gstuart

gstuart

D3 Grandad
Full Member
hiya guys

wished to firstly thank you all for all the great advice and trying to save my sanity

i know im going to get a kick in the gonads for this but put the new tyres on the front and the part worn tyres from the front to the rear and tried it up the road for about 2 mile and came back home

as i know the bigger tyres must be fitted on the rears.

well the vibration has completely gone at all speeds so i assume by this the tyres that ive now fitted to the rears must be defective so i need 2 x new tyres.

the other strange thing is my steering wheel is out of line again, which i couldnt understand the first time it happened when i had new tyres fitted.

i cannot belive fitting 2 x new tyres have given me so much grief,

how the hell my steering wheel is no out of line is beyond me.

lastly am i missing anything or do you think now that ive swapped the tyres round and the vibration has completely gone it cant be anything else but the worn tyres

im going to of course put them back until i can afford new tyres as i dont want to end up messing up my vcu or ird.

unfortunatly i couldnt find a long enough piece of string etc to measure the diameter of the tyres, checked the pressures again and they were all different from 19 psi to 26 psi, put them all on 30 psi and found that one of the tyres valves has got a small leak on one the new tyres.

thanks again guys but this has driven me nuts how my steering wheel is no out of line again

all the best

gary
 
There is no way just swapping Tyres around would put your steering wheel out of line do you need to look again at steering components.

Are they the original wheels - it's not possible that they ate not sitting correctly on the hubs is it?

It kind of sounds like when you jack it up you ate disturbing something that can move thereby affecting tracking.

All logic says that what you have done with swapping wheels about would not in itself result in what has happened - perhaps the wheel vibration yes but it should now show up on the back.

Get it to a suspension specialist to get the lot checked and set straight.
 
I agree with angeloc - you need to get this checked as if your steering wheel is out of line when the front tyres are a matched pair at the same pressures there is something amiss.

Are these brand new tyres? If so look at the tread - you should see one or two coloured lines - these show the offset tendency - and they should be the opposite way round if you compare left and right.

That's not clear - let me try again. All tyres have at least one coloured line round the tread area - lets say there is a blue line 30mm in from the edge of the tread on the outside edge of one wheel. On the other wheel the blue line MUST be fitted nearest to the outside edge too. If the blue line were to be fitted to the inside edge of one and the outside edge of the other then they will have a tendency to go to one side.

Tyres should be fitted so that the natural 'pull to one side' effect is cancelled out. The more expensive tyre you buy the less will be this error in manufacturing.

The wider the tyre the more this is important. Some tyre fitters don't pay any attention to these lines or the little coloured spot which should be aligned with the valve. They think that if you have the tyres balanced it wont matter - they are wrong - it does.

I'm not in the tyre trade - but on a tour of the Continental Tyre factory I asked lots of questions beginning "Why .........

Good luck in getting it sorted out.
 
Hi Gary,
You really do need to find a long string or long piece of cloth tape and collect some data on the tyres you have fitted.
You need to measure around the tyres (circumference) not diameter as that only give you the measurements to the sidewall treads not the rolling distance for the tyre.
You may find that your part worn pair are actually larger than your new pair, hence the improved ride??
If I remember correctly your Freelander, a converted commercial, is pre 2002?
If that is correct then the problem with wrong sized wheels on the larger hubs won't affect yours. Good point tho' - may have caused the steering changes you described if the wheels were not seating correctly on the hubs.
 
Last edited:
hiya

my freelander is oct 2002, i still cannot understand and i totally agree that logic tells me by putting the tyres from the front on the back that the vibration should be on the back but isnt.

im going to buy some flat webbing so i can measure the tyres correctly so they dont go into the thread,

the tyres did come with coloured lines and to be honest i dont remember which way they were fitted and have now worn off.

when i bought the car i done a hpi check and accident history and came back clear, but i think if it was involved in something it would be a permanent problem.

in janurary a ford fiesta did decide to side swip me and did hit both of my drivers side wheels im thinking that maybe this is the reason why im having problems.

my steering wheel didnt go out of line at the time but when i had the tyres fitted and wheels swap could this have knocked them out of line causing this isssue.

i will get the measurements for the tyres when i get some webbing, the tyres are bridgestones 215-65-16 r all round, the worn ones do look wider but i imagine thats as theyve been on the there longer.

i will get some pics on here for you and some measurements,

when i do get some new tyres was thinking about getting all four existing tyres removed from the rims and was thinking could the tyre fitetrs then just spin the rim on the machine to see if they are ok or wouldnt that tell me something.

thanks again guys for your help but at least im starting to work through it step by step

will report back to you when ive got some pics and measurements for you

all the best


gary
 
I would recommend 4 wheel tracking as a start point but pay for an hour of a good tyre services time - one with new looking lifts preferably one that does MOTs and ask them to check all bushes etc before then doing the laser 4 wheel thing.

Here in West Wales I would go to my local ATS where they are friendly and certainly one of the guys there knows what he is doing.

I Two wheel side swipe would definitely knock things out and can bend suspension arms easily on a Freelander. On my last one I was rear ended and the car hit the wheel punctured the tyre and bent the rear suspension do much it was touching the front of the wheel arch - there was a lot of metal bent although bodily it was hardly damaged - I thing there could lay the cause of you problem.

Check you haven't got buckled wheels as well while they are off.

I reckon you need to spend up to £100 at an ATS - I say ATS because ours does lorries as well do they are used to bigger stuff. Perhaps find a good one in a rural area do they work on farmers stuff.
 
hiya

thanks so much,the tyres ive got fitted are bridgestone dueler h/t 215x 65 R 16

ive ordered another 2 x tyres which will then give me new tyres all round.

im now convinced that ive got a buckled wheel so once ive got the new tyres will take it up the road to the local tyre centre.

i use watling tyres as the guys there are very good, when i had trouble with the first company i went to them and found them extremely helpful

i defently think when im ready to have the new tyres fiotted to get all the tyres removed from the rims

i will if thats ok update you guys as it may save somebody else the grief

all the best

gary
 
I always have my wheels balanced off the car when fitting Tyres. The balancing machine can be use to check for wheel buckles - spin it up and look - also if they are buckled it will through out the balance readings making things worse. I suspect this is your problem and it would show up less with wheels on the rear.
 
now bought another 2 x bridgestone tyres and going back to the tyre fitters next week will then end up with 4 x brand new tyres and hopefully and finally sort this pain out once and for all,

if its ok will let you guys know

all the best

gary
 
Just a thought on this as the wheels and hubs are an interference fit on FL's it follows that a small piece of dirt/rust could cause the wheel not to sit squarely on the hub.
When we got ours (recently) I had great difficulty getting a couple of wheels off as they had grown together on the hub. (aluminium and steel are not happy bedfellows) I carefully wire-brushed the hubs and cleaned the wheels before applying a smear of copper-grease to the joints. (as recommended in the handbook)

As I said, just a thought.
 
hiya

well went down the garage yesterday and they took all the tyres of the rims fitted the tyres and balanced them all up, done the tracking for me a realigned the steering wheel so it was correct.

however, the noise and vibration has dramatically reduced, the steering wheel vibration has virtually gone but can still feel it.

i found though when i now go up a hill get a small amount of vibration and noise but when i go down hill or on a level it seems better.

now maybe im barking up the wrong tree and must confess i havent got the ird and final drive oil level checked or replaced and out of my madness thinking that maybe when i go up a hill the oils could be low and causing noise.

local garages want in excess of £100 to do this for me, rang around and was wondering if anyone may know of anyone around the swanley kent area please

i just cannot get under the car anymore as i would do it myself

thanks again guys

gary
 
Lets think about this - you have had all the wheels done and you get vibes accelerating climbing a hill - under load but not of the flat or down hill not undr load - this does point me to a possible injector problem - if one was about to fail - as mine have then these are the symptoms - the vibration - could it be a miss? When you say you feel it through the steering wheel what do you actually feel?

If the wheel moved side to side as in a stering motion I would say wheel or steering geometry but if there is a vibration then it points to a possible engine miss transmitted through the column.

You really need to do that leak back test and see before you spend any money.
 
i wouil be looking for poor bearing or joinr in transmission eg half shafts/cvs ,prop and support bearings ,diff ird ,but since felt through steering drive shafts,ird
 
hiya

im waiting for the bits to turn up so im still waiting for that.

the steering wheel doesnt shake anymore but between 40- 50 mph get like a very small vibration when holding the wheel, it doesnt pull to one side if i accelerate on a flat even hard i get no vibration at all.

i defently think your right i need to do a leak back test and will do all the oil changes whilst im waiting, but like a numbnuts realised i didnt complete the payment for the return piping on ebay just done that so hope should get that all by next week.

this has driven me insane and wont give up until ive cracked it but i do know one thing there would be no way i would stand a chance without your guys great advice.

thanks again, plus as they look untidy going to remove my rear wheels again , wire brush the rear brake drums and get the rust off.

is it better to get the auto gear box oil changed every year, ive only covered around 1000 miles since the last change

all the best

gary
 
ref the bearing, how would i be able tell, if i put the gearbox out of park into neutral would i be ale to spin the wheels or would i have to take prop shafts off etc.

i think if i start with the leak back test, replace the oils etc in the ird and final diff.hopefully there wont be any bits come out with the oil

another daft question can the ird and final drive be totally drained of oil please, looking in the haynes manuala and trying to relate where the ird filler plug by the pictures.

thanks guys

gary
 
ird hass drain underneath and filler at rear ,diff has filler but would need pan removing or oil sucking out, removing prop would help eliminate alot ,trying ep90 in ird might help to identify any issues (there isnt anything in ird that needs specific oil just bearings and gears )
 
hiya

many thanks for the great info,

im still trying to find someone in my area that may help me as i just cannot get under the car any more, all the garages around here to replace the engine oil.filter, change ird oil and do the diff oil want around £150 and simply cannot afford that

so going to keep searching to see if i can find someone local who doesnt want a lot of money to do this for me.

thans again for the advice and will update you as i go along as the noise vibration is driving me nuts and my main concern is if i keep using it could cause alot of damage as i dont know 100% what it is.

all the best

gary
 
Have you tried Kwikfit - oil change and filter is £34 so they won't charge much for the others - get the diff and IRD oil for them.
 
hiya

thanks buddy the last time i asked them they advised me they couldnt do it, but as your local one does it i could always get in touch with there head office to see what the nearest one is to me that does do it.

sorry to ask was is the best oil to get for the engine, ird and diff please

another thought is regarding this vibration could the wishbone bush's etc be at fault.

i know im clutching at straws but just a thought

going to get round to do the leak back test, still waiting for my tubing to come, got my rather large syringes, looks like they could be very painful

thanks again so much for all the great advice

all the best

gary
 
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