Hi guys,

I just bought an '83 with Torq Thrust 2 17s (see pic in my profile). I had a wheel alignment done and took it for a long drive. I noticed that every 20 seconds or so it would start vibrating slightly for about 20 seconds, then fade away for 20 seconds then start again etc.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Dave

What speed(s)? Do you feel it thru the steering wheel or in the seat of your pants?

8) I take it it's not a Goodvibes-ration? :lol:

Sure sounds like tire balance, Dave. Answers to Mrapii's questions will probably support this theory. Johnny that was bad :-P

You can feel it thru the wheel, and I can tell when its doing it because the rear window seal must be a bit loose on the passenger side because it starts up a really annoying and loud squeak when the vibration is happening. I thought at first the squeak was the spare tyre rubbing against the tray, but putting the spare in the tray didn't solve it, and pressing hard on the back window stops it. Another thing to fix... and soon!

I will try getting the wheels balanced. Usually though when the wheels are unbalanced its a continous vibration in my experience. Its the way its going in and out of phase thats got me confused...

Thanks for the replies guys...

:-)

Have you taken a look underneath the front end to inspect the steering system? Perhaps the previous owner did not keep up with lubing the steering components. I have similar symptoms in my Elco as you do, and I know that I need to replace the idler arm and center link due to poor maintenance by the previous owner. If you don't know what you're looking for, you're probably better off taking it to an alignment shop and having them inspect all the steering components. Good luck!

Thanks k5_cruiser.

The suspension could be the problem, its pretty bouncy at the moment and is a high priority to fix. I've scanned some of the other forum threads about suspension and will try and get some bushing kits etc shipped over here for an overhall.

Think I'll try a wheel balance first, and if that doesn't solve it, get the garage to check over the suspension.

Thanks again,

Dave

Driveshaft lost a balancing weight

Might be trickier than I first thought....

I hope it is something simple. Often these kinds of faults are a nightmare track down.

Thanks. Will add 'drivetrain' to my list.

That kind of vibration can be caused by two different sizes of tires,a minor imbalance of two tires that get in time with each other, then as they rotate out of synch they smooth out, then back in. Even tread patterns can do it, but to tune in and out, they pretty much have to be different diameters.

Pope, what you say about two out of balance tires with different diameters. Would the vibration be speed relevant or completely random?
Never ran across this type of problem but like to note it for possible future use. I worked for car manufacturers and dealers for many years and NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) were sometimes the most difficult problems especially since one-man's-squeek was another's I-don't-hear-anything.

That kind of vibration can be caused by two different sizes of tires,a minor imbalance of two tires that get in time with each other, then as they rotate out of synch they smooth out, then back in. Even tread patterns can do it, but to tune in and out, they pretty much have to be different diameters.
two different size tires would not do it, the tires would be rotating at different speeds all the time, so they would never be in the same phase or frequency. But a driveshaft would always be change phase due to transmission shifting, I think, what ya'll think

8) A friend of mine just went thriugh this it ended up being that they did not put centering rings on it when they did it went away.

Thanks guys. The ute is *still* in the auto-electricians having a host of small things fixed, a huge alarm and some xeon headlights added. They just discovered that the radiator core is shot and I need a new one.

Grrrrr don't you hate it when you find this kind of stuff *after* you buy the vehicle???

Mrmeno, put the centering on what??? The driveshaft? sorry for the ignorance, this is the first time I have attempted to restore an older vehicle.

:-)

Don't feel bad Stan, I don't know what "centering rings on it" are/is either. MrMeno?

8) The centering rings Mrmino78 was referring to are used with aftermarket wheels. Stock wheels fit the hubs. Most aftermarket wheels have centers that are larger than the hub size due to being universal. The rings would be size specific for your hubs and wheels. If the lug holes are slightly oversized the wheel could be a little off center when the lugs are tightened. The rings make sure the wheels once tightened are centered. :cool:

Ahhhh *makes sound of light being switched on*.

Thanks for that explanation papa johns. Another thing to check, if my elky ever gets out of the auto electricians...

Well did you figure it out? what was the problem, inquirering minds want to know

One day my elky will make its way out of the auto electricians. I have been busy running around town getting my Afco aluminium racing radiator and new aluminium gearbox oil cooler modified to fit (a pain in the ass, but strangely satisfying at the same time).

I also heard yesterday that the guy who is fixing the fuel flow thingy that goes in the fuel tank, is still waiting for parts. This is worthwhile as my fuel gauge reads 100% full right up until the tank is about 95% empty, when it does a sudden swing to show 100% empty.

Its not so much a fuel gauge as a 'you are about to run out of fuel' gauge.

The vibration problem is next , I promise...

Dave
(ps Flaminmeano, any top tips you have about sticking a blown and stroked 350 in my elky would be appreciated as you appear to have gone down that road already. If you ever wanna sell the motor complete with blower, let me know....)

All right!

Sorry about the delay in getting back to this thread. Had to wait 3 weeks for a fuel sender to arrive from the States so we could get the fuel guage working and then it was the oil pressure etc etc etc.

Finally got my elky into the Suspension/Tire place yesterday and it turns out that the problem was...

water in the front tires! The Torq Thrust 2's needed balancing slightly, but whoever filled the tires up must have had some water in the air pump. Apparently the water spreads itself evenly around the inside of the tires and then after a while ends back up in one pool somehow inside the tire and then gradually spreads around the inside evenly again etc etc.

Unbeleiveable LOL. After *all* that! Thanks for all the posts guys.

Dave

Friend had a similar problem with Uniroyal "Nail Gard" tires. The rubber vulcanizing compound they place inside the tire to seal a puncture would shift in the hot weather causing an imbalance and vibration, he'd get the tires balanced and a few days later the same thing. Put on a set of Michelin's and problem gone.

Mrapii Just because you have never heard of centering rings you think you know everythig. Check with your local tire store the centering rings go in the center of your wheel by the dust sheild to keep the wheel centered.

8O mrmeno78! Where did that come from? 8O
8) Mrapii was just deferring back to you for an explanation of what they were. There was nothing implying he knew it all in the post. :?

^ Ditto. For the record, I worked in the car buisness for many years and was not familar with the term either.

Aftermarket wheels frequently have large hub diameters so they fit multiple applications. Factory wheel are a pretty close fit to the hub, so they stay on center. Centering rings are small rings that are used to adapt the larger diameter of the aftermarket wheel to the vehicle's hub, so the wheels run true. The random vibration that is being described may well be wheel balance. A correct balance corrects both dynamic and static imbalance by putting weights both on the inside and outside of the tire. If the weights are all on the inside, the balance will be correct at low speed, but as the rotational speed of the wheel increases, the dynamic imbalance will get worse and worse. No two tires are exactly the same diameter and as we drive, each wheel turns at a slightly different overal speed because of curves in the road. As such , even a minor static imbalance can go in and out of phase, where it becomes pronounced and then fades away. The easiest fix here is to verify that the tires are correctly balanced and don't compromise weight placement for appearance. Put the best balanced tires on the front and the problem will probably go away.

yeah my resently bought a 83 has the problem around 30-35 mph starts to get wut u could call speed wobbles ive allined/had tires balanced and today i replace every thing from the spindle forward still haveing the same problem