Unfortunately, almost all car owners are sure that the vibration and runout of the steering wheel means only the need to balance the wheels. In fact, unbalanced wheels cause vibrations on the steering wheel.
Vibration problems can literally get you crazy. And even more than that - this malfunction tends to sneak up on an unsuspecting car owner unnoticed. And once, at some point, the steering wheel already hits very hard, vibrations are given to the whole body, the steering wheel hits during movement and in the process of braking. But the car owner is already used to these vibrations and is not in a hurry at the service station to fix the malfunction.
Well, those who are faced with this problem and want to deal with it should know the causes of these vibrations and beats on the steering wheel. In fact, there are a huge number of different reasons. Knowing the reasons, it is possible to easily eliminate the breakdown without significant costs and thus stop the vibration.
Diagnostic method
To conduct an accurate diagnosis, you need to operate the car in various modes. When driving on the highway at different speeds, you need to feel when the steering wheel hits while driving (braking). You should also remember at what speed vibrations begin and at what speed they end. It is recommended to check how the machine will behave during accelerations and during braking - the vibrations will disappear or amplify.
Imbalance due to snow and mud
This is one of the most popular and most likely reasons why there is a beating on the steering wheel. Vibrations can suddenly appear and also stop after acceleration. It is very easy to see the dirt on modern alloy wheels, but in the case of stamped steel it is already difficult. They have too small ventilation openings, and a decorative cap can significantly interfere with normal viewing. If it hits the steering wheel, you should look for dirt on the inside of the stamped steel disc.
Heartbeats only at high speed: imbalance
Tires and rims are not perfect. They may be initially uneven or with a heterogeneous composition. Since the weight of tires and disks in places can be different, during rotation, it will pull the center of gravity towards itself. This is centrifugal force. When the wheel rotates at high speeds, this effort will necessarily be given through traction to the steering wheel.
To avoid such problems, it is necessary to balance the wheels after any replacement of wheels or rubber. The essence of this process is to equalize the mass of the wheel at each point using weights, which are glued to the inner or outer surface of the disk.
Operation of a car on which the wheels have poor balance over the long term can cause severe wear in some places of the tire. As a result, the tread after 15-20 thousand kilometers will be "bitten off" in places. Use such a tire or restore it makes no sense. The driver will feel that he hits the steering wheel even more when driving. Also, the suspension elements and the hub bearing wear out . All this entails costly repairs.
Symptoms of unbalanced wheels
The main signs of tires with imbalances are, of course, strong vibrations when driving at high speeds. For passenger cars, this speed is higher than 60 kilometers per hour. If the steering wheel hits hard when driving at speed, it is recommended to carefully examine the wheels - they should not have dents or other deformations on their surface. If the car owner did not catch large pits during movement, the tires do not have much wear, and there is vibration only on the steering wheel at the time of acceleration, then most likely the issue can be solved by simple balancing.
However, do not think that you can solve the situation only by balancing the front wheels. The problem of vibration can only be overcome if all four wheels are correctly balanced.
Deformation of discs or tires
At some points, if the steering wheel hits while driving, the reasons may be in the curved wheels. This problem can easily be identified by any qualified employee of a tire workshop after testing this wheel on a stand. He will definitely say so. It is important that the motorist himself be present during the test process and make sure that there is no problem.
However, if during the rotation, observing one point of the edge, it is clear that the wheel is bouncing, this is the first sign. It should be determined whether the disc jumps with the tire. If so, then the cause of the beats is the disk. If the latter does not jump, then the tire itself is damaged.
Most often, discs bend due to falling into road pits. This often happens in the spring. This can be determined even without the need to dismantle the wheel - just inspect the rim for dents. Be especially careful to look on the inside of the rim. Subjected to this most often are stamped steel discs.
But not only dents can provoke vibrations. The rim can be curved on its own - even at the stand it can rotate perfectly, and after installation on the car the owner will feel that it, for example, “Ford Focus” is hit by a steering wheel while driving. This phenomenon occurs due to the fact that the wheel is fixed on the stand along the central hole, and on the car through holes for nuts or bolts. Sometimes they do not provide the most even mounting. Yes, and the disk may not be smooth.
Worn or defective tires are also often the cause of beating on the steering wheel or vibrations throughout the body. Among the most common deformations are damaged cord, cones on the side walls, manufacturer’s marriage.
Inadequate wheel pressure
Sometimes, but rather rarely, the steering wheel beats while driving a VAZ or any other car due to incorrect air pressure in the tire. This is one of the simplest reasons and it is very easy to diagnose it, and it is not difficult to eliminate it.
Dangerous vibrations
This fault is one of a series of easily removable and easily diagnosed. Often hits the steering wheel while driving due to loosened fasteners of at least one of the wheels. The reason is actually very simple, but also very dangerous - if the wheel is unscrewed, the result will be disastrous.
As for auto repair, it will be quite expensive. If this reason is not noticed on time, the owner of the car will come to replace the brake discs, rims, hub elements. Vibrations in this case can occur at different speeds and even at very low speeds, and the cyclical pattern of beats is not always observed.
Tie rods
Very often the steering wheel hits hard when driving (including VAZ 2109) due to excessively worn tips, as well as strong working out on the steering rods. To find out whether this is so, it is necessary to check the tie rods themselves for any play. Then you need to ask the assistant to firmly hold the steering wheel with your hands and pull the steering rods in the car raised by the jack - there should be no free play on them.
If there is play or the thrust is completely loose, this is the reason for the beating. The part needs to be replaced, and after that - make the alignment.
Steering rack
Often hits the steering wheel when driving at any speed due to the very worn steering rack. If the wear is large, then the steering wheel play will increase. To eliminate this malfunction, it is recommended to tighten the clamping bolt on the rail.
Tighten until the steering wheel returns to the middle position when turning. Then, loosen the bolt approximately one side. After this operation, the heartbeat will decrease, and may completely disappear.
Ball bearings
This is one of the possible reasons. First of all, you need to make sure that there is no wheel play on the ball bearing. For diagnostics, the machine is lifted on a jack and a spherical support is mounted on a static support that is on the ground. In this case, the wheel should be slightly in the air. Then with one hand they take the wheel at the top, with the other - at the bottom, and stagger the wheel. If there is play, it means that the ball joint is worn out and needs to be replaced. After that, vibrations can also stop. If they stayed, you need to look further.
If the steering wheel beats while braking
When the car owner feels vibrations or beating only during braking, there is a great chance to believe that the problem lies with deformations or any other problems with the brake drum / disc.
Both of the above elements change their shape or become deformed due to high wear or overheating when the driver performed braking for a long time and quite strongly. Also, deformation occurs after strong braking, and then falling into a puddle - the disk overheated and cooled sharply. After such tests, the surface of the part will adopt a wavy structure. The drum will change its shape to oval. If the steering wheel beats while driving (VAZ 2114 is no exception), then the reason for this is the rough operation of the car. Repair is not possible in this situation, and only replacing a worn or deformed part will help fix the problem.
Vibrations and beats on the "top ten"
These cars are no different from other models and brands. If the steering wheel beats while driving the VAZ-2110, then the following malfunctions are the cause. Among them, brake pads can be distinguished, but this happens very rarely. And most often, after replacing the pads, the problem returns again. But check their condition will not be superfluous.
Among non-standard reasons, the hub may be the culprit of the vibrations. In this case, it is recommended to drill it on a lathe or directly on the car using special tools.
In addition, the cause of vibrations on the steering wheel or body may be a joint, which simply fell apart. In this case, the beats are felt during accelerations, and when the car is coasting, the vibrations disappear. At low speed, they are not at all. In addition to beats, a loud noise can also be heard.
Summary
It must be remembered that a car is a one-piece mechanism, where one malfunction can provoke a lot of other problems. If there is a beating on the steering wheel, you must immediately look for the cause and eliminate the malfunction. Riding with these vibrations is simply dangerous. As you can see, the problem is completely solvable. The main thing is to notice the symptoms in time and not delay in eliminating them.