SE5 handling / vibration issues

[maestroman]

Afternoom,

Bit of help please…also a bit of a story

The background of my car is it was pulled from a barn about two years ago, and hasn’t done a huge amount of miles since. I`ve done the engine, electrics and made it water tight, next it the suspension.

The car has suffered from massive amounts of vibration above 50mph for a while now. So I replaced both the front bearing (MOT advisor) and got the wheels tacked and balanced (tyres are about five months old). All of this was done on Friday.

I took it for a blast around the local lanes and it seemed much better. However I was on the motorways today and above 60mph there is still some vibrating. But if you give it a bit of right foot, and get above 70mph-ish the vibration goes?? Also the front end feels loose, very lite, almost over sensitive. It could be me, as I`ve been away from Scimi`s for a few years but its doesn’t not feel as sure footed / planted as the last SE5 I owned. The car is driveable but it just doesn`t seem right.

There just seems to be a small pocket of speed / revs when the car vibrates quite badly. The suspension hasn’t been touch since I got it road worthy so where do I start?? There is no play on the rack; I suspect the shocks are knackered as the ride is hard; the bushes etc are worn but not excessive. I`ve also heard talk of getting prop shafts balanced. Could there be a conection??

I guess before I start spending lots of money, I wanna make sure Iam changing the right parts.

Any advice would be great.

[Roger Pennington]

Hi Stephen, Do you feel the vibration primarily through the steering wheel, or just generally, through he whole car?
If it's vibration through the steering at a specific speed, I'd normally suspect wheel balance initially, I know you said yours has just been done, but how well was it done? standards do vary quite widely, so they may still be a little out. If the shocks are shot as well then that won't help, as any oscillations in the wheels will be able to carry on undamped. Also worn bushes etc wouldn't help, but presumably they recently got through the MOT alright, so are probably (!) ok (though I see you do say they are "worn" - how much? Worn out shocks will also contribute to a feeling of "looseness" in the handling of the car as a whole.
If it was an out of balance prop, then I'd expect it to be a more general vibration, through the whole car, rather than just the steering.

good luck

....Roger

[Poppy]

Check between the wheels and the hubs. If the car has been standing for some time corrosion can occur between the wheel and the hub, particularly if you have alloy wheels. make shore that both mating surfaces are as clean as you can get them, also check the bottom of the wheel studs for any build up of crud that prevents the wheel seating properly. When every thing is OK use a thin (very) coating of clean grease on both surfaces.
Tony

[Coupe' Racing]

If the car feels loose then the geometry could be out

Steve

[maestroman]

Thanks for the repsonses..

The is no vibration through the steering, there was untill the wheels were balanced. The car was MOT`d last August and the bushes were not mentioned. However you can see visualy they are starting to crack / perish on the outside edge, also they were covered in crud ( if thats a technical term ) I didn`t realise the shocks would effect the handling like that. But I when you hit a pot hole it sends a shock through my spine hence why I thought the shcoks are past the best.

I`ll check the hubs because they`v been on and off a far bit, and the wheels fitted are a set of wolfies I picked up, which I didn`t think to inspect the back of.

Steve what do you mean by the geometry could be out? Is that in terms of suspension camber etc Sorry if thats sounds a bit thick...

[Coco La Blanc]

Stephen,
From you description and history concerning the car there could be a multitude of problems and you really need to go back to basics and start from scratch. You need to check and replace as necessary the following items:-

1. Wheels (Not running true/Damaged/Worn Studs or Stud Holes ?)
2. Tyres (are they ALL in good condition ? / Pressures correctly set ?)
3. Steering Rack / Track Rod Ends / Upper Ball Joints (Can all cause vibration problems)
4. Engine Mounts
5. Front Anti-Roll Bar Bushes (Is it fitted correctly ?)
6. Upper Fulcrum Bars (Have you changed these - If not, then I would suggest that these may well have rusted and can cause exactly the symptoms as stated !)
7. Wishbones / Bushes (As per 6. above badly worn bushes can cause vibration)
8. Trunions / Bushes / Bolts


Best of Luck,
Regards,
Viv

[mikerf]

I had a similar problem on my 5a at exactly the same speeds. Tried most of the above but eventually traced it to a bulge in the inner sidewall of the nearside tyre. It wasn't very noticeable when the tyre was cold but I suspect it became more pronounced as the tyre warmed up. A new tyre solved the problem for me but, equally, it could have been as a result of any of the above mentioned problems.

[Coupe' Racing]

Vibration through the car - could be gearbox mount or a seized / worn UJ on the prop.

By Geometry - yes - front suspension set up - IE camber and toe.

However if the car feels loose - it will be worth checking the rear trailing arm bushes and the brackets on the diff case where the arms bolts too as they rot through and cause rear suspension movement.

Worst case - a cracked chassis - but its rare and usually on GT and early GTE

Steve

[maestroman]

Cheers chaps,

Plenty of stuff to be looking at . Either way Iam gonna jack the beast up and have a good look. The tyres are new so I hoping its to do with the worn bushes etc. Though I don`t know if the garage set the camber / toe I think it was a straight forward track and balance.

I`ve got some rear-trailing arms with new poly bushes in the them already, so that might answer a few question.

I guess the main thing really is its nothing more ( hopefuly ) than a straight forward suspension re-build, and maybe some mounting brackets. I had visions of needing new steering racks, or a buggered back axel or something equaly as awful.

I`ll let you know....

[philhoward]

The symptoms you reported do suggest something rotating at wheel speed - although if suspension bushes etc are worn, then they will amplify it. My Dad had a problem with his 6a and after much wheel balancing (both spigot AND stud mounted types - the latter apparently essential for Coupes as the hole in the middle isn't always round or even in the middle) then it turned out to be the discs - only on replacement did it go.

[maestroman]

. My Dad had a problem with his 6a and after much wheel balancing then it turned out to be the discs - only on replacement did it go.

Phil,

Were the brake disc worn, or warped at all?? I do get a bit of brake judder when braking with a bit of force. They are also a tad rusty on the outside edge IIRC.

[philhoward]

We didn't spot anything sinister (bar the odd streak which may have been a high spot) and didn't put them on anything to check either. Rust on the outer edges isn't anythingto worry about normally, but if you get a slight noise when rotating the wheel off the ground, it might be a warped disc. If you get juddering whilst braking, then it could be discs.