Front Wheel Wobble

[Paul Gregory]

I took our P3 out for a run at the weekend, and then again on Monday evening. I've probably covered about 120 miles now and haven't encountered a single shimmey. Hopefully I have now cured the problem which I have to admit is a relief as it really isn't very nice when it does kick in.
Thanks for the comments about the wedges John. As Phil has mentioned this isn't actually relevant for a P3 as it has IFS with coil springs, but is a useful pointer for anyone with a P2 who encounters a similar problem.
With a bit of luck I'll be enjoying shimmey free motoring from now on.
Paul

[47p2]

Glad you have got the problem cured, now you can enjoy the car without worrying about the shimmy

It was after I posted the wedges I thought about the different suspension on the P3, but hopefully it may help someone.

I read your signature Paul ("Do you have anything which could be added to the RSR Library for the benefit of all members? Please let me know if you have.") and wondered just what does the library have. I know that it would not happen overnight but is there any chance that we could have a list on the forum so that members could see just exactly what is available

[Paul Gregory]

I recently found that my shimmy had started to come back, even though the car had only done relatively few miles (hundreds rather than thousands). Considering that it had been sitting idle, there shouldn't have been enough use to cause wear in components and that there wasn't sufficient time for rubber items to deteriorate I concluded that the only likely cause was the shock absorbers, which could have lost oil. On inspection they appeared damp. Last weekend I removed them so that I could check their fluid level - they are lever arm dampers on my P3 and cannot be topped up without removing them. I found that one still had a reasonable amount of oil in, though lower than it should have been, and the other was well down with relatively little left. I therefore topped them both up, and refitted them. There was again a marked improvement of ride from before I did this, and so far I have not had any shimmy problems. I haven't done that many miles yet, but I am confident that this will have been the problem. Looks like I'll have to do something about rebuilt shocks at some point, or just keep topping them up on a regular basis!
Regards
Paul

[lakesrally]

I just keep filling mine, regularly! Even when they are short of oil the car does not suffer from shimmy though, it's just very soft at the front, it come with age you know!