1996 Camry - vibration at idle
#1
12-01-2010, 08:46 PM
1996 Camry - vibration at idle
I have read different places on the web saying that it's a "known problem" that Camrys have a vibration at idle. I have the 2.2L 4 cylinder 1996 Camry. I bought it with 120K miles, and it now has 243K miles. It has *always* had a vibration at idle. My mechanic is Toyota certified, used to work at a Toyota dealer, and he doesn't know what causes it.
So if it's a known problem, what causes it exactly? Is there any way to get rid of it?
The vibration is worst in Drive sitting still with my foot on the brake. If it annoys a passenger, I slip it into neutral and it's almost completely gone.
So if it's a known problem, what causes it exactly? Is there any way to get rid of it?
The vibration is worst in Drive sitting still with my foot on the brake. If it annoys a passenger, I slip it into neutral and it's almost completely gone.
#2
12-02-2010, 11:36 AM
Worn motor mounts can cause the vibration to increase over time.
You might look at the upper dog bone engine mount and determine what size it is. Sometime after 1995, Toyota increased the size of the mount donut to decrease vibration. If the engine is still using the small donut the mount can be changed over to the larger one.
Make sure the engine is idling within the correct RPM range and is adjusting to the engine load, such as A/C, trans in Drive, etc.
The trans being in Drive places a load on the engine and causes the RPM to drop which increases the tendency to vibrate.
My guess is at lower idle RPM's all 4 cylinder engine have a tendency to vibrate even with counter balance shafts. This is the nature of a 4 cylinder inline engine.
Toyota tries to design the engine mounts to isolate the vibration from the chassis.
You might look at the upper dog bone engine mount and determine what size it is. Sometime after 1995, Toyota increased the size of the mount donut to decrease vibration. If the engine is still using the small donut the mount can be changed over to the larger one.
Make sure the engine is idling within the correct RPM range and is adjusting to the engine load, such as A/C, trans in Drive, etc.
The trans being in Drive places a load on the engine and causes the RPM to drop which increases the tendency to vibrate.
My guess is at lower idle RPM's all 4 cylinder engine have a tendency to vibrate even with counter balance shafts. This is the nature of a 4 cylinder inline engine.
Toyota tries to design the engine mounts to isolate the vibration from the chassis.
#4
02-05-2011, 05:58 PM
may be time to do a good "house cleaning" on alot of things like I did...
with age and high miles, things get clogged and worn on these old Camry's..
My 93 Camry has 280K and the list below is everything I've done to keep it running as smooth as it can aside from a normal tune-up...also to avoid having a "new" car payment!
I also replaced the dogbone mount, helped a bit but not as much as doing these things listed below...
O2 sensor
coolant temperature sensor
distributer cap and rotor
spark plug wires (wear out with age)
cleaned the EGR valve and vacuum inlet
cleaned the IAC valve with just spraying car cleaner into it while running
replace all vacuum line hoses that are anywhere part of the throttle body
cleaned the injectors with the Sea Foam method. easy to do..
cleaned the throttle body and vacuum line connections with carb cleaner
all these parts and cleaners should cost no more than about $130 total. If you can do alot of these things yourself, total time would take about 3 hours and you'll have the car running great in an afternoon...
I didn't know how to clean the EGR, IAC, TB or alot of those things. but there are alot of posts explained how easy it is to do each of these yourself and save money with minimal tools required.
there are alot of how-to-do posts with pics on the internet for doing alot of these things I mentioned.
I even went as far as replacing the distributer coil. it's inside the distributer, unlike old chevy's where it was like replacing an air filter. found a post on the internet with pictures, made step-by-step notes and did it myself...the pictures made it look easy. but, a bit scary seeing the car with the complete distrubuter removed before removing the old coil! but, had all the parts needed and completed it in about an hour...replacing the old coil did make a little difference in the performance. Afterwards, it ran like the similar feel of changing out the spark plugs to new ones.....
with age and high miles, things get clogged and worn on these old Camry's..
My 93 Camry has 280K and the list below is everything I've done to keep it running as smooth as it can aside from a normal tune-up...also to avoid having a "new" car payment!
I also replaced the dogbone mount, helped a bit but not as much as doing these things listed below...
O2 sensor
coolant temperature sensor
distributer cap and rotor
spark plug wires (wear out with age)
cleaned the EGR valve and vacuum inlet
cleaned the IAC valve with just spraying car cleaner into it while running
replace all vacuum line hoses that are anywhere part of the throttle body
cleaned the injectors with the Sea Foam method. easy to do..
cleaned the throttle body and vacuum line connections with carb cleaner
all these parts and cleaners should cost no more than about $130 total. If you can do alot of these things yourself, total time would take about 3 hours and you'll have the car running great in an afternoon...
I didn't know how to clean the EGR, IAC, TB or alot of those things. but there are alot of posts explained how easy it is to do each of these yourself and save money with minimal tools required.
there are alot of how-to-do posts with pics on the internet for doing alot of these things I mentioned.
I even went as far as replacing the distributer coil. it's inside the distributer, unlike old chevy's where it was like replacing an air filter. found a post on the internet with pictures, made step-by-step notes and did it myself...the pictures made it look easy. but, a bit scary seeing the car with the complete distrubuter removed before removing the old coil! but, had all the parts needed and completed it in about an hour...replacing the old coil did make a little difference in the performance. Afterwards, it ran like the similar feel of changing out the spark plugs to new ones.....
#5
05-11-2011, 11:43 AM
I have 285K on my 1995 Camry Le. My mounts have been replaced from time to time. When Im at a stoplight or heavy traffic, I shift to neutral ( i have an automatic) to stop the vibration. Vibration is never good, Im trying to get at least 300K out of my Camry and not having excess vibration on the engine,and parts may help.
#6
06-01-2011, 06:48 PM
I have a 1995 LE which was frequently "threatening" to stall every time I came to a stop. (RPM dipping and car shaking before rising back over 1k)
I read many of the posts and just changed the coolant temperature sensor. the part was $15 or so and seriously only took 5 minutes, once I had the right tools in hand. (the correct-sized wrench : 3/4-inch, I think) It totally solved my problem. You might not have the same problem, but until today, I was also shifting into neutral every time I stopped. No more.
I read many of the posts and just changed the coolant temperature sensor. the part was $15 or so and seriously only took 5 minutes, once I had the right tools in hand. (the correct-sized wrench : 3/4-inch, I think) It totally solved my problem. You might not have the same problem, but until today, I was also shifting into neutral every time I stopped. No more.
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