Camry Mystery- experts only...

[Untouchable]

...just kidding, I guess we're all experts. Here's the deal.

My car shakes when I hit about 45mph and escalates with speed. Only started over the weekend. As I go faster I still feel it and it makes a greater shudder when I give gas.

I thought it might be missing and changed the plugs. It is a little better but still shaky.
I also think I hear a tapping noise from the motor which is most audible at idle, but it goes away as I give gas.

rod? ( bearing, nightmare...)
tranny?
tires?
cv joint?

Doesnt seem as bad in neutral, but I still feel it.

[vsvahia007]

check for the tires if it's not the tire check the cv joint and the bearings. Once you did that and nothing else works it could probably be your motor mounds.

[hooRAH]

I doubt its the motor mounts, they usually are more apparent at idle.

Can you feel/see the steering wheel shake side to side? If you do, its definitely in your running gear.

The first two things that come to mind are a broken belt in the tire, or a bad CV axle. The broken belt in the tire is probably more likely- how old are the tires? It will be difficult to see with the naked eye, but you should be able to feel it when you run your hand around the wheel, it will be a bulge in the tire.

If you put the car in neutral at speed, does the vibration change? If its in the running gear, it won't.

You can also rotate your tires front to rear and see if the vibration changes. This will tell you if the problem is in the tires or the suspension.

[homeryansta]

warped rotors will do that too

[hooRAH]

Originally Posted by homeryansta

warped rotors will do that too

Not when you're not braking they wont.

[Mcthings]

alignment?

[hassanbigboss]

Originally Posted by hooRAH

Not when you're not braking they wont.

I have to dispute this fact because I am speaking from personal experience when I say this that I had warped rotors and when I changed them....90% of my steering shake went away...the other 10% is just from the tires not being balanced....so yeah....warped rotors CAN result in steering wheel shake....I am not making this up.

[Eye8Pussies]

^ they would have to be REALLY REALLY REALLY warped to do that...to the point where pieces are missing or something- enough to make a weight difference in the rotational mass

[keithy]

Originally Posted by hassanbigboss

I have to dispute this fact because I am speaking from personal experience when I say this that I had warped rotors and when I changed them....90% of my steering shake went away...the other 10% is just from the tires not being balanced....so yeah....warped rotors CAN result in steering wheel shake....I am not making this up.

agree with eye8. Your problem was you have 2 distinct problems,
1. bad rotor
2. unbalanced wheels

1 will cause vibration when brake was applied and 2 will cause vibration when you go over a certain speed, depending on how bad it is.

wraped rotor will not cause that much of a vibration that you can feel it on your steering wheel.

[eyeball96]

My previous 3.5 did something like that once, it was a very screwed up alignment!!....but I guess there are alot of causes!

[hooRAH]

Alignment really won't cause vibration problems, thats one of the most common mis-diagnoses I've seen.

Now, if you allow a poor alignment for long enough, the tires can wear funny, and then you get can all kinds of things, but alignment by itself won't cause vibrations.

The problem is in your tires. No offense, but I've never seen warped rotors cause a vibration problem without the brakes applied.

[Camryshowoff97]

yea, alignment will just make the car pull to the sides or feather the tires or cup them ive never heard of getting a vibration from the alignment. Seeing as how it starts around 45 i would say definitely take the tires in for a balance. Most balance issues you will feel around 45 mph. Try that if it doesnt work out, Start checking out other options.

[eyeball96]

That what I've always thought too! But really the steering wheel would Vibrate in my hands like a bad rotar when braking, and worsen at speed...really wierd....It was 4cyl sedan, 95 camry le!!...alignment fixed it! (4wheel)...I shit you not!!

[geoff5093]

Originally Posted by JJJJJJ

Your wheel is out of round, and 45 mph is your resonant frequency vibration.

Thats makes sense, because on my car I had a slightly bent wheel, and the tires were pretty out of allignment already, and at around 55mph the car would virbate pretty hard, but not when I went faster then that. I got some new tires and it fixed it... until those tires start to wear unevenly.

[darksparkz]

It's the wheels, you need to have them balanced again.

Alignment would typically only make the car pull to a certain side.