A couple of technical issues.....

[VsoundZ]

Hi everyone!

 

My beloved zed is poorly and I can't seem to diagnose the ailment. I've trawled the internet in search of some inspiration but can't seem to find a solution....

 

I'll try and explain the course of events so far in the hope that someone may have experienced similar issues and can offer some advice...

 

Ok, so I had the wheels powdercoated and some powdercoat was left on the mating surface of the wheels resulting in them not being 100% flat against the hub. This caused uneven wear on the discs. The mating face of the wheels were professionally tidied and the discs skimmed which initially solved the problem.

 

However, the vibration from the uneven wear on the discs had also caused the front drivers side bearing to give up, so I replaced both front bearings. A few months later I decided to puchase a new set of discs too so everything was new at the front end. I also replaced the old AP racing pads with some Brembo ones courtesy of Zmanalex.

 

Everything seemed ok for a while, but now the bearing sound is back. I'm reasonably confident that it's coming from the front as it is more noticable under braking, but I can't believe the bearing(s) would have gone again in such a short space of time and after only a couple of thousand miles although the other part of the problem (below) may indicate that it's a rear bearing causing the problem...i'm not sure.... There is no vibration under breaking at all.

 

The other part of the problem.....

 

The car has also developed a nasty tendency to wander at motorway speed to the point where I am constantly correcting the direction. It used to feel perfect and very planted like a typical zed does. Does a shot rear bearing affect the handling like this???

 

It's noticeable at about 80mph and especially under acceleration. It was particularly noticable when I overtook a lorry going up a hill from 30 to 70 when it was all over the place. It's difficult to descibe how the car handles at the moment - but you can't really feel the road. It's almost like that feeling when a car has just come off of ramps where the wheels have been off the ground and the suspension has yet to settle down to its normal position. It feels kind of light at the front end at speed...

 

I have recently had the rear tyres replaced. It had Nexans when I bought it which seemed fine and I have replaced them with some Yokos. The tyres are the correct size, although I have noticed that they are a Y rating rather than Z or ZR. I wouldn't have thought this would cause such a drastic change in handling to be honest, but I could be wrong. The fronts are Kumho Excsta sports - plenty of tread left an no uneven wear. These were replaced not long before the handling started to deteriorate, but the tyre shop advised me that the tyres were unlikely to cause the problem.

 

I had the tracking checked and the front end was spot on, the rear needed some minor adjustment, but was only just outside the limits. This hasn't fixed the problem either.....

 

That's pretty much where i'm at. If there are any Zed doctors who might be able to offer some help, it would be really appreciated otherwise I will have to go to the local Nissan dealership armed with the most slippery lube I can get my hands on....

 

Thanks....and sorry for the long post!

[drfeelgood73]

Hi, May not be relevant... but when i changed out all my sway bars, drop links and suspension bits and pieces, i had to take it about 50 mile to get it aligned .....i went for the 4 wheel laser alignment. Whilst i was driving it the car was all over the place to the point i was not wanting to go above 30. Roundabouts or bends were a complete nightmare thinking the back end was wanting to swap with the front, and constantly fighting the steering to keep straight.

 

After all was said and done, there was not much adjustment done to actually correct it, but what a difference it made.... i know most garages by me cant set up the adjustments properly even when they state 4 wheel alignment. Only 2 within 50 miles and a 3 week waiting time, so i had to book it in and plan the work round that.

 

The only other thing my limited knowledge could suggest is a knackered busch or bent arm somewhere.... hopefully someone else on here can give you more info....

[jumping350]

Have a quick check of your tyre pressures to and make sure they all match

[Ekona]

There's wheel alignment, and then there's wheel alignment. Alignments at the edges of the OEM settings will give massively different handling characteristics, so I'd be tempted to go somewhere else and have them check it out. It doesn't have to be a place with a laser alignment or Hunter rig, rather you'd pick a place based on how good the person is (I've seen more accurate settings done with some string than a laser setup, although it did take quite a bit longer!). Not sure where you are, but one of the specialists on here would be able to help you.

 

Mixed tyres won't help matters with regards to the road feeling odd and floaty, although I don't believe they're the cause of the issues you have here.

[Mopedmark]

It could be anything you have changed a lot of stuff reading the thread, this will make it harder to find the fault but first off you need to know if its front or rear, then game her out with a passenger and really have a good listen.You may be able to pick pick up on something, could be a wheel bearing though, happy hunting

[VsoundZ]

Thanks for the replies everyone. All food for thought.

 

Yep, it's a pain that so many things have been changed recently making is difficult to isolate the problem!

 

I had the alignment done at a Kwik-fit centre near me. It cost £90 for about 15 minutes work. They told me it was a 'state-of-the-art' set-up and I did think it was a quick affair so will try to find a decent 4 wheel laser alignment centre to get it done properly once i've checked the bushes.

 

As for bushes - that didn't even cross my mind. Definitely worth checking out as I have noticed (but forgot to mention in the original post) that when I reverse the car out of the garage and turning out to the right, there is a metalic clunk sound. It only happens once per reverse, but is almost like something very sold has moved. This could definitely be an issue with a bush I guess - time to get the jack out and take a look.

 

Thanks for the tips. I'll let you know when it's fixed and what the cause was....

[VsoundZ]

Hi everyone.

 

Popped down to Abbey this morning to talk about the above issues (didn't realise they were nearby!). Mark took it out for a test drive and identified the issue as being either the wrong rear tyres, knackered bushes and/or allignment problems. They popped it on the ramps, noticed the bushes had seen better days and were able to replace them there and then, in addition to properly re-alligning the car. Never go to Kwik-Fit for re-allignment - they don't know their arses from their elbows.

 

The Zed is now feeling loads better and goes in a straight line. The steering wheel is also central now, something mark noticed but I hadn't! I learned to avoid tyres that have a wide 'band' of tread going around them as these have a tendency to stick to any grooves in the tarmac or areas of the road that have been 'patchwork' resurfaced etc.

 

A fellow member of the forum was there to have similar work done, so it was good to have a chat about all things Zed whilst the work was being carried out.

 

Thanks for your all of your help!... now it's time to burn some fuel !!