Hi,

My Focus has recently started to shake/vibrate/chime the steering wheel. Now sometimes it will do this and other times it is perfect and drives like new. The road surface sometimes car affect whether the steering wheel will vibrate or not.

I have new tyres balance, new discs, pads, shocks, top mounts and drop links but the shaking is still there.

If driving down the road one day it may shake but the next day it might be fine. I have searched the net and some people have suggested a steering column bush and others have suggested the steering knuckle bush?!

Can someone please give me any more help with this situation!

Thanks in advance

 

Have you had the tracking/alignment checked???

 

haven't had the tracking done but the car doesn't wander on the road and the movement in the steering isn't a wobble like a warped disc or unbalanced wheels but more like a sudden vibrating which is short and sharp. It would indicate a bush. The movement doesn't feel as if its coming from the drive of the car but solely the steering column!

 

Well tBH for the hassle of having the vibration i'd gladly pay +/-Ł25 to have the alignment properly checked, atleast you know it's good after that.

 

I would suggest checking all ball joints, especially all steering links as these make car or wheel to shake in random situations, most often during braking or going down the hill. Take a crowbar, slide it between two links and pull it like you would like to split them. If there’s any play, then these have to be replaced.

 

Take it somewhere else and have them re-check the balancing.

 

If it were the balance then would it not vibrate all the time?! I'm only getting the vibrations now and then, not all the time.

 

Booked back in to the mechanics for Friday, ill let use lot know the outcome.

 

This stumped us at work for a bit,one of the vans did the same. Turned out it was an unbalanced driveshaft!

 

Well the car was in the garage all day on Friday with the result of fainding nothing wrong with it. So the vibration is still there maybe even worse. I got the wheels balanced and tracked on Saturday and found that the front wheel was unbalanced. Drove it home and there was no difference. I tried changing the front wheels to the rear but to no luck.

The steering wheel vibrates even more now and has even developed a rattle as it vibrates that much.

I still believe it could be the column as it doesn't feel mechanical.

I'm really getting miffed with it now, so does anyone have any ideas of what i should look at?