I have an S-reg 1.3 Felly and it has a bad vibration under power in the higher 3 gears. accellerating from 50+ is worst, but the vibration disappears at a constant speed.

It's not tyres (both balance & alignment have been done).

Doesn't seem to be shocks (soft, but seem fine).

Any ideas / similar experiences? Advice much appreciated before I have to pay for the problem to be found.

Tyre pressures?

Does the vibration go if you step off the accelerator or put the clutch down?

Tyre pressures are fine. Vibration goes if on a constant throttle (cruise) or if you lift off / put clutch in.

Engine mounting loose, worn or broken.

Is the vibration "lumpy" or "smooth"?

Is it constant with engine speed or road speed?

Is it the car that vibrates or the steering wheel/controls?

Do you feel it through the gear lever more?

Is the car handling affected by the vibration?

Re-reading the symptoms, it could be the vibration damper on the long (offside) drive shaft missing.

You'll know if it's the wheels tracking etc as the steering will shudder.

I stuck alloys (we got a free old - from a 1981 Cavalier- set off a friend) on my Astra but because the tyres were old and not balanced it sent vibtations through the steering wheel which worsened as you sped up.

This was cured by having new tyres fitted.

Anything else is out of my depth.

Engine mounting loose, worn or broken.

Is the vibration "lumpy" or "smooth"?

Is it constant with engine speed or road speed?

Is it the car that vibrates or the steering wheel/controls?

Do you feel it through the gear lever more?

Is the car handling affected by the vibration?

Re-reading the symptoms, it could be the vibration damper on the long (offside) drive shaft missing.

Thanks for the reply.

I can't tell the difference between lumpy or smooth vibes!

Consistent with road speed, ie: appears to get worse the faster you go / harder you accellerate, but also gets worse the higher the revs.

It is the car - the steering wheel is almost totally unaffected.

Never been able to see the gear lever in the middle of all the vibes, so can't tell.

Handling is affected - went around a corner under revs and fullbore accelleration and it felt like the wheels were going to drop off.

A damper missing from the driveshaft could be a possibility. I didn't know it had one. What does it look like and where is it normally found?

Basically, it's a "bigger" bit of the drive shaft, like if you stick a hula-hoop over a pencil. Jack the car up with the wheels in the full left lock position & check the shaft that runs between the hub & gear-box. If there's a clean bit or you cannot see the damper then it's missing.

Keep your hand on the gear lever when you accelerate or when the vibration is worst.

As the vibration progresses with vehicle speed rather than with engine speed, it's more likely to be gear-box, driveshaft or wheel related.

It could also possibly be a wheel bearing. While you're out there jacking the car up, put one hand on top of the wheel & the other underneath the wheel & push/pull the wheel from top to bottom. If any of them move or have a little thumping feel to them, then the wheel bearing needs adjusting or replacing.

Thanks for all this info. When the heavens close again and I can do it without swimming out there, I'll have a look.

Sounds to me like a driveshaft fault, probably the inner CV joint.

Sounds to me like a driveshaft fault, probably the inner CV joint.

That's what I thought too, but do you think I can find replacements anywhere??!! No chance. A VW specialist quoted me £200 + VAT for replacement driveshafts, + labour of course. While I am sure these are ballpark prices for these parts, it does seem a bit steep.

If anyone can give me a clue as to where to go for new inner CV joints, that would be much appreciated.

Outers are available for a steal off ebay, but inners seem to be up there with hen's teeth.

Give this guy a buzz eBay UK Shop - Jorily Skoda: Estelle Rapid, Favorit, Felicia although I think he is moving house soon so may be busy. It's also worth calling a Skoda dealer's parts department first so you have a price to beat.

I had it up on a ramp yesterday with 2 very nice chaps poling and prodding. The most obvious thing is an engine mounting / stabiliser rubber at the bottom of the motor, near the gearbox. That seems to be knackered - there's a lot of movement on it when jiggled with a crowbar. We'll start with that and see where we go from there. Does this ring any bells with anyone?

that lower mount on mine is almost flat (lowered car, speed bumps. you get the picture) and its never made it shudded.

mind you... bashing its head in all the time might have kept the rubber tight!!!!!!!!!!!!

As the vibration damper would appear to still be there (you don't mention it's missing) I'll go back to my original post "Engine mounting loose, worn or broken"

As the vibration damper would appear to still be there (you don't mention it's missing) I'll go back to my original post "Engine mounting loose, worn or broken"

Thanks chap. Spot on for initial diagnosis. The large polo mint is still on the stick thing next to the wheel, so I assume all is OK with that. I hope this is the answer as it will be a LOT cheaper than the cv's.:goodvibe:

Update: I had the mount thingy replaced this afternoon and it made no difference! Darn!! Next on the agenda is replacing the driveshafts - hopefully in the next couple of days. This had better cure the problem or I am going to be out of pocket and still have to find money for new wheels, tyres, etc.

There's a thread in the Tech bit with a link to this site. You may get a better grasp on the situation from: Front-Wheel Drive Training Software

HTH