Is it possible for a failing centre bearing to cause vibration when cold but disappear once driven for a while. The vibration doesn't seem to be from the front wheels although there is vibration through the steering wheel. I only notice it when I first start driving.
I changed the center bearing on the convertible and had this happen afterwards. Vibrations when cold, then they mostly went away. Worst between 40-60 kph. A one piece tailshaft has made it perfect.
I used to have a similar problem. It turned out to be that the o2 was dead on one side, this caused bad vibration because the load was different between cylinders. It fixed it self when the car was over a certian rpm
There's a lot of moving parts, With the risk of going against the tide, from my very expensive recent experience, a one piece tail shaft doesn't necessary fix all problems. The vibration may be from the tailshaft centre bearing, but in a car that has been around for a while, other areas could also produce vibration. For example, a rear bearing of the gear box, or a worn rear gearbox mount, a bearing in the differential, even a worn engine mount could cause vibration, but uni-joints are also an obvious culprit. I know a lot of vehicles have had a similar problem fixed by a one piece tail shaft, but if you search through previous threads you will also see there are a lot of vehicles with persistent problems even after changing to a one piece tail shaft - I've recently been down that path myself. But I have to admit - there seems to be a lot with a similar problem fixed with a one-piece - I've just mentioned my own experience to illustrate everything is not necessarily black and white.
Thanks guys. Your comments and my searching show that this could be from a number of causes. The fact that the vibration goes away (or is not noticeable) when warmed up must give a bit of a clue. Its not such an issue just yet, so I might let it get worse before trying to pin-point it further.
It's very common for this vibration to go away when warmed up. This is due to the rubber "doughnut" surrounding the centre bearing having become hard(caused by age) and softening when hot(during use). This vibration will gradually become more noticeable as time progresses and the softening effect of the rubber decreases. It's time to replace the centre bearing.:zlove:
Mine had the occasional vibe with the old bearing then I replaced it. After that it was awful until well and truly warm. The harder I drove the smoother it got. I put it down to heating of the uni's.
Chilli could be on the money , also consider its winter and if ur car sits overnight the tyres could also be the culprit Trev
Hey Trev. Not sure if my car sits all night. Once I turn out the lights in the garage who knows what she gets up to . Seriously though, I did wonder whether it could be the tyres. I guess I could jack up the front end over night to see if there is a difference the next morning. If there is no difference then we are back to the tailshaft centre bearing (my best guess) or the uni joints. Thanks for your input guys :zlove:
yeah they get cold and stiff and become slightly out of round goes away after about 5mins of driving and ur tires heat up Sometimes if u get below freezing weather (not brissie) and ur tyres have a lot of condensation in them u will actually have ice form on the bottom inside the tire trust me you will know when that happens But yeh jack it up overnight let it down the next morning and report back with the results :zlove: Rgrds Trev
