Help with wheel wobble if you can....

[marketdrayton]

OK, so my symptoms started last week when alternator workshop piped up on the dash for all of 1 minute. I pulled into a mates garage straight away add I was just passing. Turned it off. After a restart it never came back on. I then done 100 miles and during that drive I got a wheel wobble line a wheel was loose OR as if I was breaking with warped discs. I was at a steady 70. I checked the wheels and all was well. I drove on and the last few miles I was in twisty roads and even at 20mph there was a slight pulse (tugging) at the wheel. I asked at the alternator place and they basically relayed my issues back to me. Starter clutch on alternator was knackered. So swapped that out with OLD belt. Steeing unchanged. Ok, belt change. But it's STILL bloody doing it. Any thing else I need to replace that is aux belt area? Or anyone rectified the above?

Thanks.

[jimbof]

If your alternator clutch had been gone for a while, the tensioner may be shot too.

 

The tensioner is about £70 for the correct INA part.  It took me a bit over an hour I recall to swap them.  The tensioner only actually has a service life of 60,000 miles.

 

Some places are brutal with the impact driver when changing the pulley.  It should neither be removed nor installed with a power tool.  All it needs is the special spline key and a vice to do it safely.  

 

Have you checked that the new clutch pulley actually does the right thing?  With a non-metallic object and the engine off you should be able to carefully turn the alternator rotor only one way, the other way it should be locked.

[bigjohn]

OK, so my symptoms started last week when alternator workshop piped up on the dash for all of 1 minute. I pulled into a mates garage straight away add I was just passing. Turned it off. After a restart it never came back on. I then done 100 miles and during that drive I got a wheel wobble line a wheel was loose OR as if I was breaking with warped discs. I was at a steady 70. I checked the wheels and all was well. I drove on and the last few miles I was in twisty roads and even at 20mph there was a slight pulse (tugging) at the wheel. I asked at the alternator place and they basically relayed my issues back to me. Starter clutch on alternator was knackered. So swapped that out with OLD belt. Steeing unchanged. Ok, belt change. But it's STILL bloody doing it. Any thing else I need to replace that is aux belt area? Or anyone rectified the above?

Thanks.

 

Think wheel wobble is probably unrelated. You have probably thrown a balance weight. This suddenly happened to me and drove as you described .  I was nearly due a set of tyres so I had new ones fitted with valves and balancing - perfect afterwards. Getting your wheels balanced would be my recommendation 

Edited 1 December, 2015 by bigjohn

[marketdrayton]

Hmm. I will get that checked first and foremost but wood it be at various sleds and when on a slow bend? And it can be pretty vigorous. Cheapest option though!

Thanks

[bigjohn]

Hmm. I will get that checked first and foremost but wood it be at various sleds and when on a slow bend? And it can be pretty vigorous. Cheapest option though!

Thanks

 

I thought something was really broken on mine even at low speeds, like bent driveshaft etc. Wheel was really rocking.  New tyres/balance - perfect

[marketdrayton]

Jimbof, the time between light coming on and repair was literally one day/one hundred miles.

The pulley would make sense if it's not inducing as much force on the belt as required I would guess? A belt slipping would create the experience I am assuming? Just spoke with AudiTeknik and according to receptionist she has never heard of the issue....I did not get the option to speak to anyone technical unfortunately. Godly going to get someone to look into it and check wheels etc.

[jimbof]

If you have a bad pulley, pop the bonnet and watch what happens to the (already aged) tensioner as you turn the steering wheel to lock you might think it might not be too happy after running like that.   I changed mine as I figured it was already well past its expiry date.  When I took it off you could see it looked like it has spat out most whatever it had in it to start with.  How much of a hammering it took depends to an extent on what kind of driving you were doing - parking manoevers, turns seemed to aggravate mine more than just running it in a straight line.

 

In my situation I changed it as it wasn't that expensive, it didn't look too healthy and it gave me some piece of mind against breaking down from losing my aux belt.   Not saying it is your issue, I'm no mechanic, and certainly not good enough to diagnose remotely...

 

By all means you should check the simple things first; for wheel wobbling, wheel balance would be my first thought (like a lost balance weight).  But if you're sure it only happened after doing your alternator pulley... well, that is a fairly big coincidence.

[marketdrayton]

Ok, so car has been to garage and diagnosed with no idea until it gets worse as it can't be replicated.

Went to the alternator place, and the guy seems to think that it simply is a coincidence on timing. Suggested a new rack would be the sensible way to go. A bitch to fit?

 

Oh well. Lets start with the expense....

[jimbof]

New rack?  Ouch, sounds like open wallet surgery to me...

[iob]

If I understood correctly and you are talking about steering rack, that's a bitch to fit (gearbox off) and a **** to buy new (reconditioned ZF ~ 500 Euro, new one almost double).

A gross check can be done while engine running, quick/short turns of the wheel left-right and if you feel / hear some knock sounds, might be a culprit... Any leakage of steering fluid noticed? Level ok in the vessel?

I would check these before heading out for an expensive operation like replacing the steering rack...

Trimis de pe al meu D5803 folosind Tapatalk

[iob]

Wow, just saw that sh_t is considered worse than bitch in terms of slang... Funny thing...

Trimis de pe al meu D5803 folosind Tapatalk

[bigjohn]

Ok, so car has been to garage and diagnosed with no idea until it gets worse as it can't be replicated.

Went to the alternator place, and the guy seems to think that it simply is a coincidence on timing. Suggested a new rack would be the sensible way to go. A bitch to fit?

 

Oh well. Lets start with the expense....

 

New rack  - Please just balance the wheels first!!!!!!!!!

 

You need to be sure that it is the rack, if I was a betting man I'd put a few pounds on a bet that it wasn't. Racks don't suddenly break (usually start leaking or slightly knocking first)  but balance weights do just drop off though

Edited 3 December, 2015 by bigjohn

[marketdrayton]

Hmmm. Thanks for the replies.

So, I have (hopefully) found the issue. At my expense.

NS CV Joint started clicking very quietly in the last day. This morning got louder and louder and within 50 miles parted company. But, the steering did have a really mad 15 minutes. So, new shaft fitted (peace of mind). A long drive will determine if it is issue resolved. Hopefully so.

PS. No fluid loss, leaks etc.

 

I will report back once it has a few miles on it which won't take long!!

[jimbof]

Nice one, my O/S front is starting to click on full lock so need to get it sorted.  Have a spare old driveshaft in the garage I will get put on.

[bigjohn]

Hmmm. Thanks for the replies.

So, I have (hopefully) found the issue. At my expense.

NS CV Joint started clicking very quietly in the last day. This morning got louder and louder and within 50 miles parted company. But, the steering did have a really mad 15 minutes. So, new shaft fitted (peace of mind). A long drive will determine if it is issue resolved. Hopefully so.

PS. No fluid loss, leaks etc.

 

I will report back once it has a few miles on it which won't take long!!

 

Wow, that's a catastrophic failure - I've never had one part company before!

Edited 4 December, 2015 by bigjohn

[marketdrayton]

Lol. I have never had one give up totally. Normally click for ages I thought?

Going to put a few more miles on her tomorrow so will hopefully prove successful.