Vibration in Ford Mondeo

Hi all,

Just after I got my Mondeo in February, I had a small incident on my drive. I have a steep drive and was rather suprised to have it covered in sheet ice one evening, something I only noticed once I was driving down it. The car slid down the drive and came to rest when the nearside front tyre, which was on full lock, struck a gate-post at under 5mph.

Inspections revealed no noticeable damage and the car didnt really feel any different. A few weeks later whilst on a trip on the Motorway I noticed a faint vibration but put it down the road surface. My Dad then borrowed the car, noticed the same thing, and immediatly realised there was an issue, becuase the same vibration did not exist when the car was bought.

I took the car to a local garage and had them have a look to see if they could find the problem. He road tested the car with me, returned to the garage, and then jacked the car up and showed me that my nearside front tyre was not perfectly circular - it was slightly oval shaped. This, he said, was the problem.

As I was due new tyres soon anyway, I left the problem until it was time to replace my tyres. I did this at the beginning of last month, and had 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 fitted to the car. Suprisingly, this did not cure the issue at all.

Basically, from about 30mph onwards a vibration is noticeable when driving. You can feel it through the steering column but passengers have commented on it as well so clearly it isnt just through the steering. Sometimes I don't notice it, sometimes I do. On the way home today at 45mph I could really feel it, and I'm now fed up with it and want it sorted.

The car passed its MOT last week, first time, with no advisories. I was half hoping it would fail on a damaged suspension component so I could have it replaced and have the issue resolved, but alas no. I've also had the tracking checked, and it's apparently perfect. I've had all 4 wheels balanced as well. I have also had the nearside front wishbone/lower arm/whatever it's called (The thing with the bushes which wear out lots) replaced becuase this was picked up in the service I had with Ford just after I bought the car.

What else could I try and what else is this likely to be? The problem is finding somebody to have a look - Ford want paying just to have a look and see what it is, and I dont relish the idea of throwing money at a multitude of different fixes, none of which do anything.

Other than this irritating vibration, which for the most part is often so slight it makes me think its merely a bad road surface (Which it clearly isnt), the car drives perfectly. It's a V plate 2.0 Ghia X.

Thanks!

-- Michael Rodgers, Plymouth UK

Reply to
Michael Rodgers
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Possibly bent or ever so slightly squared wheel?

Reply to
DanTXD

In message , DanTXD writes

It would certainly be worth swapping the n/s/f wheel with one of the rears to eliminate this possibility.

Reply to
Paul Giverin

I have actually done this - swapped them when they said the tyre was dodgy to be on the safe side. Made no difference :(

Reply to
Michael Rodgers

Bent driveshaft if you are really unlucky. Check the wheel camber and possibly castor angle - I smacked my Mondeo on a kerb doing probably less speed in the same way and bent the lower arm at the balljoint. If this is the case budget on £150 to get a garage to swap the arm.

Reply to
Chris Street

I'd guess that the wheel hub has been slightly damaged. Normally if the suspension has been damaged, it only appears under certain conditions, or would disappear under certain conditions (ie cornerning, accelerating, braking....).

Something not running true is normally apparent under most conditions, and as you've eliminated the wheel + tyre, it is obviously something else related to the wheel.

Reply to
Moray Cuthill

Arm has already been replaced for different reasons - it was the lower arm I had done.

I thought driveshaft as well - but it happens whether I'm accelerating, or driving along normally. I even knocked it into neutral and let the engine idle and it was still there?

Reply to
Michael Rodgers

The wheel will still be rotating and the driveshaft and diff etc will be regardless of the gear. I'd expect though that you would be able to see if it was bent if you jacked up the wheel and spun it by hand.

Otherwise all I can suggest is that you measure th various steering geometries and see if anything is out - cannot suggest anything else sadly.

Reply to
Chris Street

Going to check this out I think. Sounds plausable and I'm running out of ideas, except for 'Park on the road when its icy' ;)

Somebody told me the nearside driveshaft is £411+vat! Surely not?

Reply to
Michael Rodgers

Brand new driveshafts are. Second hand ones are much cheaper. Or you could get a garage to literally take the driveshaft apart and actually replace the CV joint itself. Might not be cost effective considering labour costs though.

Peter

-- "The truth is working in television is not very glamorous at all. I just go home on my own at night and sit alone and eat crisps."

Reply to
AstraVanMan

Sounds good, second hand will be fine. Whats a fair price to pay for one?

I'm hoping this is all academic and that the shaft turns out to be fine when I have a look, but then if it is, what on earth else could it be.. ;)

Reply to
Michael Rodgers

That's probably the cheap one - theres an extra section and bearing on the offside shaft!

I've run through Fords NVH tester on the TIS. Everything points to something from the diff down to the tyre with wheel/tyre runout being the prime suspect. It could also be damage to the hub bearings or the CV joints.

Reply to
Chris Street

A while back I bought one for an old Mk3 Escort - cost me £25. But that was after getting one for free off a mate of a mate, only to find out that it was very slightly different. Basically I had a base spec X reg 1.1 Escort, and the car the original replacement came out of was a C reg (still Mk3) 1.1 Escort. Both had 4-speed gearboxes. When I put it in it would work fine - engage gear etc, when lifted in the air on axle stands, but on the ground when the wheels etc., were taking the weight of the car, and the track widens (I'm probably explaining this wrong, but where the wheels splay out slightly when taking the weight of the car) the shaft came slightly out of the CV joint and made a horrible clonking noise.

I then popped down to Blackbushe Motors (decent local breakers yard with a lot of parts off the shelf) and they had a data book with information on driveshaft lengths, and around 1982 (maybe 1983) they changed - the long one was slightly longer and the short one slightly shorter (or the opposite, can't remember), and the guy reckoned that they'd standardised the design of engine mounts etc. across the Escort range to cope with the extra space needed for a 5-speed gearbox. Someone knowledgeable for a change - compared to my mate's Dad who told me "it's a 1.1 Escort, all the driveshafts are the same size".

So my point is, if you are going to get a secondhand driveshaft, make damn sure it's exactly the right type! Personally, after having done a CV boot on the Audi, I'd say you'd probably be better off to replace the CV joint itself, as it could be worn on the inside, though I don't know if the end of the driveshaft (that pops into the CV joint) wears much - I think it's primarily within the joint itself, and the ball tracks therein. If that's all that's knackered, the extra labour costs involved in changing the joint would be outweighed by not having to pay for a replacement driveshaft. Unless the driveshaft's bent, but that's quite unlikely.

Peter

-- "The truth is working in television is not very glamorous at all. I just go home on my own at night and sit alone and eat crisps."

Reply to
AstraVanMan

They are?

I paid =A318 for a Mondeo passenger side driveshaft (short bit from CV to n= ext=20 CV).

_Perhaps_ I could believe =A3411 for both CV joints, both outer shafts, the= =20 inner CV, the next shaft, and both in-board CVs, but not for a single=20 splined piece of metal.

Pete.

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Reply to
Pete Smith

I'm guessing the £18 was for a 2nd hand one then. I remember when I had my Mk3 Escort I enquired about a new driveshaft - around the £250 mark. I just assumed that it would be complete with CV joints attached, packed with grease, boots attached, ready to go, but possibly not. Surely at that price it would though?

Peter

-- "The truth is working in television is not very glamorous at all. I just go home on my own at night and sit alone and eat crisps."

Reply to
AstraVanMan

I'd have hoped so.

This driveshaft was a steel rod, 12 inches long, with splines at both ends.

I can't possibly see how it would cost >=A320!

Pete.=20

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Reply to
Pete Smith

Hi Pete

I paid £18 not so long ago for a Mondeo offside shaft, about £80 for a CV joint, and the complete shaft was £140 at that time.

Reply to
Steve Sweet

Simple. Supply and demand. Not many people buy them.

Peter

-- "The truth is working in television is not very glamorous at all. I just go home on my own at night and sit alone and eat crisps."

Reply to
AstraVanMan

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