Hi - Any help would be much appreciated,
I have a 91 Polo GT 1.3 and about 800 miles ago changed the timing belt and fan belt and since then the car has picked up a problem. It has picked up a vibration - You can feel it about 50mph - If you go round a right bend it vibrates more - I would presume this is the left wheel bearing - Am I correct? Could this be to do with having the car on a single axle stand on the right while doing the timing belt? - This was due to the fact that I have got nervous with the passenger side as when you jack it up/put it on an axle stand the door becomes very stiff!!! Also when driving at between 60 and 70mph if you move the steering wheel slightly left or right there is a slight vibration - Only when you are moving the wheel though - If you hold it in that position it stops. Also I dont know if it is connected BUT the steering rack seems to have picked up a loud squeek occasionally when moving slowly (And turning) especially when parking. Do all the simptons point to the wheel bearing or that and the rack? Should I be very worried about the door becoming stiff when jacked up? And finally has any of this got anything to do with me changing the timing belt?
Anyway if you get through all that and have any ideas please let me know - It would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Stuart
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*Phew* 'War and Peace - the Polo Years' ;) Sounds like it's giving you the runabout! I'm not sure exactly what's causing this but there are a few things probably worth noting:
1. If you have a car up on one stand only, then the body will flex and the doors may come under abnormal stress. Door hinges generally become a bit droopy with age, which changes their alignment anyway so I wouldn't worry too much about that.
2. An axle stand will hardly place any pressure on the wheel bearing so that probably isn't the cause of any damage.
I'd try getting both wheels off the floor, grabbing the wheel with the suspected faulty bearing and rocking it top to bottom. See if you can detect any play. You might also want to give the track rods a pull while you're down there to see if there's any play on the ends. You can also tug the wheels left and right to try to detect any play on the rack. I can't remember if those have power steering or not, but if so you might want to check the belt condition and tension.
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Thanks will try that tonight - It does not have power steering - The groaning/squeeking seems to be coming from the rack - How do you know if they need replacing?
Hopefully it will be just a wheel bearing!!
Cheers
Stuart
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My experience of dodgy steering racks is small, but tends to fall into three categories:
1. The steering seems to wander around and there's play around the central position. Watch the front wheel as you reach through the window and turn the wheel gently left to right - you should see an instant response. This can also sometimes be detected by rocking the each wheel left to right with your hands, with both tyres off the floor.
2. The steering gets to a certain angle and then seems to hit a 'ledge' - it'll suddenly become harder to turn, or may even seem to stop prematurely on the way back to centre and need an increase in force to get there.
3. The whole feel becomes stodgy and dry. It's good to test this by getting the car up on stands, getting someone to turn the wheel left and right and listening out for rumbling or grating. Think twice before sticking your head under a car on stands though.. ;)
It might also be worth checking out the bushes in case one is loose or worn, and the steering is twisting it out of line or causing it to distort under pressure. Those can cause amazing squeaks at times :)
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I jacked up all four corners last night and checked for rumbling - The front right is silent when you spin it and there is no play, the front left is not silent but it sounds like the disc catches occasionally and there is no play. There was no play in the back wheels but I could not spin them because it was just jacked up and I thought it would be dangerous to release the handbrake.
I was reading in the Haynes manual that the bushes and ball joints cause vibrations if they are going on the front suspension and steering components. How do I fully check them - I must admit they do not look in good condition from the ones I had a brief look at but I dont really know what I am looking at - (I will put it on axle stands and have a good look at the weekend). Also the haynes manual seems to suggest that bushes going can cause the steering to stiffen up which could point towards the groaning which is going on from the rack.
Which bushes are most likely to do this and what exactly do I look for?
Thanks for any more help,
Stuart
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