What could be causing the vibration ?

[trevorbayliss]

I have a peugeot partner van over 10 yrs old now.

Earlier this year the CV joint went and so i had it changed plus the suspension arm on that side. I didn't get the wheels aligned afterwards though.

I am now getting a vibrating through the steering wheel and it only comes out at higher speeds. I really notice it on the motorway or dual carriage.

If i change the throttle to be just on the soft shuddering comes on and then if i floor it the juddering goes away.

Any ideas on the problem ? Could it be the other CV joint. This sensation is similar to when the cv joint went earlier this year.

 

[DaveHerns]

Sounds likely. Do you get "knock on lock"?

 

[trevorbayliss]

Whats knock on lock ? Is this where you fully turn the wheel and get a knocking sound.

Do Cv joints tend to together if they break down ?

 

[DaveHerns]

Yes to the first point . Both CV joints will have covered the same mileage and have worn the same unless one has lost it's grease. I had CV joint problems on a Citroen C5 and when I got to a certain speed it felt like I had a square wheel.

 

[JohnD]

worn the same

The nearside will tend to wear faster because it is bumping over more rubbish, gullies and drain covers, also subject to more grit blast collected in the gutters, which can reduce life of seals, boots and gaiters.

 

[Spark123]

Maybe worth having your wheel ballances checked too, they can cause this issue.

 

[trevorbayliss]

Well i didn't get the wheels balanced after i got the near side CV joint replaced. So it may be as simple as that. I will speak to the mechanic to get him to have a look at the other side. If all ok i will go to one of the tyre centres to get balanced up.

 

[foxhole]

Balance and tracking.

 

[Burnerman]

+1
They'll also check for buckled wheels at the same time.
John

 

[DaveHerns]

But why does the vibration change with load on/off ?

 

[Burnerman]

Difficult to say...but any garage would rule out the obvious I guess. With wheel balance, harmonics are involved so if you get a wobble at 35 mph or whatever, it will go but return at 70 mph.
John

 

[DaveHerns]

Are you going to know the CV joint is shot just from a visual inspection unless it's badly worn ? When my C5 CV joint was misbehaving there was no obvious sign. I suppose eliminate the other cheaper possibilities first .

 

[Burnerman]

The knock on lock test is probably the best but there other ways.....I jack the car up, run it in first gear and gently feel the joint as it is rotating Obviously great care is needed but it's possible to feel the roughness within the joint.
I've only experienced one CV joint where it was so worn that it lost the drive .....sounded like hell!
John

 

[DaveHerns]

That would show up a buckled wheel as well

 

[trevorbayliss]

My CV joint meant the van lost its drive. Luckily it was at the bottom of the road from home, but had been over 50 miles away that day.

Been to track the tyres today and told the track rod ends need replacing first. So this and the tracking is probably the issue.