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2004 s60 steering wheel vibration when cold then ok

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Prokoppi
Posts: 13
Joined: 19 Jan 2014, 10:37
Year and Model: s60 2004
Location: Warsaw

Post by Prokoppi »

Hi. I have a Volvo S60 2.5T, 2004. The problem is when the car is longer (a few hours / night), and especially when it's cold, the first few minutes / km in the range of 90-100 km gently vibrates the steering wheel, and then stops. Nothing changes when braking, accelerating, driving in neutral or turning. Suspension checked. I suspect winter tires Kleber, but for now I have nothing to swap, to see, so in the meantime want to eliminate everything else. Where to find possibly the reasons for such behavior, and maybe this is normal? Which parts can be such temperature sensitive to cause vibration when cold? CV joints, axles, brakes?

jacobharding
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Post by jacobharding »

Change the air (when warm) in them for starters. If the tires were inflated during high humidity then the water will condensate and freeze inside of them during cold weather and throw them off balance until they warm up. You may end up having to remove the tires from the rims to get all the water out.
Yes, it sounds like an urban legend but I have had it happen.
I am not an expert mechanic, but I will attempt any repair. Worst case scenario is I screw it up worse than it was.

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Prokoppi
Posts: 13
Joined: 19 Jan 2014, 10:37
Year and Model: s60 2004
Location: Warsaw

Post by Prokoppi »

Thought about this, but i have +5 *C at least in garage during winter. But maybe next time I bring them to be balanced, tell them to inflate with nitrogen.

15Murft
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Joined: 25 Jan 2014, 18:28
Year and Model: S60 2008, S70 1998
Location: Hamburg, New York, USA

Post by 15Murft »

Could it be as simple as the tires developing a flat spot while cold and after a few rotations they go back to 'round' ? Does it happen in the summer months ?

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oragex
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Post by oragex »

if axles bolts are tight, I would suspect a small issue with the transmission, until the fluid warms up

jimmy57
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Post by jimmy57 »

tires.
It is very common for tires to do this these days. Tires used to do this and tire companies changed some construction and materials and the issue went away. Lately some of the better performing tires once again have cold flat spotting. I put Yokahamas on my R wagon and they cold flat spot when it is below 25C/high 70s F.

Prokoppi
Posts: 13
Joined: 19 Jan 2014, 10:37
Year and Model: s60 2004
Location: Warsaw

Post by Prokoppi »

Car is today at the garage. They will check cv joints, brakes and tires after overnight parking. I will also put axle bolt from xc90 with rubber isolation.

JRL
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Post by JRL »

My vote is for mild flat spotting
This goes away after a few miles
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Prokoppi
Posts: 13
Joined: 19 Jan 2014, 10:37
Year and Model: s60 2004
Location: Warsaw

Post by Prokoppi »

Car checked. It is 99% right axle support with bearing, really bad shape. Tires do not flat spot in 2 hours :)

jimmy57
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Post by jimmy57 »

On days below -5C my tires flat spot if I park for an hour. The distance I must go for tires to normalize again is briefer than an overnight park but they still get bumpy.

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