Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Omegadoha, Desert Member on 04 January 2010, 16:56:40
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I have changed the link rods, steering idler and the shock absorbers and mounts. I thought the wandering was due to the steering idler but it is not. Is it worth changing the wishbones over? I changed the bushes last year, but could the ball joint be on the way out despite looking ok?
Also gave the track rod ends a good tug but they don't move. So other than the wishbones can it be anything else. Tyres are Continental 245 wide.
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Hi
Play in the steering box?
Alan
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It could be the tyres you run, the omega can be a touch sensitive to some brands of tyres, my estate was running michelin primacy pilots when i got it, but when i put pirelli p700 on it changed the handling quite a bit.
Tony at WIM changed the settings on the front and rear of the car and this helped no end, but it still a bit twitchy on some road surfaces even now. Hope this helps as you maynot have a problem with the car as such. Gary.
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does the wander coincide with a pull sensation through the steering wheel? or is it moving for no reason or with no sensation through the steering wheel, just constant correction to keep it straight?
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does the wander coincide with a pull sensation through the steering wheel? or is it moving for no reason or with no sensation through the steering wheel, just constant correction to keep it straight?
If there is a bit raised road marking perpendicular to the direction of travel like a stop line, then the steering will twitch in my hands slightly. If I'm changing lanes and I cross over the lane marking thenI feel the car sway slightly as I go over the marking.
When I experience dissimilar road surfaces then the car will wander according to the road surface type.
On falt surfaces it is fine, you can't tell.
it was the same symptoms on the cheaper tyres I had and has not gone away with the Continentals.
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try the idler pin number 14, that was problem with mine and sorted it out, had movement up and down just a bit now changed it no movment.
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does the wander coincide with a pull sensation through the steering wheel? or is it moving for no reason or with no sensation through the steering wheel, just constant correction to keep it straight?
If there is a bit raised road marking perpendicular to the direction of travel like a stop line, then the steering will twitch in my hands slightly. If I'm changing lanes and I cross over the lane marking thenI feel the car sway slightly as I go over the marking.
When I experience dissimilar road surfaces then the car will wander according to the road surface type.
On falt surfaces it is fine, you can't tell.
it was the same symptoms on the cheaper tyres I had and has not gone away with the Continentals.
my mv6 does the above, i will be checking the idler. :y
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camber ok ? :y
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I have changed the idler and I was 100% that it was the idler too. Having said that it has improved a bit with the new idler, which is a GM one.
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does the wander coincide with a pull sensation through the steering wheel? or is it moving for no reason or with no sensation through the steering wheel, just constant correction to keep it straight?
If there is a bit raised road marking perpendicular to the direction of travel like a stop line, then the steering will twitch in my hands slightly. If I'm changing lanes and I cross over the lane marking thenI feel the car sway slightly as I go over the marking.
When I experience dissimilar road surfaces then the car will wander according to the road surface type.
On falt surfaces it is fine, you can't tell.
it was the same symptoms on the cheaper tyres I had and has not gone away with the Continentals.
my mv6 does the above, i will be checking the idler. :y
hmm, cant really tell from your reply. Some things to concider,
does the car move or stear from the back? if bad enough it can be felt as the back moving around, its straight forward as that, but if more subtle as mine was at one point the car moves witn no pull sensation in your hands as you drive. This relates to rear subframe donut bushes ime. replace insuring the void holes point for and aft.
If the movement also can be felt through the steering by a pull then its a front end problem. note i have not experienced a failed idler and as yours is new then thats out along with the rest steering assembly from what you have replaced and checked, except for steering box adjustment. I adjusted a fraction of play out of min but it made no odds really.
Next is wishbones, knuckle and bushes. Ime play in these allows the wheel to move and as its attached to the steering the movement can be felt through the steering wheel as a pull. Get a bar and lever the bushes around, they will move ad they are rubber but there should be no play splits or tears. Steering knuckle to hub should have no play.
Set up, once your sure there are no faults with the car suspension or steering get it set up for camber at 1degree10mins, caster(less important) and toe(also on the rear only).
Trouble is poor set up slso makes the car pull through the steering ime as you need to steer against the pull to keep the car straight.
Tyres, myself and Kevin Wood have these and are happy with sc3 over all. However they are sensative to pressures, we both find they need to be between 34 and 31, 33psi i find ideal in uk temps.
Thing is with tyres if they have been exposed to poor set up i.e. excessive camber, then they will have worn excessively on the inside edge, this effectivily makes them geared or cone shaped. Roll a cone across a desk and it turns. This ware will poorly affect the tyre for the rest of its life on the car and you will feel the effect.
hth
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Ok, on the way home today, I took note of a particular part of the road. Now I experienced quite severe tramlining and noted that the steering did not move. The car started to veer off to the right without the steering moving.
Bearing in mind the idler is new, is best to change the wishbones?
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Still think it is a camber fault or tyre problem mate. your a bit far from WIM,
Have you tried asking a freindly local with lots of dosh to ship it over to blighty for Tony Bones to look at. ;D
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Ok, on the way home today, I took note of a particular part of the road. Now I experienced quite severe tramlining and noted that the steering did not move. The car started to veer off to the right without the steering moving.
Bearing in mind the idler is new, is best to change the wishbones?
To me thats classic rear donut bushes but i cant say that it wont be wishbones if they are original, plus the fact you need a set up anyway i would just change them. Lemforder, anything else is a ghamble on relibility. there is a guide and make sure the correct torque procedure is followed when tightening the bolts or they will fail early...
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Ok, on the way home today, I took note of a particular part of the road. Now I experienced quite severe tramlining and noted that the steering did not move. The car started to veer off to the right without the steering moving.
Bearing in mind the idler is new, is best to change the wishbones?
To me thats classic rear donut bushes but i cant say that it wont be wishbones if they are original, plus the fact you need a set up anyway i would just change them. Lemforder, anything else is a ghamble on relibility. there is a guide and make sure the correct torque procedure is followed when tightening the bolts or they will fail early...
Just re read, new w bones last year....what make are they and how where the bolts tightened?
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Ok, on the way home today, I took note of a particular part of the road. Now I experienced quite severe tramlining and noted that the steering did not move. The car started to veer off to the right without the steering moving.
Bearing in mind the idler is new, is best to change the wishbones?
To me thats classic rear donut bushes but i cant say that it wont be wishbones if they are original, plus the fact you need a set up anyway i would just change them. Lemforder, anything else is a ghamble on relibility. there is a guide and make sure the correct torque procedure is followed when tightening the bolts or they will fail early...
Just re read, new w bones last year....what make are they and how where the bolts tightened?
It was the bushes only that were changed. The bolts were tightend by the mechanic, but they seem tight.
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if he just did the bolts up wheels hanging then they will have failed by now.
they should be tightened with suspension loaded to something like 120nm then angle tighten 30degrees then 45degrees. Something like that anyway, its covered in hynes iirc.
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just to add, you really need to have a chat with your mech and see how he tightened them up... if done correctly they should be fine for 3 or 4years min. what bushes did you have fitted, can you remember?
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The bushes are GM ones as you can't get patterned ones. I've had the main dealer and an independent mechanic inspect the bushes and wishbones. They've both said that they are ok. Plus I remember when the bush ahd previously failed you can see the shiny bit.
So by the sounds of it might be worth investigating the doghnut bushes first and then maybe back to the wishbones. But the car is definately wandering across the road with the steering not moving.