Technical Steering Wheel Vibration

[Ducatoman24]

2007 Fiat Ducato conversion: I get slight vibration/Side to side move ment on the steering wheel when acceleration/at low speeds, passed MOT but asked garage to check and found no major issue apart from a bulge in the inside of the drivers tyre. New tyre fitted and garage told me it was sorted how ever still getting some vibration from the steering wheel.

Any ideas what it may be or is steering wheel vibration common on older vans?

Cheers

 

[bugsymike]

2007 Fiat Ducato conversion: I get slight vibration/Side to side move ment on the steering wheel when acceleration/at low speeds, passed MOT but asked garage to check and found no major issue apart from a bulge in the inside of the drivers tyre. New tyre fitted and garage told me it was sorted how ever still getting some vibration from the steering wheel.

Any ideas what it may be or is steering wheel vibration common on older vans?

Cheers

Vibration shouldn't be common on any age of vehicle.
The bulge in tyre can cause low speed vibration and steering wheel movement, but so can a damaged road wheel or hub if it is running out of true.
I would jack wheel off the ground, make sure you can turn the road wheels easily, then carefully set a marker point so that it is almost touching the wheel rim and gently turn the wheel by hand whilst noticing if the wheel rim gets closer or further away from your marker point.
You are checking the wheel rim but even though one tyre has been changed it may still be advisable to see if any "run out " on tyres also.
If it was on braking it is not unusual to have a brake disc warped and can be felt through the brake pedal , often as slowing from around 60mph to a roundabout as a shudder, but you say on accelerating so not that.
Another cause can be if work has been done on the front driveshafts recently, say CV boots or joints, but badly done.

 

[Ducatoman24]

Vibration shouldn't be common on any age of vehicle.
The bulge in tyre can cause low speed vibration and steering wheel movement, but so can a damaged road wheel or hub if it is running out of true.
I would jack wheel off the ground, make sure you can turn the road wheels easily, then carefully set a marker point so that it is almost touching the wheel rim and gently turn the wheel by hand whilst noticing if the wheel rim gets closer or further away from your marker point.
You are checking the wheel rim but even though one tyre has been changed it may still be advisable to see if any "run out " on tyres also.
If it was on braking it is not unusual to have a brake disc warped and can be felt through the brake pedal , often as slowing from around 60mph to a roundabout as a shudder, but you say on accelerating so not that.
Another cause can be if work has been done on the front driveshafts recently, say CV boots or joints, but badly done.

Hi, Thanks for the reply. Just a bit miffed the garage has sent me away with the issue still present!
Can rear tyres also cause vibration or should I focus solely on the front?
It is defiantly in low speed/accelerating and dont seem to notices it at higher speeds.
Cheers

 

[bugsymike]

If you can feel it through the steering then look at the front end.
Apart from any "run out" on wheels or tyres, when turning the front wheels is there any uneveness on one side when compared to the other as this may point to what I mentioned about a CV joint or driveshaft issue.
Re the garage unless you go out on roadtest with them they may not have realised what you meant exactly, did your message get to the mechanic doing the job or was it just reception passing on a message about a vibration the the service manager and then to the mechanic.

 

[airwave]

As it appears to be low speed vibration , how about wheel balance . Were the wheels balanced when the tyre was replaced . Personally i would have both checked , a balance weight may have fallen off .

 

[bugsymike]

As it appears to be low speed vibration , how about wheel balance . Were the wheels balanced when the tyre was replaced . Personally i would have both checked , a balance weight may have fallen off .

Not impossible , but generally wheel balance issues are noticed above 40mph roughly although the bigger the wheel the more effect.

 

[airwave]

Not impossible , but generally wheel balance issues are noticed above 40mph roughly although the bigger the wheel the more effect.

Yep totally agree , however i would still advise checking this first , as the cost is relatively low compared to other suggestions . I once brought a car that seemed to limp down the road , and i kid you not . It turned out to be a bulge in the tread . The back end seemed to jump as the wheel rotated .

My question would be , were the wheel balanced ? . Most places do it automatically , but there are some who don't .