Worried about my workmanship
Discussion
Having spent the best part of three months doing a 6" bodylift, then stripping and repainting my chassis and suspension, with new bushes, ball joints and bolts I am feeling a little uneasy. Although the initial drives showed an amazing transformation with the suspension feeling very tight, about 500 miles later, on the motorway I wish I felt better about the car.
I had it Geo'd and the wheels balanced and it tracks straight and really sticks to the road. But although the wheels were balanced on a Hunter machine, there is still a little bit of vibration in the steering wheel at speeds over 70mph.
I had also dropped the diff, and the propshaft and greased it all before putting it back together and there is still a drive train vibration that I can feel through the gearshift and handbrake. All the rubber bushes on the exhaust were also changed.
I am not saying the car is giving me a vibration chair massage but I would have thought with all the work I did, that there should not be any vibration at speed.
Do I need to get back under the car and recheck and re- torque all the bolts?
I had it Geo'd and the wheels balanced and it tracks straight and really sticks to the road. But although the wheels were balanced on a Hunter machine, there is still a little bit of vibration in the steering wheel at speeds over 70mph.
I had also dropped the diff, and the propshaft and greased it all before putting it back together and there is still a drive train vibration that I can feel through the gearshift and handbrake. All the rubber bushes on the exhaust were also changed.
I am not saying the car is giving me a vibration chair massage but I would have thought with all the work I did, that there should not be any vibration at speed.
Do I need to get back under the car and recheck and re- torque all the bolts?
It shouldn't vibrate, you've got to track down where it's coming from,,
Vibration at speed I'd have thought is from the steering/suspension area,
Vibration through drive train could be something rubbing or leaning on the chassis etc,
For peace of mind I'd go straight to a very good Tvr man, Matt Smith/Powers, someone like that,
Have him spend an hr looking on the ramp,, that would be a good place to start.
Driving these cars is what it's all about so if it's not right then somethings amiss!
A bush not sitting well, or even a new one breaking down, could be anything really.
Check the exhausts not rubbing on the rear anti roll bar, it can be a close fit on some cars.
Vibration at speed I'd have thought is from the steering/suspension area,
Vibration through drive train could be something rubbing or leaning on the chassis etc,
For peace of mind I'd go straight to a very good Tvr man, Matt Smith/Powers, someone like that,
Have him spend an hr looking on the ramp,, that would be a good place to start.
Driving these cars is what it's all about so if it's not right then somethings amiss!
A bush not sitting well, or even a new one breaking down, could be anything really.
Check the exhausts not rubbing on the rear anti roll bar, it can be a close fit on some cars.
I really wish there was one of those people here but with the car out here in Cyprus that might be a little difficult 
When I say vibration, it is not like the steering is bucking about or the rest of the car, its just that I would have thought that a rear wheel drive car with balanced front wheel shouldn't vibrate. The steering wheel feels like an electric toothbrush in your hand at the higher speeds, with more pronounced vibrations over potholes.
Unless it is a case of 'they are all like that'.
I am going to get it back up on stands this weekend and go over all of the bolts once again with a torque wrench.
One thing I am not sure about is how tight the three 'bobbins' on the exhaust tray need to be, in case that is too tight and needs loosening off.
When I say vibration, it is not like the steering is bucking about or the rest of the car, its just that I would have thought that a rear wheel drive car with balanced front wheel shouldn't vibrate. The steering wheel feels like an electric toothbrush in your hand at the higher speeds, with more pronounced vibrations over potholes.
Unless it is a case of 'they are all like that'.
I am going to get it back up on stands this weekend and go over all of the bolts once again with a torque wrench.
One thing I am not sure about is how tight the three 'bobbins' on the exhaust tray need to be, in case that is too tight and needs loosening off.
Confused.com here - you say you had the wheels balanced on a Hunter machine......but a Hunter machine aligns the wheels, not balances them.
Have you actually had the wheels BALANCED by a tyre place recently?
For the avoidance of doubt, that's where they take each wheel off in turn, stick on a machine that rotates the wheel at speed, and then they stop the machine and stick weights on where it tells them, to make it perfectly balanced.
I ask because that could be the simple cause of all your problems.
The stick on wheel weights tend to fly off, and then your wheels are unbalanced.
I put gaffer tape over my wheel weights to keep them on, and even then I sometimes lose them.
And as the tyres wear the wheels can become unbalanced, especially if you have done some hard stops/lock-ups.
Also, on any car, if there is say a 10 gram imbalance in in wheel, you only feel it over 70 mph.
I'd get the wheels re-balanced just to be certain, before worrying yourself to death over your past six months work.
And potholes make your teeth fall out in any car.
PS< where on Cyprus do you get to 70 mph?
Have you actually had the wheels BALANCED by a tyre place recently?
For the avoidance of doubt, that's where they take each wheel off in turn, stick on a machine that rotates the wheel at speed, and then they stop the machine and stick weights on where it tells them, to make it perfectly balanced.
I ask because that could be the simple cause of all your problems.
The stick on wheel weights tend to fly off, and then your wheels are unbalanced.
I put gaffer tape over my wheel weights to keep them on, and even then I sometimes lose them.
And as the tyres wear the wheels can become unbalanced, especially if you have done some hard stops/lock-ups.
Also, on any car, if there is say a 10 gram imbalance in in wheel, you only feel it over 70 mph.
I'd get the wheels re-balanced just to be certain, before worrying yourself to death over your past six months work.
And potholes make your teeth fall out in any car.
PS< where on Cyprus do you get to 70 mph?
It seems we have something here you dont know about Qbee.
Hunter also makes a machine that balances wheels UNDER LOAD, ie a roller comes out against the wheel and pushes against it while it turns to ensure that a more accurate reading is taken to balance the wheel.
http://www.hunter.com/wheel-balancers/road-force-t...
We have amazing driving roads here, through the mountains and valleys, with hardly any traffic and smooth. And with the sun, all year round, this place is everyday what you have for a few days a year.
Hunter also makes a machine that balances wheels UNDER LOAD, ie a roller comes out against the wheel and pushes against it while it turns to ensure that a more accurate reading is taken to balance the wheel.
http://www.hunter.com/wheel-balancers/road-force-t...
We have amazing driving roads here, through the mountains and valleys, with hardly any traffic and smooth. And with the sun, all year round, this place is everyday what you have for a few days a year.
Edited by jazzdude on Thursday 21st April 11:01
jazzdude said:
It seems we have something here you dont know about Qbee.
Hunter also makes a machine that balances wheels UNDER LOAD, ie a roller comes out against the wheel and pushes against it while it turns to ensure that a more accurate reading is taken to balance the wheel.
http://www.hunter.com/wheel-balancers/road-force-t...
We have amazing driving roads here, through the mountains and valleys, with hardly any traffic and smooth. And with the sun, all year round, this place is everyday what you have for a few days a year.
Hi Jazz, I am due to move to Akrotiri in June, but I wish I was bringing my Chimaera out but I can't justify the road tax prices thereHunter also makes a machine that balances wheels UNDER LOAD, ie a roller comes out against the wheel and pushes against it while it turns to ensure that a more accurate reading is taken to balance the wheel.
http://www.hunter.com/wheel-balancers/road-force-t...
We have amazing driving roads here, through the mountains and valleys, with hardly any traffic and smooth. And with the sun, all year round, this place is everyday what you have for a few days a year.
Edited by jazzdude on Thursday 21st April 11:01
. Which part of the island do you live as I would like some kind of TVR back in my life even as a passenger ride or just to look at .Mark
If the wheels and the drive train are completely eliminated from your list of suspects and the vibration remains perhaps consider an engine vibration as the cause. Since your engine is externally balanced it's worth checking the harmonic balancer on the bottom pulley assembly, the rubber elements have a tendency to go hard with age and heat cycling and then split from the balance ring. Also check the condition of the engine mounts.
davep said:
If the wheels and the drive train are completely eliminated from your list of suspects and the vibration remains perhaps consider an engine vibration as the cause. Since your engine is externally balanced it's worth checking the harmonic balancer on the bottom pulley assembly, the rubber elements have a tendency to go hard with age and heat cycling and then split from the balance ring. Also check the condition of the engine mounts.
I replaced the engine mounts too, I forgot to add.I didn't know the car had a harmonic balancer on it but although the idle is a little lumpy there is very and the car (400HC) drives with very little shunting and quite smoothly, engine wise.
The only bushes I didn't change were those on the diff and those on the gearbox, even though I dropped the diff as they had been done about 10,000 miles ago and I really didn't have the right tools to get that top one out.
I haven't eliminated anything yet entirely, I want to get under it again for peace of mind really, just check the bolts, possibly loosen the bobbin bolts a bit, and check once again the bolts holding the prop to the diff as I did those up as tight as I could but without a torque wrench.
jazzdude said:
I live quite near Akrotiri in Limassol so pm me when you get here.
Sorry to go off topic Jazz, seems your elimating the easy and some obvious symptoms spotted by the p'heds faithful hope it is an easy fix. I will PM you when l arrive , TVR'S and a beer in Limassol in the sunshine . Just so I can plan ahead for tomorrow, can someone tell me if I need to drop the exhaust to get at the bolts connecting the prop and the diff, to re torque them if need be?
Also how tight should the 'bobbins' on the exhaust tray be? I remember doing them up and the nut just kept going and going while the brand new bobbins just became pancakes. I slacked them off but not to a pre described point.
Also how tight should the 'bobbins' on the exhaust tray be? I remember doing them up and the nut just kept going and going while the brand new bobbins just became pancakes. I slacked them off but not to a pre described point.
Yes, the exhaust will have to come off.
Just use common sense when tightening the bolts through the rubber mountings. You just need to have it tight but allowing the rubber bushes to do their work.
Without reading through the whole thread, if you have any sort of vibration through the steering wheel it seems that this may well be down to the wheel and tyre combination. Have you tried swapping the fronts to the rear?
Just use common sense when tightening the bolts through the rubber mountings. You just need to have it tight but allowing the rubber bushes to do their work.
Without reading through the whole thread, if you have any sort of vibration through the steering wheel it seems that this may well be down to the wheel and tyre combination. Have you tried swapping the fronts to the rear?
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