Possible causes of vibration between 50 and 60mph

[D10m]

Looking at an Espace 1994 RT 2.1 TD with the following symptoms:-

"The tyres have legal tread but I think the front ones will need replacing for the next mot. I also think a wheel is out of balance, I sometimes have a vibration between 50 and 60. The speedo cable is sometimes a bit noisy but it works fine."

Any other suggestions if a simple balancing proves ineffective and what to look at to decide if the problem is more serious. Seems odd that for peanuts the tyres could be balanced.

Mark

[Elmo the Espace]

Hi Mark.
If a wheel is out of balance, depending on how bad it is you will feel the vehicle wobble at certain speeds.
My first espace had a vibration between 35 and 40 mph which turned out to be a drive shaft and front wheel bearing.
Unfourtunatly its one of those problems which can take a bit of time with the vehicle to sort out if you suspect the wheels and balancing try putting the spare on each hub intern also check the front radius arm bushes as they do split
The speedo cables if incorrectly routed can get heat damage from the exhaust, which can make them noisy but if your speedo does not jump i would leave it well alone.
I perfer the older Espaces to the newer 1997 ones they are more reliable and easyer to work on. Although i have only worked on the diesel ones and owned 4 petrol 2.0i's.
I hope this helps
Chris

[Lennart Sorth]

I also think a wheel is out of balance

That could easily account for the vibration.

Also check the wheels carefully - I came across one the other day on my neighbors Mercedes which were perfectly round, had 4-5 mm thread left, but there was a large area where the bottom of the thread was bulging outwards, making a patch on the wheel with almost no thread at all. This caused  the car to sway at 20-30mph.

Speedo cable is fairly easy to replace (you just need an extra joint below your elbow, but what's new? :-) ) , but I remember having a tremendous problem getting it off the wheel end, as the tap had corroded.

PS: Personally I would never try to save money on tyres - 4 of the best you can find is a lot cheaper than your joy of driving, or even your life.

/Lennart