245 wheel vibration

Discussion in 'Volvo 240' started by e, Apr 7, 2006.

  1. e

    e Guest

    After replacing ball joints is it reasonable that there would be wheel shake
    at highway speeds if the car hasn't been properly aligned?
     
    e, Apr 7, 2006
    #1
  2. e

    doc Guest

    Hello:

    Not only would it be reasonable, but I'd be surprised if there were
    not issues after replacing balljoints.

    This is a no-brainer. If you had a shop do the work, they should have
    insisted on an alignment before releasing the car to you--and would
    not have been trying to rip you off.

    In my area a good laser alignment costs $50 and is worth every penny.

    Regards,

    Doc
     
    doc, Apr 7, 2006
    #2
  3. e

    M.R.S. Guest


    What's the ball joint setup on a 245 like compared to the 760??

    If you change the ball joints on a 760, an alignment doesn't give you
    anything since the balljoint doesn't affect the steering moment of axis in
    such a way that would alter the toe/caster.
     
    M.R.S., Apr 7, 2006
    #3
  4. e

    Mike F Guest

    The ball joint is upside down on a 240 relative to the 760. The ball
    joint bolt to the control arm, and the pin goes into a bracket that's
    bolted to the bottom of the strut. There's a little room for slop in
    the mounting on a 240, possibly affecting alignment slightly. (Toe is
    much more sensitive than caster or camber.)

    In any case I wouldn't expect a vibration from new ball joints. My
    guess is either a balance weight fell off one of the wheels, or some
    corrosion or other foreign object has prevented one of the wheels from
    seating properly on the hub.

    --
    Mike F.
    Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

    Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
    (But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)
     
    Mike F, Apr 7, 2006
    #4
  5. e

    e Guest


    PO did the replacement himself. I just got the car last night and I'm going
    to make an appointment today to have alignment done. Just wondered if the
    vibration was something else.
     
    e, Apr 7, 2006
    #5
  6. e

    doc Guest

    Hello:

    As Mike F pointed out, it could be something as simple as a missing
    wheel weight. That said, I gather that youi recently acquired the
    car--so having at least the front tires balanced and an alignment
    would be a good idea unless you had documentation that it had been
    done recently.

    And here's another possibility, although a remote one: it's possible
    you have internal belt separation on one or both of the front tires.
    I had a 240 that suddenly developed serious vibration issues--but only
    at speeds of 45 to 60 MPH.

    Took it to an alignment shop as I knew all other suspension components
    were tight. The tech at the shop had recently aligned the car and said
    right away: "let's look at the tires." Keep in mind the tread was
    great and they looked good, but he knew waht he was looking for and
    diagnosed the issue as belt separation. I then went to the shop where
    I bought the tires and they agreed the tires were the problem and gave
    me a new pair as they were still under warranty. Nice part is that
    they did not even pro-rate the tires for mileage and gave me a new set
    and mounted and balanced free of charge.

    I had NEVER heard about a belt separation issue and mentioned it to
    the tire tech. He told me that it was not something they saw every
    day--but also not a rare occurence.

    I'd start with having the balance checked, as that will always cause
    vibration, and especially at highway speeds. The alignment shop will
    check that before they align--or should, but aske them to make sure
    it's done before the alignment.

    Note: not all alignment shops are the same; some have highly skilled
    techs and the newest state of the art laser equipment. Others are
    hacks. In my area there are really only 2 shops out of the 30 or more
    doing alignments who really know their stuff.

    Both do a lot of alignments for race cars--and at 150 mph plus an
    alignment had better be correct. Good part is that they don't charge
    more than other shops who can't do the job correctly and are cheaper
    than the chain shops.

    A final possibility is an issue with strut bearings etc, but that
    seems unlikely as you did not mention any "clunking" or other noises
    like that.

    Start with the simplest and least expensive possibilities move on from
    there.

    Regards,


    Doc
     
    doc, Apr 8, 2006
    #6
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