Spitfire2500 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 FFS, I really thought all four of them were :oSomething's not right methinks. Started with a bit of wobbly vibration driving the Saloon home on Friday afternoon, nothing too bad, but driving into work this morning I seriously thought all four wheels were about to fall off. Made it to work and set about pulling and pushing all four wheels and bouncing all four corners up and down and there's nothing obviously wrong.It was even worse on the way home so I tried to not to go above 40mph but even then it was like driving on cobbles all the way along the M8 from Livingston to Edinburgh. The thing was seriously vibrating. Steering wheel, the seats, things in the boot, the driver were all getting a serious hammering.It's difficult to tell cause there's no noise to indicate that anything's died -- but it does seem to be coming from the front of the car, but I'm not 100% sure to be honest.Going to have to lay it up for a week or so cause I'm going under the knife tomorrow for some minor slicing. Any glaringly obvious suspects for when I start to poke about. I will check the easy and obvious stuff like wheel balance etc, but I've never known wheels to be this much off balance. There's always a first time I suppose... ;D ::)Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick B. Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Quick guess would be UJs or drivetrain rubbermounts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Nick_B. wrote:Quick guess would be UJs or drivetrain rubbermountsI'm wondering about prop UJs, or the prop balance. There has been a very slight vibration present for months at speed but I've never been able to trace it. I think it's just gone nuclear... ;DThe G/B and engine mounts are the Chris Witor OE (expensive!) ones and are only about six months old. I'm certain they're OK cause the engine and gearbox appear to be vibrating along with the rest of the car -- the exhaust certainly isn't rattling off anything at all the way it did with the old knackered 30-year-old collapsed mounts... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Not a collapsed wheel bearing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanChatterton Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Prop Uj, most likely the front one............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 It's the tyres.Got the Saloon up on axle stands and ran the engine. Prop and diff etc OK (bit of play in the diff but nothing out of the ordinary). Prop doesn't look pretty but I haven't been able to feel any play at all in either of the UJs and it runs true.Then I noticed that the rear O/S tyre is egg shaped >:( as is the N/S rear tyre :o Both have pretty big bulges in one spot in the tread area. Haven't changed the wheels or tyres since I got the car from the PO fourteen months ago and before that it had sat in his garage for four or fives years without moving. I suspect the flat spots where it had been sitting during that time have weakened and are in the process of blowing out...The (steel) wheels are pretty shoddy -- I can hear loose rust falling around inside the O/S front wheel when I spin it by hand.So new wheels and tyres required. Was going to happen at some point anyway but I was hoping to hold out until the bodywork had been sorted -- no choice now but it's gonna knock the bodywork fund for six :o :-/Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valencia1 Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 glad you got it sorted before they let go altogether. you hear people say they would never buy second hand tyres, but we all do when we buy a used car that comes with them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 valencia1 wrote:glad you got it sorted before they let go altogetherI think I've maybe had a lucky escape... :oThe O/S rear is the worst. It's OK here:But not here:The tyre has nearly disintegrated where the bulge is:The N/S rear has exactly the same problem, only not quite so bad.Interestingly enough the fronts appear to be OK. The fronts are Uniroyal Rallyes (made in Germany) whereas the rears are Stomil (made in Poland). The Uniroyals are actually older than the Stomils :oFor safety's sake best to change all four of them.Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferny Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 You didn't change the tyres on a car which hadn't moved for 4-5 years? :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Sorbington Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 You were lucky there Bill. The standard tyres for my 2000 saloon cost about £44 each.It passed the MOT with the ancient tyres on which it had stood unused for ten years. They would develop flat spots overnight, and were just lethal. The difference on new tyres was unbelievable. The tyre fitter reckoned he hadn't seen such tyres since the early '80s.The estate currently needs four new tyres, I don't fancy driving fast or far on the ones which are fitted. Receipts show that the newest tyre was fitted in '95. I'm considering the alloy route for the estate. Black minilites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 ferny wrote:You didn't change the tyres on a car which hadn't moved for 4-5 years? :oNo -- I have to (obviously) admit that I didn't. But I did have them all off just after I got the car and checked them thoroughly then as I'm trying to minimise what I spend on the Saloon until the bodywork's been sorted. In retrospect it wasn't a good idea to leave the old tyres for over a year after that though ::)Lesson learned :-/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 sorbs wrote:I'm considering the alloy route for the estate. Black minilites?Ditto re alloys. I'm thinking about the 2500S/Stag style that Rimmer's do in grey/silver rather than the black/silver. My Saloon is white and I think they might suit it better than the OE-style silver/black ones.I'll need to figure out how much it's all going cost first. Was trying to avoid stuff like this until the bodywork had been sorted but I don't think I've got much of choice now :(At least the the engine oil change, gearbox oil change and a whole lot of other small jobs that need doing underneath are going to be a doddle while it's sitting up on the axle stands waiting for the new wheels and tyres :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkuser Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Is that tyre in the photo a retread?Tread lift is always a possibility if retreads are set up tubless due to previous damage.Always wise to fit tubes in retreads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 junkuser wrote:Is that tyre in the photo a retread?Don't know to be honest. As I mentioned above, both of the rear tyres that are failing are branded Stomil and were made in Poland. I've never heard of them before.Are there any marking that would confirm if they're remoulds or not?The Uniroyals on the front are definitely not retreads and they both look OK.Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkuser Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 On the shoulder of the tyre, where the tread rubber finishes, a retread has a continuous ridge or series of ridges which is rarely the case with a non retreaded tyre. On original tyres the shoulder tread pattern usually blends into the sidewall.Hope this makes sense.Fairly sure that tyre is a retread and the problem is tread lift rather than case failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share Posted February 13, 2008 Decided to keep the steel wheels for time being and replace the tyres only. Can get a set of four reasonable quality 175/80-R13 for about £100 which will do fine thank you very much :DMakes no sense to spend £500 odd quid on five alloys when that would more-or-less get the sills on one side done ::) When you look at the car it's obvious what it needs first and right now it's not a set of shiny alloy wheels :DIt will be interesting to see if I can keep my discipline on this one and do what really needs to be done in the right order -- bodywork, suspension overall, shiny wheels and tyres and only then an engine pep up -- and not do what I normally do and get sidetracked into tinkering with the engine and other sexy bits while the bodywork disintegrates around me ;D ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Sorbington Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Yeah, you gotta prioritise! I totally agree, solid bodywork is the key - shiny bits can follow.Looking good for being North of the border on Sat 23rd so maybe catch up then? I may even bring a Triumph!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share Posted February 13, 2008 sorbs wrote:Looking good for being North of the border on Sat 23rd so maybe catch up then? I may even bring a Triumph!!I'll definitely be around all that weekend -- working on the Saloon probably. (It's the weekend after that we're away Land Rovering in Argyll.)It you were to turn up in a Trumph you might be doing me a favour of sorts -- it might help convince the wife that I'm not the only one with a penchant for "old smelly cars" (her words not mine) ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Sorbington Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 A nice brown 2000 would convince anyone that Triumphs are great!! It smells of good stuff, like oil and petrol!I'll confirm nearer the time.Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 Well, life took an unexpected turn today :DWondered along to Chic Doig's after work to pick up a new O/D sump gasket for the Saloon and mentioned to Chic and Ian the problem with the rear tyres. A bit of chat followed -- with me saying I didn't want to spend a lot on this sort of stuff right now but also that I wasn't too keen on putting the steel wheels back on cause they're not in the best of condition. The end result of which was I came away with four secondhand wheels and tyres which had come off a Stag that Chic had taken in a while back.But they're not what you might think -- chrome Wellers anyone? (6J x 14) :o :D It'll be interesting to see what they look like on the car. I'm not sure to be honest :D But for the price I paid, which was less than the price for four of the cheapest 175/80-R13s I could get from Blackcircles I'm not complaining. Rims need a wee bit of tidying but they're not at all bad.BTW, pretty typical of what happens when I go to buy a £1.95 gasket -- I walk out with four wheels and tyres... ;D ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greeks Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Ha ha! I like that. Of course, you do realise that 'old car karma' also dictates that the first time that you drive the car with something spangly and wholly unnecessary on it something else essential to its working will break!... I'm thinking about either a MK1 2.5 PI or a beautiful dark green 1969 Alfa GTV 1750 at the moment - ergo. BOB is likely to suddenly start costing me a packet ;-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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