Minty91GXE

iTrader: (3)

'91 GXE AT

In Drive, the whole car seems to vibrate, becomes much stronger when i turn the wheel left or right. Disappears when in neutral or park (not engaged). Also its totally unapparent when moving at least 5 mph.

did a bunch of searchs and came up with three possible issues:

= air in the brake lines - so I bled and nothing happened.
= throttle body needs cleaning - not ready to replace gaskets for this yet
= alternator freaking out - not unlikely, but why would turning the wheel
aggravate the shaking?

my original guess was a worn axle, but i came up with no results about that.

now i got two messed up 3rd gens!

ke5adb

Ok, if it does it while you're moving, Wheel bearings? Jack up the front of the car, grab the tire and try to move it up and down. If it moves, it's either a wheel bearing, or a balljoint. If it shakes side to side, its probably a tie rod end. My money is on the wheel bearing. If it does it while you're not moving, I'd say either maybe a motor or tranny mount, or something with the power steering. Good luck.

yelowd

Does it shake a little bit when pulling away from the stop? If so, you might want to look at your engine mounts.

yelowd

To be more specific. When in drive w/ the brakes on, pulling away from a stop, or stomping on it at speed; the most torque will be applied to the engine mounts. Once going the engine does not pull away from the mount as much. You may also find engine mount problems if you notice it while accelerating through a turn. A friend had a camry with the same symptoms and it was a broken mount. Worth a look. Hope that helps.

Minty91GXE

iTrader: (3)

thanks yelowd and ke5
y - i just refilled the motor mounts with shore 80 polyurethane, so that would be impossible. they are super-solid now.
i'll try the wheel bearing thing and get back to this post - so many posts get left incomplete, they are so useless when searching!
thanks guys
t

ke5adb

How long after you changed your mounts did you discover the shaking. You don't think that maybe if the new mounts were harder, it would transmit more vibration through the car, do you. I know when I put solid mounts in my dodge pickup, it brought on a whole new bunch of weird noises, but it was worth not having to mess the mounts ever again.

Minty91GXE

iTrader: (3)

i thought about that... but i dont see why there would be more vibration when in drive than neutral - its basically non-existant when i'm not stopped and in drive. and the vibration is pretty severe, its really unpleasant. i dont think a little mostly-insulating polyurethane could be causing such a violent shake. and i no longer think it's the wheel bearings... only shakes when almost or entirely stopped. thanks for your thoughts

ke5adb

How does it drive down the road, and does the motor run smooth when driving?

mike92

My max presented a shaking issue about a month ago. It was a vacuum leak what was causing the vibrations when engaged in drive or reverse and brakes applied. Check all hoses for vacuum leaks, and the intake pipe gaskets (one of those was totally worn and that was the problem). If that doesn’t help, try cleaning the throttle body. If that doesn’t help, try cleaning the IACV.
Are the rpm’s in the correct range when the car is shaking?

ke5adb

The only thing I can think, is say it idles at 600 rpms. Then you put it in drive and it pulls it down to 500. Then when you turn the wheel, it pulls it down lower. Almost like you're driving a standard and not giving it any gas where it pulls the revs down to where the motor is trying to run. Kinda hard to explain.
What does it idle at? what does it idle at in gear? And finally, what does it idle at in gear while you turn the wheel.
Another idea might be, if your brake booster is leaking, is it causing a vacuum leak when your foot is on the brake. Motors don't like to run under a load with a vacuum leak. Sorry for the long rant, just trying to jog my brain, and maybe help you come up with some more stuff to try.

ke5adb

I think mike and me are thinking on the same path.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Have you checked for a miss?

Minty91GXE

iTrader: (3)

it idles really smooth when not in gear, almost cant hear the engine. i don't think there is a miss but i will keep that in mind. its really cold out there now
-under a greater electrical load, (high beams) the vibration increases.
-turning the wheel also increases the vibration and drops the rpm slightly. as i turn the wheel straight again, the rpm climbs back up and vibration dies down a little. but it is always there as long as i am in drive and braking.
-in drive the rpm with brakes applied is about 600. seems a little low.

yelowd

hmmm...

Minty - do you have a vacuum test guage? If not, they're real handy to have and pretty cheap at a local parts store. It seems like you'll be doing a lot of work on cars, if you want to check vacuum, that is the easiest way.-- Keep in mind a vacuum leak would be felt most under load. When driving, what does the car do when you stomp on it or go up a hill? Have you noticed any differences when driving?

Minty91GXE

iTrader: (3)

haha! you can call me tom. for some reason when I signed up, I didn't realize i'd be referred to as minty. sounds pretty funny
i'll definitely pick up a vacuum gauge, i love getting new car tools, though my fav. will always be the cheater bar.
as for the car while in motion... not really any difference at all... maybe a slight drop in power/mpg... a little less responsive. the car is really in good shape inside and out, totally clean all over... almost no visible wear even in the engine bay. BUT this was its first real winter (from TX and GA)... and i wouldnt be suprised to see a vacuum leak. never done that so i'll have to read up, then i'll check it out and let you know. thanks for the advice
tom

sara92max

Had the same problem.....I advanced the timing just a hair and it seemed to go away......

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

check your alternators AMPERAGE output.
it may be insufficient and causeing the engine problems

maximapitko

I can bet that it's a fuel injector. I had the same problem on my car-drove smooth and everything but when at the stop light it would shake a little plus I could feel that the engine was not as powerful. Just try unpluging plug wires one by one while the engine is running. Also, start with cylinder "2" cause this is the one to always go first. Remember to wear gloves or something in order not to get shocked while testing. Let us know...