General Funny bounce whilst driving

[Skyperr]

My 1.3 GP Mjet has a very unusual problem.

The car seems to bounce a little on the left side over very slight bumps between 35 and 45 mph. The ride when faster is ok though.

The car recently passed its Irish NCT (MOT) test without problems. The drop links are fine, and the shock absorbers feel ok and there's no imbalance between the two shocks on the same axle. From memory, the test of each shocks showed around 37mm of travel. This bounce problem has been ongoing for some time. The car has had its gearbox and nearside driveshaft replaced (other issues not related to this fault) but the bounce fault persists. It also has 4 new tyres fitted. The wheels are all true and balanced perfectly. The tracking is spot on and the car doesn't pull to either side.

What I have noticed is this: if you jack the nearside wheel off the ground and spin in gear, there is a slight vibration from that side and it sounds a little "growley" when spinning. Offside is ok. I would blame a problem with the driveshaft but that was replaced as the original had wear in its inner joint. The fault has persisted though after its replacement.

Is it possible that a problem with the hub or wheel bearing could cause this? There's no noticeable noise from it when on the move, and no play when shaken.

Could a strut top bearing cause this? There's no noise or clonking from it?

At this rate, I'll be getting hair restorer very shortly....

 

[georgios1976]

I would suggest wheel bearing failure but you have already suspected that... What's your mileage? I found my GP is riding a lot harder than it used to, hence after 113k miles I deciced to replace all four coils and springs with Kayaba (KYB) parts. I had used Kayaba on my Tipo 9 years ago and remember it had massively improved the ride and handling characteristics of the car.

 

[Skyperr]

I would suggest wheel bearing failure but you have already suspected that... What's your mileage? I found my GP is riding a lot harder than it used to, hence after 113k miles I deciced to replace all four coils and springs with Kayaba (KYB) parts. I had used Kayaba on my Tipo 9 years ago and remember it had massively improved the ride and handling characteristics of the car.

There's only 53K on the car. There is a slight growl from the (problematic) nearside that is absent from the drivers side. A new bearing is only €35 so will replace it as it's the only moving part in this chain that hasn't already been swapped or replaced.

I do feel that even though the shocks passed the suspension test, I get the feeling they are passed their best. The previous sole owner lived in the middle of nowhere with roads that were below par. No doubt that 5 years and 45k of miles may well have taken their toll.

Finally, just checked KYB shocks and can get them for €53 each for front and €44 for the rear. These are the cheapest brand listed. Sachs and Monroe are also listed and a bit more expensive - would I not be better off investing in these if I decided to change?

 

[georgios1976]

It all depends as to what is the end result of the modification and how much money you are prepared to spend on the car. Personally, I decided to keep the ride height intact and went for KYB because I had used them in the past, and because they are made in Japan, and because they worked out cheaper than using Fiat parts! I am sure however that other brands will be just as good with KYB... decisions, decisions... If I were you, I'd ask for advice from a trustworthy source and take it from there. I can only tell you that KYB transformed my Tipo's driving characteristicis and that is why I am using them again on my Grande Punto.

 

[varesecrazy]

KYB, are OE on lots of Japanes vehicles,
they are just not a BIG brand here,
so you are NOT paying for the name,
Charlie

 

[Skyperr]

I've decided to resurrect this thread because some progress and setbacks....

We found that there was some eccentricity in the nearside hub which was replaced a few weeks back along with a new wheel bearing. This provided initial relief to the ride but in the last few days, things went drastically downhill.

The new hub has started to hum slightly and I'm beginning to wonder if the bearing is duff. To make matters worse, the replaced nearside driveshaft also appears to be in trouble. I supported the nearside on an axle stand, removed the road wheel, and jacked up the wishbone to lift the shaft and hub into a position similar as if it were level on the road. The noise from the inner joint area was considerable during a low speed spin in-gear and examination of it when stationary showed a lot on play in the joint with the shaft able to move in and out of its cup by a few mm. Do these inner join cups and spiders drives give much trouble, and are they prone to wear?

 

[Skyperr]

Spent a good chunk of this afternoon looking at this and it appears that the inner joint is in trouble. A lot of play.

Can someone confirm if the cups are available from Fiat?

 

[Skyperr]

Anybody....?