Steering wheel wobble

[pip007]

I've had pretty bad steering wheel wobble for about 6-9 months. car has brand new tyres and wheels checked and balanced just last week, but wobble is still there. It's a S2 can that has power steering though the power system no longer working. Any thoughts on what might be the cause? Thanks.

[PeterCrespin]

Who balanced the wheels? If they are wires very few people have suitable adapters for dynamic balancing so they could still be out.

As for the wobble itself - not enough information, or even close, considering all we have to go on is what you write and give us.

What speeds does the wobble appear?
Does it come/go or change with speed?
Does it change under braking?
Is there a sound associated with it, especially with the windows down?
In all those months have you tried swapping wheels to see the effect?

In short, what detective work have you done or are you just asking us to do your thinking for you?

Pete

[pip007]

Why the smart-arse response at the end? No Pete, I'm not asking you to do my thinking for me so there's no need to be insulting. I thought this forum was for people needing help with their questions. Not everyone is a mechanical wizard. Your diagnostic questions are useful however, so thanks for those.

[christopher storey]

Pip : have you tried spinning the wheels with the car jacked to see if they run true ? they can often be balanced dynamically but be so out of true that it translates into a shimmy or wobble. Also, while the wheels are off the ground, check for play by shaking in and out with the wheel held in the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions - anything more than just perceptible play indicates that the wheel bearing needs adjustment - they are taper roller bearings so are quite easy to adjust. Similarly, shake the wheel in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position - play there indicates a worn steering track rod end , or wear in the rack, or sometimes a suspension ball joint problem ( this can usually be demonstrated by putting a substantial bar under the wheel and levering - there should be no perceptible play . Also, check to see that there is no play between the wheel itself and the hub and that the hub nuts are tight

[PeterCrespin]

Why the smart-arse response at the end? No Pete, I'm not asking you to do my thinking for me so there's no need to be insulting. I thought this forum was for people needing help with their questions. Not everyone is a mechanical wizard. Your diagnostic questions are useful however, so thanks for those.

Hi, who am I addressing, please?

Not intended to be smart-arse, Mr/Ms/Mrs [name], but I plead guilty to exasperation. It winds me up when people ask questions which can clearly only be answered by a slew of further enquiries by us. Normally I just suck it up, and actually my first reply was a little harsher but I edited that out, so you got the civil version.

Why not give us all the info up front, or specify you have no further clues? Why do we have to expend our time asking obvious supplementaries to clarify an issue that cannot possibly be answered by the info given, when you could have spent your time setting out more fully? Where's the balance of effort/benefit here? Why do you call me by my name but I can't call you by yours and have to ask you?

Dunno, I must be old fashioned. If I asked someone a question I'd want to put the person to the least trouble and make it as easy as possible for them to help me. Call it politeness. If someone DID help me as far as possible within the meagre info I'd supplied, even if they mildly chided me for perhaps being a bit lazy, I'd accept the info graciously and learn my lesson. I almost didn't reply at all. Probably shouldn't have by the look of it. That would have put the effort/benefit balance my way, but you would have received no info. If someone gave me a free gift, I wouldn't moan about how they wrapped it.

[Heuer]

OK, rant over.

Pete put forward some sensible questions and answers to those would help a diagnosis. After following Christopher's advice I would swap the front tyres to the rear to see if that solves the problem. Flats on tyres caused by standing for a few moths are a known problem. Usually that eliminates the wheels/tyres so we are down to out of true hubs or discs - it has been known. You can get the hubs and discs dynamically balanced if you think that is the problem. Finally you are down to the steering rack and power assistance. Doubt it is the latter but it could be play in the rack.