Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Andyv6 on 09 September 2014, 20:27:27
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Hi boys and girls this old omega is playing up again, but it's a odd pulling under braking first pulls to the left then as you brake harder it pulls to the right then goes straight only thing I've been able to find upto yet is one of the calliper slides was seized freed it off and regreased it all good all pistons on front and rear brakes move free no pads sticking no air in system recently changed the fluid with pressure bleeder still the same.
I'm thinking master cylinder but have never had one fail before anyone had anything like this before ?
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Change the wishbones/rear bush :y classic knackered rear bush...
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Front wishbones replaced as bushes and ball joints worn will have a look at the rear bushes this weekend thanks for the reply.
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Front wishbones replaced as bushes and ball joints worn will have a look at the rear bushes this weekend thanks for the reply.
Rear or vertical bush on the front wishbones...
What were the wishbones replaced with/who by/how long ago?
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I replaced them about 3 weeks ago now replaced the complete wishbone as couldn't be arsed with changing individual bushes and ball joints, sure they were lemforder ones will have to check to be 100% it did have some cheepies on there they cost around 30 quid a side and only lasted 18 month so decided to fork out decent cash on them see how long they last.
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Were the bolts tightened with the wheels on the ground as per the guide?
Tother possible culprits would be the track rods or steering idler, but symptoms are classic bush failure...
A rough guide to check what's what... (http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90438.0) :y
And a bit more detail (http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90492.0) :y
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Check steering idler for Vertical play. Play is bad. Must be solid.
Easy to do. Pas side front wheel. Hold at 3 and 9 o'clock, and wiggle in and out on the steering axis as if checking a wheel bearing for play. But as you do so, watch the steering idler forward joint through the rear if the wheel arch. Give it loads of welly, no need to jack the car. If there is play that joint will move up and down, allowing the pas side road wheel to move independently of the rest of the steering and the drivers side wheel.
If ok, then double check rearward wishbone bushes. The symptoms you describe sound like play between the two parallel lines(very simplistic description) of the steering linkage and or the wishbones and subframe.
Wishbones and subframe do the suspension, steering linkage does the sterring obviously. To work correctly they must move without play in a parallelogram pivoting type motion, or the steering will almost do what it wants.
Something is not tight with those linkages or bushes somewhere. Your mission is to find it. :)
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Right checked all at the front again and all is good no play in any steering joints or bushes and only thing I can find at the rear of the vehicle is the large bushes in the rear beam are starting to sepperate slightly but there is no noticeable play in them.
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Brakes hot or cold when this happens ?
Possible corrosion on the inside of the discs causing uneven bite :-\
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Binding caliper would cause a consistant pull to one side... random steering under braking is classic failed bush or balljoint :y
Rear subframe bushes only make the back end soggy if you press on through the twisties...
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When al said about checking rearward bushes I think he meant the bushes at the rear of the front wishbone. . . . Not the back of the car. Sorry if you already knew that.
:y
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Right checked all at the front again and all is good no play in any steering joints or bushes and only thing I can find at the rear of the vehicle is the large bushes in the rear beam are starting to sepperate slightly but there is no noticeable play in them.
What sensation are you getting through the steering wheel?
Specifically;
does the car vear off with no sensation of a pull on the steering wheel? Then you steer the car to keep it straight.
Or, does the steering wheel pull to one side, or other, and you pull it back straight fighting the pull.
Or, does the steering wheel twist in your hands as you brake. But the car still goes sort of straight if you allow the the steering wheel to move as it wants. But hold it still and the car heads off where ever it wants?
Sounds all the same but the causes are quite different.
Does the car steer from the rear? This gives no sensation of the car turning through the steering wheel what so ever, other than you have to steer as normal to get it straight again. But you can feel the rear of the car moving around.
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At normal speeds 30mph when you apply the brakes it pulls to the left steering wheel also turns slightly to the left as you apply the brakes more it then pulls right steering wheel also pulls to the right brakes still being applied it will then go straight.
At motorway speeds it does the same but more violent and you have to grip the steering wheel to keep it straight.
In the bends it's sound rear doesn't wonder at all under acceleration and cruising it's sound just when you touch the brakes.
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Summat is amiss with the bushes/ball joints of the front suspension...
Again...
What wishbones were used?
Who fitted them?
Who set the geometry afterwards?
Ignore the first two questions provided they were fitted as per the guide. Lately lemforders bush quality has nosedived...
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At normal speeds 30mph when you apply the brakes it pulls to the left steering wheel also turns slightly to the left as you apply the brakes more it then pulls right steering wheel also pulls to the right brakes still being applied it will then go straight.
At motorway speeds it does the same but more violent and you have to grip the steering wheel to keep it straight.
In the bends it's sound rear doesn't wonder at all under acceleration and cruising it's sound just when you touch the brakes.
does sound like front wishbone rearward bush(es)
When did the problems start and when where the wishbones changed?
What was fitted?
Was the car up on a ramp when fitted? Did they tighten the bolts wheels loaded?
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Lemforder arms were fitted
Arms fitted by me
Wheel alignment done on a hunter hawk eye by me
Yes arms were fitted on a ramp then tightened on the 4 wheel alignment ramp
It started pulling in June / July gradually getting worse
Wishbones replaced around 3 weeks ago
Had a look at the print out from the brake test when I moted it in May and there was only a 11% imbalance will have to get it back to work this weekend and drop it in the brake rollers again and see if it has changed any.
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11% sounds alot :-\
Mine's always bang on the same side to side...
PS wish I could MoT my own cars :o didn't know that was allowed...
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The 11% was off just 1 test if I did a few brake tests and did an average it would be lower I can drop a new car in them and get a higher imbalance.
But that was also with the one calliper slide sticking on the o/s/f.
And yea no rule to testing your own car it is slightly frowned upon due to some testers being more lenient towards there own cars but I treat every car the same if it has a fault I can fail it on I do fail it.
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When I had this problem with my old Omega it turned out to be the rear bush of the wishbone, the wishbones were not that old, under normal checks everything seemed fine, but with the car on the ground and steering on full lock rocking it back and fore showed the rear wishbone bush moving in and out with a fair amount of play.
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11% would be accounted for by a sticking calliper, no? Which you said was sorted but made no odds....?
IMO, whip the front wheels off and check the rearward bushes with a torch. Take and post pics if even remotely unsure.