low speeds. I feel it in the steering wheel but it disappears at 60 or when you take your foot off of the go pedle. Any ideas?

[Toledo Man]

Do your front wheels need balancing?

[trackerjack]

Control cable touching the steering column or a collapsed engine mount causing rack contact.

[Jon Tilson]

Not sure you typed what you meant there TJ. I'm struggling to think of any "control cables" on a dolly bar the handbrake ones,
and if they were touching the steering column I think you'd have more to worry about than vibration....

But I do agree an engine mount may be the cause. Vibrations normally get worse as speed increases, especially prop shaft u-j's
which would be my suggestion otherwise.

Exhaust touching the sub frame? Gearbox mounting. Plenty of possible sources.

Jonners

[marko]

I just need for this pesky rain to stop and i'll get under it and have a poke about. thanks for the suggestions, mark

[marko]

I got underneath the car and had a shake of all the parts and whilst the engine mounts aren't great, the propshaft bearing holder thing seems loose as butter on a hot crumpet. I'm hungry now!
How much of a job is it to change and are there better quality ones on the market?

[Jon Tilson]

The bearing carrier is fairly loose to the shake but if the rubber ring is all in place its probably not it. if its broken up
and the bearing can clobber the outer ring it needs changing. You can get the bearing and carrier for about 40 quid.
Sometimes they can be hard to change though.

Prop u-j at the axle end is a possible....you want absolutely no movement by hand on u-j's

Jonners

[Jon Tilson]

It occurs to me that your car has probably been standing a while.
Are the tyres the problem? One could have developed a bulge or flat spot.

Jonners

[marko]

the vibration wasn't any worse until I pulled away from a roundabout and it was terrible. I pulled it into my bitches at kwikfit and drove it onto the 2 post lift. we levitated the car (or however those lifts work) and found that the stick on weights that balanced the wheels previously had ran away. the car had been sitting for 9 months whilst I was "away" so the tyres might be suspect but they were well out of balance and needed loads of weights after less than 700 miles. they're 15 year old tyres that look like new but they might be duff.
the propshaft was next to look at and there it was in the centre uj, clean metal! a middling amount of play was in the middle joint with a little at the back and almost non at the front. are the 3 uj's the same? I might as well do all 3 whilst the prop is off and I've got a hammer in my hand. I think some new tyres are on the agenda as well.

thanks for your help so far. is there anything that I need to be wary of whilst replacing the uj's?

[Jon Tilson]

You may well have some spiders with the screws that you can undo and squirt some grease in.
If that's the case and these are tight I would just do that and only replace the sloppy one.

To replace the sloppy one give it all a good soak overnight with plus gas and get it as clean as you can with a fine wire
brush before taking out the circlips and then use a socket and a vice to push them out side to side. I dont use a hammer
these days for fear of missing and distorting the flanges.

Not too bad a job but be very careful not to dislodge a needle when fitting the new cups. and inserting the spider. Its easilly done and then the cup sits proud of the circlip groove but seems tight.

Glad you found it.

Jonners

[Toledo Man]

Did you say 15 year old tyres? Get them changed pronto! Once a tyre is 6 years old it should be replaced regardless of wear. Even part-worn tyres or a budget brand will be an improvement.

Looks like my hunch was right.

[marko]

The vibrations got loads worse today when I had no choice but to use the car. It sounded like the prop was going to come flying out from under the car. The prick at kwikfit hadn't done the nuts up on the rear passenger wheel! Two nuts gone and 4 studs screwed. I managed to take another nut from the other side and jam it back onto the ruined thread to slowly get me home with a couple of pit stops to check. With all these Spitfire spares I have studs coming out of my ears as are the nuts. You just can't trust these people who you put your life in their hands.

[Jon Tilson]

Go back and inform him of your costs. Show him the damaged studs.

He should be covered on his public liability insurance. If he won't play ball threaten him with trading standards or a solictors letter.

You cant let this go by or it will happen again. He needs to know the consequences....

Jonners

[marko]

They're always swapping tyres and balancing wheels etc for me but I will put the 4 screwed studs in his hand and have a quiet word. He's only got a simple job as a rubber monkey and cannot even do that without endangering lives. I'll order my tyres from black circles then get them to fit them. That'd be a poke in the eye wouldn't it...