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[fiend61]

hi all
yet another problem with my f/l 2.5 (wishes i kept my mfl on road) 
low speeds and soft braking seem to be ok but at high speeds and firm braking the steering wheel shakes like mad, its like arm wrestling mike tyson, would my first point of call be to check front discs for warping ?? what other things could cause this if it is not discs  ?
TIA

[albitz]

Worn steering joints.

[MaxV6]

if not the discs and pads, ( my money is on warped /cracked/knackered discs, or REALLY badly worn pads) then steering joints as Albs said....  would be the next suspect....    but it could be simpler.....     if you have any vibration at speed, NOT under braking,  for example, it could be as simple as wheel balancing....       but most times i've encountered this, it's been knackered discs.

[tunnie]

mine does this, its fun 

[MaxV6]

a pretty reliable indicator, is if there's a hint, or a lot of blue to their appearance....   they've been overheated,  and WILL be warped.


that's not to say they aren't if they're not blue,   just that it's fairly common.....     a few downhill emergency stops while moderately  heavily laden , from the far side of 70 ,   can cook the discs , especially if the situation demands that you keep the brakes on when stopped....    the disk gets heated unevenly at that point due to continued stationary contact..... 

the omega is better than some vehicles at resilience to that, but it is by no means immune


you should see how often i had to change front discs on my V6 Sintra.   woefully undersized for the size and weight and power of the vehicle  (heavier car, smaller rims,  smaller discs than omega,  but same 3.0 v6 engine,  basically imagine a V6 7 seater miggy,  with the effective driving position (height)  of a range rover or transit van...  )

[Kevin Wood]

In addition to the above, check the tyres are correctly inflated and there are no bulges in the sidewalls. I suspect it's the disks, though.

[fiend61]

thanks all
not tyres 4 brand new ones on, no vibration at any speeds, only when braking quite heavily, then the steering wheel has a mind of its own  but will get the discs checked today 

[MaxV6]

also, even when not fully blued, there's often a sort of rainbow effect in the metal of the disc....     basically any discolouration away from plain their normal plain silver is indicative of over heating... 

and if they've been l;eft too long in the past, and have ridges on them, this may also cause an issue....     if they're not flat, smooth, and without significant wear, you may as well change the lot....

[TheBoy]

a pretty reliable indicator, is if there's a hint, or a lot of blue to their appearance....   they've been overheated,  and WILL be warped.

Can't agree with that MaxV6. Neither of mine have warped discs, yet both frequently have blue front discs...

[fiend61]

result 
both front discs were fine  , pads were fine  calipers not sticking  all steering linkage and wishbones fine  shocks and springs fine 
the reason it was doing it was i had 4x new tyres a week ago and the rather numpty that fitted them hadnt balanced them properly   
offside front 25 out
nearside front 15 out
offside rear 10 out
nearside rear 20 out
think he must of span by hand and used his one eye 
mind you i wouldnt have thought that wheel balancing could have caused them the car to do that and have no vibration at a certain speed 
mind you only cost me the balancing instead of discs and pads etc 
thanks all for advice given 

[feeutfo]

Odd, would expect to find vibration above 80 with those figures.

[fiend61]

could well have been vibration around the 80mph mark chris. thing is i havent been driving it long and havent had it on a motorway, think the max speed it has been driven is 70ish, then with firm braking shook like a shivering dog, wheels rebalanced now took it A64 near me no vibration up to 100mph and smooth braking in a straight line with hands off the steering wheel, as i said i cant believe that wheel balancing could have caused so much shaking under braking and was expecting to be hit hard in my wallet for discs or suspension parts
but now a happy bunny again  (well till the next time)