Lurch88
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| posted on 14/2/16 at 09:46 PM |
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Ford Focus Steering wheel shake
Hi Guys
My Ford Focus 1.8 tdci 2009 shakes the steering wheel up to about 45 mph
over that speed it appears to go away .
It feels like an out of balance wheel
I have had the front wheels removed and checked for balance
I have found and refilled the power steering fluid not an easy task
its under the headlight !
The fluid looks a bit mucky and brown
I had a quick look around when the wheels where off and couldn't see
anything obvious.
Anybody had anything similar or have any ideas of what could be causing it ?
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cliftyhanger
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 06:31 AM |
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Have you swapped front and rear wheels to eliminate them?
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nick205
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 08:56 AM |
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As you say, it sounds like wheel balance as the issue, but you seem to have tackled this. Assume braking is OK and not juddery as it could be warped
discs, but that shouldn't wobble the wheels.
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Ben_Copeland
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 09:37 AM |
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Check bearings and all suspension joints. Bit of play in one of the joints could cause this.
Otherwise swap wheels around.
Ben
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mcerd1
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 09:40 AM |
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I had something similar on the cmax when I first got it (very similar to the focus) it used to pull to the side and drift down cambers too...
balancing the fronts helped a bit, but it didn't go away completely until I had all 4 tyres replaced with decent ones (and properly balanced
too)
Mine had an odd mix of cheap to average tyres on it (2 avons, 1 uniroyal and some Chinese budget thing) none of them were balanced right and the new
avons had no weights on them anywhere (I assume that the garage was cutting corners and not balancing them just because they were on the back 
)
Fitting some decent tyres (Goodyear this time round) has transformed the car 
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Lurch88
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 10:01 AM |
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what's throwing me is that it appears to go away as speed increases
I would expect if it was wheel balance
that it would get worst as speed increased
I will certainly try swapping wheels
But they are relatively new Michelins on the front
What about a "pulsing" power steering pump ?
or shagged power steering fluid ?
do you think that would give me those symptoms ?
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DW100
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 10:19 AM |
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Low speed wobble is almost always an out of shape tyre. They do tend to get better as speed increases.
I have had customers come in with tyres shaped like eggs saying they have a wobble and have been to a quick fit type place and had them balanced, but
they can't find anything wrong. How they missed it I have no idea.
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adithorp
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 10:31 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by DW100
Low speed wobble is almost always an out of shape tyre. They do tend to get better as speed increases.
I have had customers come in with tyres shaped like eggs saying they have a wobble and have been to a quick fit type place and had them balanced, but
they can't find anything wrong. How they missed it I have no idea.
+1
Think they miss it because a) they put the safety cover down on the balencer before they spin the wheel so don't see it and b) they're
useless.
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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mcerd1
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 11:01 AM |
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I had an alloy on the last car that had 20+ weights on it - took it to a good tyre fitter and when they spun it up you could see the flat spot on the
rim
It takes a special kind of idiot to just keep adding weights without checking to see why its that bad....
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loggyboy
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 11:07 AM |
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Check your driveshafts, some have weights/dampers of some sort to aid against vibrations, check these aren't loose/missing/out of place.
Mistral Motorsport
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zetec
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 02:41 PM |
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I would go with the out of shape tyre or flat spot, also the chance of a bent wheel.
" I only registered to look at the pictures, now I'm stuck with this username for the rest of my life!"
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ian locostzx9rc2
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 02:41 PM |
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First thing to do is swap wheels front to back as it could be a deformed tyre buckled or flat spotted wheel if that does not change it check for play
in steering rack inner joints track rod ends lower ball joints and suspension bushes , my fav would be a deformed tyre .
[Edited on 15/2/16 by ian locostzx9rc2]
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nick205
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| posted on 15/2/16 at 05:34 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
Check your driveshafts, some have weights/dampers of some sort to aid against vibrations, check these aren't loose/missing/out of place.
Indeed.
The Pug 205 I know has a bearing supporting the longer drive shaft across the back of the engine. I'm sure other cars have them as well. If
that were worn it could allow the drive shaft to wobble although I'd expect it to be across the rev/speed range and not go at higher speeds.
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locogeoff
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| posted on 20/2/16 at 07:27 PM |
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If the tyres are directional, are they on the right way round?
[Edited on 20/2/16 by locogeoff]
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