Whole car shake

vetnurse1 · 24-02-13, 05:36 PM

My 1986 coupe quattro has developed an intermittent violent shake which can occur on longer trips on long straight roads. It comes on at 55mph and I have to drop to 35 and stay on that to make it stop and prevent it coming back on again. If I try to drive through it, the whole car shakes violently and I lose power. It starts with a wheel judder and develops so that I feel it under my seat and the whole car then rattles - scary! It doesnt happen every trip out and of course wouldn't do it when I took hubby out to show him though we could feel a very mild brief occurrence there once. Wheel balance and tyres are fine so must be something underneath. Any ideas please where to check first to save time wasting?! Thanks.

4v6 · 24-02-13, 06:09 PM

You need to get the car up in the air and take a good look around under it, theres something obviously very wrong for it to be that extreme and driving it could create a dangerous situation so definitely get it up and have a look underside.

Are the hub nuts tight? Maybe a driveshaft balance issue, flywheel/clutch maybe...... hard to say without seeing it but deffoo needs urgent attention.

BIGGYIN · 24-02-13, 06:13 PM

Prop shaft?

john johnson · 24-02-13, 06:19 PM

As above or the bearing

martinws · 24-02-13, 06:56 PM

My car did this recently and.it was the o/s ball joint had came loose where it bolts to the wish bone. It would be really violent and shit scary. It happened about 3 times on a ongoing run and after that I stripped the car down for new bits and found that's what ir was.

rtz62 · 24-02-13, 07:06 PM

As said previously, don't drive it until its been up in a lift; it could be the prop, joint, sheared engine mount.
Until you check (and it should be pretty evident) you would be stabbing in the dark.
Have an accident and plod will be down on you like a ton of bricks if the Vehicle Examiners get involved.

4v6 · 24-02-13, 07:08 PM

Duh! Didnt read the coupe quattro part thought it was a gt....yeah id go for prop shaft on that.
I remember seeing russell brookes mantaon a video loose the prop it shook the bloody car to bits.

missfire · 24-02-13, 10:40 PM

Yip! Universal joint just about to let go by the sound of it! My van did this mildly last year, but very mildly. Dangerous.

vetnurse1 · 12-03-13, 04:08 PM

Thanks everyone-warnings duly noted and I knew it wasnt good news, but just thought I'd see if anyone had a similar eperience. We had her up on the lift today at hubbys work and did a thorough search. I had money on a universal joint, but there was nothing obvious to see. On turning the rear wheels we could hear it is likely the bearings in the diff which was also devoid of oil, so will have to look inot getting a reconditioned diff or find someone with the confidence to recondition hers and get it right. Hubby says he can do the bearings but not confident on getting it as precise as it should be apparently. Any ideas who or where to go now please??!

24-02-13, 06:13 PM	#3
BIGGYIN 4 ring whore! Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Merseyside Posts: 7,976	Not,good. Prop shaft? __________________ q90 B2 Type 85 - q90 B2 Type 85-PROJECT-ABY 20vt KARL. Injection is nice but I'd rather be blown

24-02-13, 06:19 PM	#4
john johnson Moderator of sausages Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sheffield Posts: 13,331	As above or the bearing __________________ Mr OCD http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t144/jsquatts/ Daily rs4 b7 with buckets that play havoc with my piles And if you are reading this as James may would say ' you're a cock '

24-02-13, 06:09 PM	#2
4v6 Ex Member Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 5,565	You need to get the car up in the air and take a good look around under it, theres something obviously very wrong for it to be that extreme and driving it could create a dangerous situation so definitely get it up and have a look underside. Are the hub nuts tight? Maybe a driveshaft balance issue, flywheel/clutch maybe...... hard to say without seeing it but deffoo needs urgent attention.

24-02-13, 06:56 PM	#5
martinws Grown up member Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Johnstone Posts: 723	My car did this recently and.it was the o/s ball joint had came loose where it bolts to the wish bone. It would be really violent and shit scary. It happened about 3 times on a ongoing run and after that I stripped the car down for new bits and found that's what ir was.

24-02-13, 07:06 PM	#6
rtz62 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 1,527	As said previously, don't drive it until its been up in a lift; it could be the prop, joint, sheared engine mount. Until you check (and it should be pretty evident) you would be stabbing in the dark. Have an accident and plod will be down on you like a ton of bricks if the Vehicle Examiners get involved.

24-02-13, 07:08 PM	#7
4v6 Ex Member Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 5,565	Duh! Didnt read the coupe quattro part thought it was a gt....yeah id go for prop shaft on that. I remember seeing russell brookes mantaon a video loose the prop it shook the bloody car to bits.

24-02-13, 10:40 PM	#8
missfire making wooden things Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: cow land Posts: 8,156	Yip! Universal joint just about to let go by the sound of it! My van did this mildly last year, but very mildly. Dangerous.

12-03-13, 04:08 PM	#9
vetnurse1 Grown up member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Norfolk Posts: 45	Thanks everyone-warnings duly noted and I knew it wasnt good news, but just thought I'd see if anyone had a similar eperience. We had her up on the lift today at hubbys work and did a thorough search. I had money on a universal joint, but there was nothing obvious to see. On turning the rear wheels we could hear it is likely the bearings in the diff which was also devoid of oil, so will have to look inot getting a reconditioned diff or find someone with the confidence to recondition hers and get it right. Hubby says he can do the bearings but not confident on getting it as precise as it should be apparently. Any ideas who or where to go now please??!