Help! Any Super Technical People - VERY strange issue

[-J-]

Symptoms:

Driving 'normally' the car is fine, not one issue.

As soon as you put your foot down to accelerate the whole car shakes, it feels the wheel on the nearside front is badly unbalanced, however the car has been checked and the wheels are all balanced fine.

Now the vibration is only there when the car is under load, if you put the car up on a ramp with the wheels off the floor you can accelerate up to 90mph+ without a single wobble! So the issue seems to be torque related.

So far the car has had Replaced / Checked :

Engine Mounts - All Ok (Vibra Technics less than 6 months old)
Engine Mount bolts - All Ok (Not snapped)
Both Drive Shafts - All Ok (Both replaced)
Wheel Balance - All Ok
Brake Rotas - All Ok
Clutch - New
Fly Wheel - Visually all ok and all Dowls Present

Have any of you Super Technical bunch ever come across this issue before? If so do you have any further suggestions?

I'm at the stage now where I just want to chuck a match in the car with a gallon of unleaded

 

[Nickson]

I seem to be getting the same symptoms as you J!
Doesn't sound as bad in my case though.
Hopefully someone will come up with something

 

[Gray]

Did fit new Renault driveshafts?

 

[-J-]

Did fit new Renault driveshafts?

Yes, Drive shafts supplied through Main Dealer.

 

[Silent_Scone]

could it be a trackrod or something daft like that?

 

[Gray]

it all sounds driveshaft related to me.... but with them being so new, sounds a strange one hmmmm

Brand new, or refurbs?

 

[-J-]

could it be a trackrod or something daft like that?

I would think a trackrod going would create an issue constantly rather than only when under load.

I forgot to mention the car has 2 x new Ball Joints fitted when it was MOT'ed in Feb 11.

 

[Fred@BTM]

new new or service exhange pikey refurb new??

 

[Silent_Scone]

I would of said driveshaft too but for the same reasons. Went out in a ph1 with knackered shafts the other month and it's a really, really ugly vibration

Probably best to just get it to a specialist (Speak of the devil lol)

 

[-J-]

new new or service exhange pikey refurb new??

New New AFAIK Renault have stopped doing the Exchange ones.... Issue was exactly the same before and after the shafts were done.

 

[-J-]

Probably best to just get it to a specialist (Speak of the devil lol)

All In hand, but everyone so far is stumped, Even Renault dealer has looked and cant find anything! (Although I suspect they didnt try very hard)

 

[Jonny1*2]

are you 100% they gave you the correct DS? I remember Jay/Tony having issues with the wrong length being supplied.

 

[-J-]

Yes... 100% sure, they were double checked - Just incase people are reading the above incorrectly....

The issue was there BEFORE the shafts were fitted. The shafts were only fitted to try and resolve the issue - They didn't!

 

[Russ_16v]

J, just to check - it is only under hard acceleration?

So if you drove normally can you feel it?

Was it a gradual thing or did it happen suddenly?

I think it's going to be something fairly simple, my new one does it a little but only under full throttle - feels like mounts to me but iv not had time to check yet.

 

[sideways danny]

it's noteworthy that the wobble went away for a good 5 miles of driving when i changed the long shaft, then came back again. I think it's diff related, of possibly wear on the output splines to the long shaft

 

[-J-]

J, just to check - it is only under hard acceleration?

So if you drove normally can you feel it?

Was it a gradual thing or did it happen suddenly?

I think it's going to be something fairly simple, my new one does it a little but only under full throttle - feels like mounts to me but iv not had time to check yet.

Normally - No you cant

Happened suddenly, out for the day driving normally, dropped the Mrs off and went into 'Just me driving mode' and the wobble was there!

Well I am about to bite the bullet and stick a new Box in, for the love of god I hope it fixes the issue!

 

[mw51/bl172]

suspension/ top mount related? reason i say this is because obviously when the car is in the air no weight on the suspension?? hope u get it sorted!!

 

[Russ_16v]

Nothing silly like the 3 legged mount cracked under the box mount mate? Mate a wobble when I cracked mine

 

[-J-]

suspension/ top mount related? reason i say this is because obviously when the car is in the air no weight on the suspension?? hope u get it sorted!!

Hi Dave Not Top mounts as I have those AST Solid ones on and there is no movement in them

 

[-J-]

Nothing silly like the 3 legged mount cracked under the box mount mate? Mate a wobble when I cracked mine

Unfortunately not as simple as that...

My moneys on it being Diff related now, just priced a new box from Renault at £863+ VAT Ouch! A rebuild of a 'old' box is possible, but I'm not sure its worth the risk as a rebuild wont involve replacing the Diff.

 

[Russ_16v]

Hub wear?

 

[-J-]

Would hub Wear not show up when the car was up on the ramp being run up to speed? Also would it not be apparent at any speed even when not accelerating.

 

[daddycool]

i hate problems like this. i got one at the moment (but different to yours). it's almost worth getting hold of another clio with a blown engine on the cheap, then you can just swap parts as you wish until you isolate the problem.

 

[Russ_16v]

IMO not ness, if there was slight wear on the splines it may not show itself until under heavy load (ie full throttle) with the weight of the car on it. Iv had that issue before, not on a Clio mind, on a VW but just thinking out loud for you really mate

 

[daddycool]

Would hub Wear not show up when the car was up on the ramp being run up to speed? Also would it not be apparent at any speed even when not accelerating.

i wouldn't have thought so. diffs at a different angle, different speeds, loads, etc

i agree with danny (seeing as he knows more than me). seriously though, my first thought when i read the first line was driveshaft related, either on the box, the shafts or the hubs. you've done the shafts, i would look at the hubs before doing the box.

 

[-J-]

I am at the stage where i think pretty much everything has been checked / replaced that could cause the issue now, Ill check and see if the hubs were checked for Wear but I am sure they will have been, i have full confidence in the garage its in

Really all that is left (Bar confirming the hubs have been checked) is the box, all i can say is thank god I love my little french box and dont intend on selling it as the money I am having to plow into it to solve this issue is eye watering!

 

[Russ_16v]

I can imagine mate - just one further thing, are the mounts adjusted right? I had a right night mare with mine, just wondering if one has slipped slightly - from what Danny has said I doubt it, but again im just throwing ideas around

 

[daddycool]

dont intend on selling it as the money I am having to plow into it to solve this issue is eye watering!

i know what you mean:

172 cup - £1950
gearbox - £750
steering rack - £550
not selling it at a pisstaking loss- priceless

 

[-J-]

The mounts had been on for a good 4 months before the issue started, and they have been taken off and checked as part of the process of solving this issue, so all appear to be ok there

 

[-J-]

i know what you mean:

172 cup - £1950
gearbox - £750
steering rack - £550
not selling it at a pisstaking loss- priceless

LOL Apart from being very difficult to replace like for like with mine being a silver one, but your right!

The cars get under your skin though and bang for buck there is little out there as good as the cup IMO

I think ill end up being buried when I die in mine.

I just liken it to the other half.... Great when its on full chat and everything running smoothly, but costs a fortune and gives you a real headache when 'you have to fix something'

 

[Maccy]

Tracking/wheel alignment?

 

[-J-]

Tracking/wheel alignment?

Nope, that was all done at BlackBoots over in Chesham who are very highly regarded so Im happy thats all ok (I had it adjusted from the last time they did it as i asked them to dial in some camber and was munching tyres every few Thousand miles )

 

[Dunn]

if its not the driveshafts then its the diff im betting my money on.

 

[-J-]

2 quick questions,

Do the Clio engines run Balance Shafts?

Is the Fly Wheel a Dual Mass or a Solid ?

 

[Gt rob]

get a quaife atb diff

 

[-J-]

get a quaife atb diff

After the money I have spend / am spending to fix the issue a LSD of any type is not very high on my list of things to spend cash on I'm gonna be paying the current bill and the cost of a new box of for the next few months!

 

[Russ_16v]

2 quick questions,

Do the Clio engines run Balance Shafts?

Is the Fly Wheel a Dual Mass or a Solid ?

driveshafts are unequal lengths mate, and single mass

 

[Gray]

Don't buy a new box if that is the fault!! That would be crazy..

Agency transmission services can rebuild it for £275

 

[-J-]

Don't buy a new box if that is the fault!! That would be crazy..

Agency transmission services can rebuild it for £275

I believe they can yes, but... If it's the diff that's gone that's not part of the rebuild and apparently the diff on it's own is a fair wack of money, so I'm wondering, take box out, rebuild put back in and find the diff has gone box back out buy diff fit then refit box Vs new box containing diff and all put in?

I need a chat with the garage tomorrow to work out options, costs and what's easiest / best most cost effective etc

 

[-J-]

driveshafts are unequal lengths mate, and single mass

Cheers Russ I presume a solid fly is a single mass?

By Balance shaft I mean one of these like on some of the 4 cyl BMW engines

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance_shaft