suspension query

[shortcircuit]

at low speed the front wheels on my fc judder when steering, its a similar feeling to a locked diff. the tyres are 205 50 16 so i can't see it being a tyre problem , any ideas what it could be? also how would the handeling change if i introduce negative camber to the front/rear wheels? thanks for any help :Thumbs-up

[shortcircuit]

any ideas ????

[kev-yorks]

I take it you've checked the obvious first, wheel nuts are tight and bearings OK?
Kevin

[shortcircuit]

yeh , wheel nuts are tight and a little play in n/s wheel bearing but each wheel judders independantly on each lock.

[kev-yorks]

The judder when you get it is it something your feeling just through the steering wheel or the car itself?
Kevin

[shortcircuit]

car , from outside the wheel looks like it rolls so far then skips.

[grinder]

you checked the front discs ??

are they warped ??

when you jack it up - does each wheel turn freely ?

jack it up , spin the wheel by hand - get someone to press the brake - does it spin OK when they let the brake off

if all thats OK - you could rule out warped discs ?

and you can adjust the front bearings - its not hard to do , i did mine , although i did put the jack thru the floor when i did it !! LOL :D

[kev-yorks]

What do you think Stu if hes feeling it through the car not the wheel could be a backend problem
Kevin

[grinder]

yeah but its front wheels ???

but yeah i see your point - it its thru the car .... crickey i would have no idea where to start .. let me re-read ...

so it only happens when turning , so that could be stiff steering components , bad suspension , wheel bearings

its the roll - skip theory that has me baffled like something is binding , but why only on steering ???

hummmm no idea - do the obvious

1 - check bearings
2 - tyre pressure
3 - swap front and back wheels round
4 - check brakes

then fit it down to being an FC and quirky ( thats what i have done with my probs ! )

[kev-yorks]

Shortcircuit is there any possibility you can get the full front end jacked up (borrow another jack maybe) then work the steering lock to lock a few times. If its not lumpy it at least rules out the steering. If you get a feeling of tight then loose as you turn the wheel your probably looking at a seized u/j on the column. Think to be honest it will be a case of checking everything as Stu says untill you find it one stage at a time.
Kevin

[shortcircuit]

then fit it down to being an FC and quirky ( thats what i have done with my probs ! )
i think this could be the winning idea ! but i'll try the steering and the other things tomorrow , thanks for the help :Thumbsup!

[Martiny]

I wonder if the geometry is out. Does it do it when turning left AND right?

The toe-in changes as you turn the wheel. If someone has worked on the car , and adjusted one side and not the other, to get to the correct toe-in, then we could have too much toe when turning one way, and not enough when turning the other way.

Another thing it could be is a caliper is sticky, and not being pushed far back enough, I had this on my EGI, though it didnt produce this symptom.


A warped disc would normally show up as a juddering brake pedal.

It might simply be tracking/alignment, do all the tyres have even wear across them?