Slight vibration at 2000 rpm (99 camry 4 cyl)

[bluerasq]

Hi,

A few weeks ago I hit a speedbump at around 50mph. This damaged the engine mount and cracked the exhaust manifold as well as a tearing a woven, flexible metallic exhaust joint that joins the front exhaust part to the rear. Replaced all these parts and took it it to the dealer for its 80,000 km service where they further replaced the timing belt, water pump assembly, some belts and other minor parts. The vibration only slightly improved after that, but its still there and comes up around 2000-2200 rpm, esp when the engine had not fully warmed up. The vibration is much less when the car is not in gear (auto).

Any ideas what may be causing this?

Thanks

[nitehawk55]

That must of been one nasty speed bump you hit .

Was the vibration there before this happened ? Try and describe it a bit better .

[Black95Cam]

how/why did you hit a speed bump going 50 mph?

it could be the alignment or the struts.

[bluerasq]

Thanks for the reply. Yes it was a rather bad speedbump I hit. The vibration isnt so much vibration as it is an annoying sound, rather like a drone or low frequency hum. It wasnt there before I hit the speedbump. At all other engine speeds, above/below 2000-2200 rpm, its smooth and quiet. Its a lot more bothersome when the engine had not fully warmed up and when I accelerate.

[bluerasq]

Originally Posted by Black95Cam

how/why did you hit a speed bump going 50 mph?

it could be the alignment or the struts.

The bump was hastily constructed as part of a detour and wasnt expecting it. When the engine is cold in the morning its apparent when I gas it to 2000-2200 rpm even at a stand-still, so no struts involved there. I had the wheels aligned as well after the bump.

[J708]

Im guessing it needs balancing and possibly a damaged rim.

[Black95Cam]

Originally Posted by bluerasq

The bump was hastily constructed as part of a detour and wasnt expecting it. When the engine is cold in the morning its apparent when I gas it to 2000-2200 rpm even at a stand-still, so no struts involved there. I had the wheels aligned as well after the bump.

oh. i was gonna say, if you wanna jump a car, get a rental..

[nitehawk55]

Were any of the engine mounts damaged ? From the amount of other damage I would be suspect of an engine mount where the engine is shifted some and contacting something to cause a noise or vibration . Oviously something has been overlooked since this mishap with the speedbump .

[moocow]

I hit a heavy object going 80MPH on the turnpike once. It happened at night so I had no time to see it ahead of me. I wish I could track the fucker down who dropped that shit on the road.

It tore a hole in my flexpipe, which you are describing as a "woven" material.

I don't think he hit a "speedbump", maybe it was just a nasty warp in the road due to the construction. I don't think anyone is that fuckin dumb to purposely smash a speed bump

[bluerasq]

Originally Posted by nitehawk55

Were any of the engine mounts damaged ? From the amount of other damage I would be suspect of an engine mount where the engine is shifted some and contacting something to cause a noise or vibration . Oviously something has been overlooked since this mishap with the speedbump .

Well I did mention that "the engine mount" was damaged, it was replaced along with the upper torsion bar. How many engine mounts are there on the 99 Camry?

[rebel8ball]

i hit a unicycle in the middle of the interstate once...never did find the friggin clown....

check wheels, tires etc, i slid into a curb rigght after buying my camry, wasnt used to the handling of a front drive car, anyways i knocked a weight loose, also last time i hit a speed bump going fast (you feel them less was what i believed back then) i broke a ball joint... other then that check bearings, axels, you also could cracked something and the engine rpms and harmonics are just right to make it hum...

[rholzboog]

ive ben ther my gril hit a huge speed bump going 70 had to replace all the struts rear weel assembly the eng & trans mounts the one you should check is the torque mount the dog bone on top i go through them fast becuse i drive fast next time iam buying a torque strut and it makes your steering weel vibrate wen its gone

[bluerasq]

Another thing I noticed is that when I gas the engine hard, theres a loud low rumble when it goes to 3500 rpm and above. Its easy to mistake this for vibration but its more sound and little or no vibaration. I dont often gas the engine like that which is why I didnt notice it before.

When I took it to the dealer last week, he gave the impression they were very busy and I'm quite sure they didnt test drive it, they just fixed what was most "apparently" wrong with it (the visibly damaged top engine mount) and other minor parts (incl the 'dog bone' or torsion bar).

I'm pretty sure this has nothing to do with struts or wheels because when I disengage the transmission at speed and gas the engine, the noise/rumble is almost non-existent, its only when its in gear that it occurs (at 2100 rpm but much worse at 3500+ rpm).

Thanks to all for your thoughts.

[nitehawk55]

There are 3 engine mounts , I'd be suspect of another . Sounds like something in the engine compartment is touching the body somewhere . Also , the intake tube/filter , could it be an intake roar of sorts ?? Could have been something cracked or knocked loose/bent . It's going to need a good lookover and it's probably something minor but maybe not too ovious . I was a mechanic for years and sometimes the smallest thing could be an issue . Let us know if you find it .

[bluerasq]

OK, more clues coming in. Within the last 2 days I've begun to hear a 'thunk' when I start the car in the morning or when its been cool for a few hours. Could that be another sign of a bad engine mount? Like the engine rising and falling back into place?

Looks like I'll be taking it to the shop soon, but would be good to know if this is now looking as the likely cause so I can begin to roughly estimate how much it'll cost to fix. Thanks.