Diesel vibration-a discussion.

[Mills2009]

I've always found our diesel vibration to be a little worse than I would have expected at idle, but it has got worse in the last 6 months or so. There is also a (within the last 6 months too) harsh resonance/vibration through the car when accelerating through 1800 to 2000 revs aswell.

I had put this down to it needing a new lower mount which I will sort in the new year at some point. It needs some sort of thermostat solution, although I haven't decided which yet. Probably OEM and I thought coupled with a fuel flush, all this might sort the problem. We'll see!

I too, will follow this with interest.

[HarryM1BYT]

By way of a base reference, I'll try and describe what little I notice in mine...

At tick over in my garage the diesel clatter is very audible, as I reverse out of the garage it becomes less so despite being surround by walls reflecting the noise. I have no noticeable vibration through the car body, none through the seat and just a small amount through the steering, if I grip it gently at tick over.

Pulling away, due to the low revs at which I drop the clutch, I can provoke some judder. When I first got the car, it had a much worse judder, due to the splitting OEM lower engine mount. It was much better once I had replaced that with a modified Mondeo mount.

At 1,000rpm, the clatter disappears completely and it feels no different to a petrol, apart from the torque. I have no regular buzz from the body work or its fittings, apart from when I bought it there was a buzz from the lock buttons, when locked. Unlocking whilst on the move cured that buzz, but I also added some rubber sleaving on the buttons, which fixed the buzz when locked.

Once moving, I find it quieter than petrol - the engine is almost inaudible and the exhaust is silent. All I can hear is tyre noise, with just enough of a hint of the engine noise sufficient to know what speed the engine is doing.

I doubt a passenger would even know it was a diesel once on the move.

Apart from the Synergy, everything is standard and its a manual.

I understand the early models had an extra damping weight fitted to the steering wheel, but I see no need for one on mine. I also understand that rebalancing the injectors via T4 can also make a difference to the vibration at tick over.

[wuzerk]

Harry: I have fitted the steering wheel damper which made no discernible difference. The wheel still vibrates strongly along with the seats!
Are you aware of a way of checking the compression pressures on a diesel?
The injectors have been rebuilt,balanced, and rated as good on a T4.
I have reached the conclusion that I should ask those who have little vibration on their diesels to state if they are auto or manual as you have done because it could be confined to automatics.
So far I have:
AUTOS.
TIMG
Myself
MILLS2009...........all with too much vibration.

MANUALS.
HARRY.................no complaints.

UNKNOWN.
MARK2000cc
HOWEY

I will definitely see if disconnecting the auto gear selector cable makes a difference. The vibrating engine/gearbox is, after all, connected to the centre console via that cable.

HOWEY: I have been using 2 stroke for a couple of years and the injectors have been rebuilt and balanced.

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by wuzerk

Harry: I have fitted the steering wheel damper which made no discernible difference. The wheel still vibrates strongly along with the seats!
Are you aware of a way of checking the compression pressures on a diesel?

There tends to be more vibration in an auto, when its in D, have you tried N?

I have not heard of a method, but i would guess at it being a matter of taking out a glow plug or an injector.

[shiner]

Originally Posted by wuzerk

Harry: I have fitted the steering wheel damper which made no discernible difference. The wheel still vibrates strongly along with the seats!
Are you aware of a way of checking the compression pressures on a diesel?
The injectors have been rebuilt,balanced, and rated as good on a T4.
I have reached the conclusion that I should ask those who have little vibration on their diesels to state if they are auto or manual as you have done because it could be confined to automatics.
So far I have:
AUTOS.
TIMG
Myself
MILLS2009...........all with too much vibration.

MANUALS.
HARRY.................no complaints.

UNKNOWN.
MARK2000cc
HOWEY

I will definitely see if disconnecting the auto gear selector cable makes a difference. The vibrating engine/gearbox is, after all, connected to the centre console via that cable.

HOWEY: I have been using 2 stroke for a couple of years and the injectors have been rebuilt and balanced.

Now , to add I have had 3 cdt autos , non with severe vibration, 1 had mild vibration.
Have also had 3 manuals , the one I have currently is awful on the vibration.
So manual- awful vibration , through the seats , steering , lift of idle it's perfect.
Also recently fitted a new clutch , and the DMF was well within spec .
It is however worse since the cat has been removed , still only at idle , so also feel it's engine related.
Checked it out on t4 , injectors as close to perfect as possible and maf working , good fuel pressure , nothing wrong to find.
Think it's possibly an issue connected with the exhaust , going to try it disconnected when I get a chance to see if the vibe stops

[spyder]

I have been following this thread with interest, as I have other Wuserk threads on the same subject, here are my views/findings.

Mine is a 02 tourer Auto (155000 Mls) with all the little changes one can do to the diesel from cat to 160. The car really goes very well though the range with no hesitation or smoke (unless I really floor it). It has had two T4 sessions, both indicating that my injectors are well with-in spec. It idles at +/- 780 and in drive at stand-still is really too rough in my opinion.

Ford (new) lower engine mount. Made a huge difference to start with.
New UB fuel pump. -No difference.#
2 stroke oil - there does seem to be a difference in the morning especially.
The crank pulley seems to be OK but this is my next step.
The vibration is definitely worse when it is cold.
It improves after a nice long run.
My drivers side upper engine mount does seem to have a bit of play in it ?
I notice a slight thunk/clunk when switching off and the bonnet is open, it is possible that a pipe or something is touching the body somewhere and transmitting the vibration into the cabin, but have yet to find it.

Although smooth when driving on the freeway and no engine/exhaust noise to speak of, my 75 is a rough as my 1999 Kia 2.9 diesel on idle and that is an old school direct injection with a mechanical pump.....

I will continue to play with odds and end to try and get it as smooth as I know it can be. The auto cable sound interesting though.

Craig

[tourer]

Originally Posted by wuzerk

Harry: I have fitted the steering wheel damper which made no discernible difference. The wheel still vibrates strongly along with the seats!
Are you aware of a way of checking the compression pressures on a diesel?
The injectors have been rebuilt,balanced, and rated as good on a T4.
I have reached the conclusion that I should ask those who have little vibration on their diesels to state if they are auto or manual as you have done because it could be confined to automatics.
So far I have:
AUTOS.
TIMG
Myself
MILLS2009...........all with too much vibration.

MANUALS.
HARRY.................no complaints.

UNKNOWN.
MARK2000cc
HOWEY

I will definitely see if disconnecting the auto gear selector cable makes a difference. The vibrating engine/gearbox is, after all, connected to the centre console via that cable.

HOWEY: I have been using 2 stroke for a couple of years and the injectors have been rebuilt and balanced.

Mine is an auto. Vibrates only through the steering wheel at tick-over, but to such an extent it makes a horrible droning noise. Can be stopped by holding steering wheel. Worse in drive, as Harry said.
It started at 6 months old, just as MG-Rover went belly up.
Have used Millers fuel additive or 2 Stroke oil for ages, makes no difference.
It would be interesting to learn if anyone complained under warranty, when MG-Rover were in business, and what action they took.

[Ennine]

When I read this thread yesterday It made me consider what (if any) the vibration was like on my own 75. I can honestly say I have never noticed anything unusual in that respect so decided to pay particular attention to it today. Vibration at tickover through the wheel is negligible and certainly no more than any other diesel I have owned and I would argue less, in fact that my Mondeo (spit). Mine is an 04 Facelift auto tourer.
I don't know if this is worth a try and if it's a bad idea I'm sure someone will jump in and put me right but have you considered a carefully placed block in various(solid) locations under the engine/box and just taking a little weight off the engine with a gentle jack lift. This may help to pinpoint/eliminate the general area of the cause. Of course, it may tell you nothing.

N

[James.uk]

My car did vibrate, but altering the Synergy settings cured it. Maybe mine was down to harmonics.

My steering wheel (fully extended) will vibrate a bit after a while unless I rest my hand on it, so I rest my hand on it innit... My car is an auto..

No vibration at all on my ZX diesel auto. The whole car gently shakes in unison with the engine when stationary..
...

[fredwrussell]

Just had Hydromount changed on mine, made a world of difference runs much smoother now, not easily noticeable that had gone but was torn massively once removed!
???????