Ford Fiesta (1995 - 1999) - 97 1.25 Vibration at speed/when braking

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Mon 6 Jul 2009 23:15
97 1.25 Vibration at speed/when braking - mookie
Hello everybody,

My car is:
Ford Fiesta
R Reg
75k miles
1.25 Zetec
Manual transmission

The trouble with it is there?s a vibration/juddering at high speed (60-70 mph), and also when braking from high speed. It doesn?t always happen at that speed but sometimes it does. It can be felt through the steering wheel. The problem isn?t apparent travelling at lower speeds (up to 50 mph), nor in braking from lower speed. Also there is no vibration from the steering during cornering at any speed.

However at low speeds there is a regular noise coming from the driver?s side front wheel that gets faster as speed increases. It?s like a short scraping/clicking. I?ve had the wheel off and seems to me like the brakes are binding a little when I spin the disc. There?s no play in the inner and outer cv joints.

My own diagnosis would be:
1. Wheel balance
2. Warped brake disk

Is there anything else that could be causing this?

Any tips would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
M
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Tue 7 Jul 2009 14:05
97 1.25 Vibration at speed/when braking - Roland T
I'd agree with your two possibilities, with the possible additionof a worn bearing as a third.
I felt judder from braking above 60 mph on my Fiesta of the same age and type. Measuring the run out on the brake disc with a dial guage confirmed warped discs and changing them solved the problem. Factor discs are very cheap for this model, so you needn't spend a lot if you don't want to.
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Tue 7 Jul 2009 18:00
97 1.25 Vibration at speed/when braking - Peter.N.
I would also check your tyres for being 'out of round', jack up one wheel at a time and rotate the wheel, observing the gap between the tyre and the road.
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Wed 8 Jul 2009 12:06
97 1.25 Vibration at speed/when braking - mookie
Many thanks for the replies, I'll get the wheel off again and check the discs with a dial gauge then. The tyres are newish, but will investigate that too.

M
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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?