Wobbly corolla on motorway

[roks]

Hi Guys,

Felt uncomfortable at the weekend during a trip up north, at motorway speed it felt like my stomach wash turning. I made couple of sudden movement steering wheel and it felt very wobble, one of the the passenger said even his little micra does not do that. It appears at motorway speed the car unusually light, going down hill on parts of M1.

Are my shocks gone or are they on their way out? (after 110k miles, non of the shocks are leaking as they are clean and dry.

I did the usual bounce test, but I cant see anything unusual other than the rear is easier to bounce than the front but that could be due to the front is much heavier?

Also, if I need to do the shocks, should I also replace ball joints? Does bad ball joints affect the up/down movements?

Thanks in advance for your inputs

[fordulike]

Have you checked the tyre pressures? Underinflation could make the car extra bouncy.

[roks]

Yes, before I set off, I checked the tyre pressure, all same 32psi or a fraction more.

Thanks

[Parts-King]

I would have that checked out properly, you need to inspect it, preferably in the air, so that track rods/arms/suspension/tyres can be thoroughly tested. Do you have a local garage you can rely on? If it is as bad as you say then it really should not be too difficult to find

 

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Agree with Kingo, do get it checked by a mechanic,  like part of a mot but just on the suspension and steering,  a few pounds much better spent than replacing parts  on a whim.

Are you getting any vibration though the steering wheel or though your feet ?  eg out of balance wheels  or a curbed tyre /bulge.

Checked your wheels nuts , any loose ?

Did the problem just start this trip or only at motorway higher speeds ? what recent works have you done on it ?

[roks]

Hi,

1 hour ago, oldcodger said:

Are you getting any vibration though the steering wheel or though your feet ?  eg out of balance wheels  or a curbed tyre /bulge.

No. Only left front tyre wearing slightly uneven on the outer edge -  I hit a kerb I think  some times ago, will get it aligned when I get the set of new tyres.

1 hour ago, oldcodger said:

Did the problem just start this trip or only at motorway higher speeds ?

No, I noticed it in the past as well, I put it down to high winds at that time. It does it at motorway speed 60+ if the road it bumpy or if I make make sligth sudden correct on the steering wheel then it settles down after a bit.

1 hour ago, oldcodger said:

Checked your wheels nuts , any loose ?

All wheels torqued to 103Nm

1 hour ago, oldcodger said:

what recent works have you done on it ?

Not done anything recently

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Sounds like you have damaged something on the steering and / or suspension, probably now worsened with continued use and uneven tyre wear.

Would get the front steering alignment checked before you buy new tyres, but you might also have wear /damage to the rim and track rod ends and/or wishbone ball joints, again any decent garage will check those while doing the tracking /alignment. Check the fact that you will be offered 2 or 4 wheel alignment.

[Mike169]

Hi, why not try swopping the front tyres with the rears and see if it changes? Mike.

[roks]

Did another test on the rear, one side defo moves more than the other. 

I will get it checked by mechanic, although the MOT was just done last month I don't think they do a proper check on suspension, do they?

[DeTomato]

It may be one of the brake calipers is sticking on a front wheel. jack it up and spin each wheel. If not then worth the check with the mechanic anyway. Steering and brakes are key to staying safe.

[roks]

Its going in for a checkup this afternoon, chap on the phone mentioned that it could be just tyre issues.

I got a set of 4 KYB shocks from a reliable source for a good price so if its not needed I can return them.

Will update later.

[oldcodger]

9 hours ago, roks said:

 

I got a set of 4 KYB shocks from a reliable source for a good price so if its not needed I can return them.

Why return them if they were a good price,  at 14 years old yours are bound to be worn , even if they pass the mot type of tests.

Have replaced the shocks on 2 cars  and its only when you have removed them from the strut and manually  press and pull the piston of the old and new ones together  that you can really appreciate the difference in force needed.

There could be a down side to fitting them, in that you could get a much firmer ride as you will have got used to the more worn old ones.

Also quite a job to do them, needing a good set of spring compressors etc, they tend to show doing it with 2 clamps but always found it easier with 3 as they can slip and move around when !Removed! up.  Have to be careful as you have a lot of force in those springs.

Have a look at Micks "paddy the corolla " thread where he has refurbished his struts.

[Colourd]

I agree with old bloke

I recently renewed my  shocks, rear springs and front top mounts, they would all pass an mot, stationary test etc, but, the rear end was weak and  sometimes jump around on bumps at times

In my experience rear shocks and springs go weak first

Anyway, imho keep the shocks until you're sure you're  cured

[roks]

As I suspected the outcome, that is no issues found.

Yes it was a kind of mot type except that the guy drove around speed bumps, then got it up on the lift and poked around a few extra places like the control arm bushings etc for play. I left the garage with a problem though, a squeeky clutch pedal, notied it when I was parking at home.

As for the shocks, apparently the original shocks are oil filled and the new ones are gas filled, firmer and less reliable, is that correct? I will probably keep the shocks, but got to buy 4 new tyres and wheel alignment promptly though. Finding it difficult to work on the car these days, still havent fitted the right fender.

The dust cover and the bump stop disintigrated on the fronts (got the kit couple of years ago), springs look ok as in rust free, the lower insulator rubber brittle and ripping easy, top mount looks good, no rust from top, hopefully its dust seal is ok too.

The rear bump stops and dust cover are in good condition, some flakes coming off on the bottom of the springs but no major rust formed yet, insulator rubber in good condition.

I wanted to keep the cost down and only get the parts that need replacing to rebuild the struts from Mr.T, hopefully the springs are OK.

I hear you OC regarding the compressors, ones I have look quite beefy and it comes with 4 safety hooks that lock from underside. I'll see if I need to get another pair closer to time.

Cheers all.

 

[Colourd]

On 7/20/2018 at 12:43 AM, roks said:

Gas shocks less reliable ?  ??

hmm he may have meant might not last quite  as long, but, are supposed to give superior performance

Have you got Ultra SR ? they're good

 

[roks]

1 hour ago, Colourd said:

Have you got Ultra SR ? they're good 

No, Excel G?

Are these OK?

[Colourd]

Don't see why not. should be ok.

Not tried personally

[Dave W.]

I've had this problem many times before. I've decided that aside from the alignment and tire rotations which may be due, that it is usually due to imperfections in the vehicle combined with the age of the tires. Also, the rotors may be wobbly if the imperfection happens to be the transmission. If that isn't it, the struts could be aging. Also strut tower bearings could be aged. In my case when I replaced the front struts the strut tower bearing on the driver's side had been lubricated only on the bolt side not the bearing side by some idiot, and to think I cannot even get a decent job! Mainly though, its new tires, a rotation, or an alignment that will help.

[roks]

I am not sure if "wobbly" was the right word I used, its more bouncy/floating feeling on the motorway. I am going to get some new tyres hopefully soon, just waiting for some spare cash.

I did a visual check on the towers, not rusted and they have fresh looking grease in there but who knows if there is anything on the other side. But I think I am due for an overhaul of the struts at least, have the shocks but I seem to have difficulty finding the time to do this job.

[Dave W.]

Like I said, I've had this and new tires were the temporary solution. Replacement of the struts was also necessary. Are your tires noisy? Is there uneven wear? However, to check the ball joint, jack up your car and try to manhandle the wheel with the tire on. Try both vertically and horizontally. There should be no motion.

[Dave W.]

3 minutes ago, Dave W. said:

Like I said, I've had this and new tires were the temporary solution. Replacement of the struts was also necessary. Are your tires noisy? Is there uneven wear? However, to check the ball joint, jack up your car and try to manhandle the wheel with the tire on. Try both vertically and horizontally. There should be no motion.

Before manhandling the wheel, turn the steering until it locks. Be sure not to drop the car on you or someone else. You might want a jack stand. It might help if someone else manhandles the wheel while you watch the ball joint.

[Dave W.]

10 minutes ago, Dave W. said:

Before manhandling the wheel, turn the steering until it locks. Be sure not to drop the car on you or someone else. You might want a jack stand. It might help if someone else manhandles the wheel while you watch the ball joint.

In addition, you should chalk the wheels even if your emergency brake works, both in front and in back.