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Hi, I'm a new member seeking help with my X-Type 2.0 D estate 2005 RHD manual gearbox.
The problem: Car starts and drives as normal from cold. After the engine has warmed up (usually after the car has been parked for a while) when accelerating from about 50 to 60mph I get a vibration/judder through the steering wheel and seat much like poor tyre balance (changed new tyres from back to front - no difference). Lift off the throttle and the vibration has gone until return to accelerate then it starts again.
I read somewhere that a bad driveshaft can cause that sort of problem so had the car checked out by a mechanic who couldn't find anything wrong. I assume a driveshaft problem would be there from cold.
Any help would be appreciated as this has me stumped at what to check next.
Just some thought for you.....If you note your engine RPMs at that 50 to 60 MPH speed, then perhaps a good test might be to slow down and select a lower gear and then accelerate to the same RPM as before, granted you will be travelling slower but do you get a similar vibration result?
If you don't get vibration, then you are looking at a possible suspension issue (shock, suspension bushing, sway bar bushing or link) or drive shaft play issue as they will be overall road speed speed related, not engine RPM or gear selection related.
A shock absorber shouldn't care whether engine is accelerating or decelerating, so I would think it is less likely in your scenario.
If you do get vibration, you might be looking at a engine harmonic issue....harmonic balancer or a bad engine mount.
Balancer effect would likely be there at certain RPM regardless of gear selection and with engine under load or unloaded.
Engine mount would likely be present under certain engine load torque conditions.
@h2o2steam does the 2.1 have the dogbone? A.k.a. the rear transmission mount. That occasionally can cause vibration at various speeds different for different cars and people.
Thanks for the advice. I'll try the slow down/lower gear/same revs thing and let you know how it goes. Regardless of what the mechanic said I still suspect a drive shaft problem but the fact that it is not present when starting from cold confuses the issue for me.
I'm going to put the car through a Contrôle Technique which is the French equivalent of the UK MOT test so maybe that will pick up an issue with the suspension/drive train.
Hi again, sorry for the long delay in replying but been away in Spain then the UK, back to sunny but steaming hot France.
I tried the speed test in different gears and no difference. The car looks all good underneath as well. I cleaned out the EGR valve (YUK) and that seemed to make a difference but after a 20Km run in this heat the judder on acceleration above 50 kph started again, lift off the gas and it's gone, back on and it's back again.
Sorry...a bit confuse with your response...."I tried the speed test in different gears and no difference."
Am I correct that regardless of engine revs ( whatever gear you are in) you get the judder when accelerating over a speed of 50kph?
The effect does not appear at lower speeds with harder acceleration and also regardless of gear selection?
Is it only present with hard acceleration, or evident with just mild or moderate acceleration?
Sorry for confusing the issue. Also I should have said 50MPH (not kph).
I was referring to your post #4. Let me try again.
For the first 20 Km the car drove as normal, no judder and very responsive. Then it started to judder as I accelerated through 50mph and a vibration is felt even through the seat. At about 60mph the judder reduces and at 70mph its ok again. Reducing speed and the judder returns. It's as if the tyres had suddenly become unbalanced (new Michelin tyres front and rear). Car was still very responsive even through the judder.
I tried accelerating from 40 to 60 mph in different gears and it made no difference the judder was still there.
The tyres were new December last year just before I purchased the car. Surely if the wheels were not balanced properly the judder would be there all the time? I did swap front to back initially.
At what speed do Unbalanced tires shake?
around 50 to 55 miles per hour
Unbalanced tires
Unfortunately, these weights can sometimes move or fall off, resulting in an unbalanced wheel. Even in good conditions, unbalanced tires can cause the car to shake while driving at high speeds, starting around 50 to 55 miles per hour, often being most noticeable around 60 mph.
If a front tire isn't properly balanced you'll likely feel vibration in the steering wheel. If the problem is in the rear the tremor will be noticeable in the seat or floor.
"Surely if the wheels were not balanced properly the judder would be there all the time?"
Not necessarily, out of balance tyres have a harmonic frequency, so may have a rotational speed where the effect is more pronounced.
Also, the disc rotors are only held on by the by the wheel rims and wheel nuts, so if some crud got in behind the discs (in between the hubs and disc rear faces) during tyre changes, then the rim and disc might not actually be sitting square on the hubs.
The tyres might be balanced OK, but the rims might not be able to run true if there is some unforeseen oddity stopping them from running true.
Dell; I wasn't counteracting your comment, but building on it, having recently changed my front discs and making damn sure the mating faces were total debris free.
Last edited by h2o2steam; Jul 13, 2022 at 11:47 PM.
Vibration/judder/shudder on acceleration
