1991 Camry 2.0 very apparent vibration - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

aw53 · 02-25-2008, 07:55 AM

I have a 1991 Camry 2.0, 145,000 miles, auto, front wheel drive, 2nd owner. The engine has never been apart, no major repairs and never been overheated. The car starts great, idles perfect but it does seem to have a miss to it. Between 750-1100 rpm there is a very apparent vibration coming from the engine. I've replaced all of the motor mounts and the only one broken was the trans mount. I've replaced the plugs(NGK) but have not replaced the wires. I have not been into the timing belt. Is it possible that someone has replaced the belt and it's one tooth off ??? It feels like something is out of balance, so could it be the harmonic balancer? or maybe worn bearings on the timing belt? What would the car run like if the belt was off one notch? By the way, at engine temp, the compression is 120psi straight across. Thank you. Alan Watts

TBayToyotaBoy · 02-25-2008, 11:13 PM

Hmmm...my old Talon had a t-belt that was off by one tooth. No vibration, just no power.

Besides the vibration, can you actually hear anything? Are you fairly sure you've got a miss on one cylinder?

aw53 · 02-26-2008, 10:36 AM

I pulled the T Belt and bearings off on Monday. Everything was right on. T Belt needs to be replaced, along with the drive belts. Idler bearing was a little rough, tensioner bearing was smooth. Going to replace it all, along with the water pump. No oil leaks. Checked the Harmonic Balancer visually and it looked good. I will replace it too, if the vibation is still there. Will also put some wires/cap on it. Thanks for the reply.

TBayToyotaBoy · 02-26-2008, 10:42 AM

This is a total "left-field" kinda answer, but I just remembered something. Some years ago a coworker of mine was having similar problems with his car (a K-car, I think it was). I looked it over and found one of the engine-to-firewall grounds had deteriorated. Replaced that and it ran smoothly again.

Just a thought...

Mike Gerber · 02-26-2008, 01:46 PM

"Will also put some wires/cap on it."

I would have tried that second. The first thing I would have done would have been to check for computer codes.

Most engine missfires under load are caused by faulty ignition system components. Also check/change the sparkplugs and if changing all these things doesn't eliminate the problem, I would check/change the coil inside the distributor. They can be a problem area on generation 2 cylinder 5SFE engines.

MIke

aw53 · 02-27-2008, 05:28 PM

Mike, Thanks for the reply. Got some NGK wires on the way. I'll let you know how it runs after I get it back together. The vibration is coming from something else other than an ignition problem. Thanks. aw

Doctor J · 02-27-2008, 06:02 PM

If the engine vibrates in that narrow rpm band on idle in neutral or park (but not in the gear), I would look on the flexplate. Misfire will show up as a jerk every other engine rotation, the vibration will be felt twice for every rotation. (If engine speed is 700 rpm the misfire will be felt 350 times per minute and vibration will be felt 1400 times per minute)

aw53 · 02-29-2008, 10:23 AM

Doc, Now what could be wrong with the flex plate? Transmission has never been touched.

Doctor J · 02-29-2008, 10:34 AM

If the starter ring gear has damaged or missing teeth in one place, this could throw the flexplate out of balance. The flexplate to ring gear weld may crack also. However before proceeding you should determine if this is misfire or vibration.