Corollas2019-23ToyotasTech

Search Corolland!

94 Dx Corolla Vibration Problem .... Please Help

by RAV4EVR, June 12, 2008



I have had my 1994 DX Corolla 5 speed (now 90k miles) since September last year and it is PERFECT except that it vibrates the most on RPM 1200. It does vibrate on higher RPMS too.

At idle it is very quiet and smooth.

This is when the car is parked in neutral so there is no transmission issue to my knowledge.

The car's engine is original and very sharp. Could it be the engine?

The previous owner put a clutch plate in it that was defective. I had that fixed and that took away a lot of vibration 4 months ago but some vibration STAYED.

The motor mounts (according to mechanics) were fine as I got checked a few months ago.

I decided (yesterday) to take the car to a level of perfection only a new car would have. I decided to ask the dealer to look into the minor vibration in my car and check the motor mounts (yesterday)

They looked at it and said there was NOTHING wrong. I came to pick the car up and it vibrated like crazy. It has been a nightmare since last night. I took the car back to the dealer this morning and told them to ask the mechanic to track his steps and see what he might have TOUCHED down there that increased the vibration.

IF they don't figure nothing out, I am going to take it upon myself and start chaning all its motor mounts one by one (one per month) for the next 6 months or so. It will cost me around 600 dollars but there is absolutely nothing else wrong with the car other than the D*** vibration.

I hate it when they say, "Oh it is an old car"... WELL.. whatever wore out, can be fixed. Find out and fix it. Don't give me the old car crap.

I am sick of this vibration and felt like crying like a little girl yesterday as I was very upset.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VIBRATION.........

The car does not SHAKE or anything. It feels like the engine is in direct contact with the body of the car so any vibration in the engine is directly getting transferred to the car's body and then to my seat and body. Because of vibration, different parts of the car vibrate.. i.e... the windshield washer box, the dash console or any part that is not extremely tight.

When I go over a hill.. right when I start coming down.. it is ecstasy because the vibration goes away..

I got a call from the dealer a few mins ago and they said that one of the motor mount BOLTS were loose and the mechanic TIGHTENED it and as a result I might have seen more vibration.. That motor mount is loosened now again and I am picking up the car..

He said that the motor mount costs 290 dollars and that might not really fix the problem.

I am going to pick the car now.....

DOES NOT HAVE "MOTOR MOUNTS" WRITTEN ALL OVER IT ???????

HELP !!!!!!

It is not right.. Just plain not right.

UPDATE...

The motor mount on the PASSENGER SIDE (right beside the washer fluid tank) had a rubber piece stuck in between the motor mount and where the engine gets bolts in to the motor mount piece itself. That was put back in there and the bolt not tightened very well.. now the vibration is much better.

They said that I can have somebody put a bigger piece of rubber put in there but they won't do it for me for legal reasons???

Anyway, I am thinking it is that motor mount $290.. Either I spend $290 and see if it fixes the problem or I leave everything the way it is now.. or try to get a bigger piece of rubber stuck in there to make it better.

NOW.. it is not like the 08 Corolla but I feel some minor vibration when accelerating which can be easily ignored...

IDEAS?

You could try replacing the motor mounts - but a word of warning, could make the problem worse. As the car gets older, and motor starts putting on miles, passenger cabin settles - the key resonant frequency that the original engineers worked on to try and quiet the car have also changed. Replacing the old mounts with new ones may cause a shift of frequencies and make the vibration worse. Then again, it could also shift it enough to quiet things down.

I would try to fit different materials between the original mounts (as they are still good) and the engine. Like you mentioned earlier - that piece of rubber closest to the engine - you can try and have someone make you or you can buy different rubber densities/materials and try and see if that helps. Might not even be related to the engine vibration and mounts - could be something else, like a fender moving around that is contributing to the vibration.

Try and localize where the vibration's source is - example, on my older project car - the vibration was so bad at off-idle speeds, it would shake the rearview mirror off its mount. I used pieces of sound deadening material (most audio shops carry this) and placed it on various body panels. Also jacked up slightly on the engine with a floor jack and some wood blocks to see where the vibration is coming from. Turned out - it was one of the fenders - put some felt pads under some of the fender bolts, sprayed some sound deadener on the inside of the fender (basically a heavy building undercoating) - vibration was completely gone.

In your case, since adjusting the one mount made an instant change - I would concentrate on that particular piece and see if you can reduce the vibration. In a sense, the dealership semi-screwing up the car pinpointed at one of the potential problem areas.

Bikeman982

The motor could be normal, but something inside - like the dash parts - could be vibrating.

Happens to my cars all the time. Even a soda can will rattle in the cupholder.

The center vents sometimes make a noise when they vibrate and just touching them stops the noise.

Don't waste your money trying to get new motor mounts - they may not be any better than the old ones.

There are only 4 motor mounts (three actually attach to the transaxle and one to the motor).

I have replaced entire engines and transaxles and the motor mounts (1993-1997 7th generation Corollas).

You may have to live with some noise (turn up the music!).



Topic List