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Blasted Steering Wobble

maximilian

maximilian

Messages
211
The steering on my CTR has never been perfect, but I learn't to live with it pulling right slightly on some roads (despite several attempts to correct it with lazer alignment etc).

Here's the thing; Yesterday I replaced the front pads, and fluid all round. Only for some strange reason I forgot to torque up the front wheels after I finished :evil:. Although they were reasonably tightly nipped with the hand wrench. After driving for about 10 mins I notice a noise from the O/S/F brake (once per rotation, a little sqeal), and then over 60mph a steering wobble. I pull over, and to my horror I realise I forgot to torque them, so I tightened them up with the wheel wrench (they were not loose, just not at 108Nm).

But the steering wobble is still there between 70-80mph, not as bad as before, but not pleasant.

Typically this would be wheel balancing, or alignment, but I don't see how it can just suddenly have changed since all I did was unbolt the caliper from the hub. All the weights are still on the wheels, all the wheels on the same hubs....

The noise is gone now (I have done about 120 miles now), I assume that was just the pads wearing to the disks.

Another trip to TGM for alignment methinks, and i will need some new tyres soon anyway so i'll get them balanced then, but I have a horrible feeling that wont be the answer.

Is it possible I deformed the wheel whilst it was loose, it seems unlikely to me; opinions?
 
Are you running after market rims? If so have you put the spigot ring in? Also have you jacked the car up and tried to actually wobble the wheel by hand..... I'm just musing aloud here :D
 
Standard everything. There is no play in the track rod ends etc, no movement of the wheels when jacked up no.
 
Did you bed the pads into the discs? I'm wondering if some pad material had been left on the discs and was catching the pad?
 
You could try re balancing? Just incase there is something wrong....
 
For bedding in new pads, I do about six runs in the middle of the night/quiet roads.

In each run, I do a 60mph to 10mph brake then get back up to speed - this is increased intensity. After the last run I pootle about without touching the brakes for about twenty minutes.

This stops the pads from binding to the discs and leaving a layer of material, gets rid of the initial brake pad solvents and it also tries to prevent uneven disc cooling.

I am happy to stand corrected. :D
 
I'm pretty sure the brakes are OK. I have been gentle on them, there is no sqeaking anymore, no smells, no fluid loss, no juddering pedals. It is something else that has changed.

I might take the front wheels off, and check to see if any of the hub studs are slightly bent or of the threads scuffed, although i think this is unlikely.
 
Here's one for you. Reading an article online somewhere before (don't remember where) it said that wobbles can be caused by not mounting the light side of the wheel to the heavy side of the disc. So take of the wheels have a look at the outside of the brake disc until you see a kinda machined section on the outer circumference. This is the heavy side of the disc, hence the machining to balance it. Have this piece on top. Now mount the wheel so that the weights on the wheel which will be the light side, hence the weights, are also on the top so the heavy part of disc and light part of the wheel are in line. This might help but if not it's good to know anyway. Hope you get it sorted.
 
^^ Interesting.

However, the phanomanon seems to have dissapeared, Wheel no longer wobbles. And all I have done is straighten the track rod end, so the bolt is vertical, rather than a little off vertical as I left it after I inspected it.

That change must have changed the toe by a matter of minutes, or less. I can't see how that was the problem.
This is all very odd.
 
Wobble has returned, it is intermitant.

I think I have found the culpret; about half a mill of play in NS track rod end. Only vertical play, but nothing else looks untoward. Any thoughts?
 
maximilian said:
Wobble has returned, it is intermitant.

I think I have found the culpret; about half a mill of play in NS track rod end. Only vertical play, but nothing else looks untoward. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

They are pretty cheap to replace, might be worth a go.
 
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