vibration at high speeds - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

villbumato · 06-07-2011, 04:14 AM

Hey Everyone,

I need help figuring out with is wrong with my car. 98 camry 134k miles v4 auto. for a year now i have been driving with slight vibration when i step on the gas above 60mph once i pass 70 the shaking stops, between 60 and 70 when i let go of the gas it's smooth again.

Recently i u-turn to park on the street didn't make it and ran over the curb a little (front passenger side). The next morning on the freeway when i hit 60mph every time i step on the gas it would shake a lot more, more than the slight shaking before. I went to america's tires to get a balance and rotation and the problem is still the same (2 front tires now in the back).

Now it's getting worse but it's not consistent. Sometimes it would shake so bad that i can't go pass 65 or 70mph and at times it shakes but i can get to 70mph and it would stop after 70. I also notice that on the freeway if i turn one inch to the right or left the steering wheel would shake and at time it doesn't happen. When i get onto the freeway building speed and i turn right or left i hear a thump thump every couple seconds. The last issues i notice is driving 50mph and slower down when i let go of the gas the car would shake as it slows down then stop then i feel a down shift, not sure if it's the transmission. Going about 40 locally i can already feel vibration or movement of the car side to side. When i turn the wheel all the way to the right and back up i would hear clicking noises from the right side and nothing when i did the other way.

I went to 4 auto shop and I got 4 different answers not sure what is causing vibrations:
- alignment, tires not fully round
- motor mounts
- passenger axle (boot is torn, don't see any grease)
- rack and pinion
- front driver side has play when you shake the wheel side to side (loose tie rod?) at one point i did hear loud scretching sound from the left on the freeway that last about 15 secs maybe ball bearing?
- passenger sway bar end link was bent, replaced it already but nothing changed still shakes

Sorry for the long post. Thank you in advance for any advice or help from you guys. i appreciate it.

DarkSideMoon · 06-07-2011, 08:14 AM

Sounds like a CV joint to me.

Mike Gerber · 06-07-2011, 12:25 PM

"When i turn the wheel all the way to the right and back up i would hear clicking noises from the right side and nothing when i did the other way."

"- passenger axle (boot is torn, don't see any grease)"

I'm not sure what you mean by the first statement, but if you are talking about clicking nosies from the right (passenger side) when you are driving slightly left or turning left, then this person is correct; you need to replace the right side cv joint. It is most economical today to replace that entire passenger side axle with a rebuilt axle. This includes that cv joint. This may or may not be your shaking at highway speeds, but I would do this first, as it is the most logical thing from what you are describing. I would also do this very soon, before that cv joint comes completely apart and you loose control of the car.

"- front driver side has play when you shake the wheel side to side (loose tie rod?) at one point i did hear loud scretching sound from the left on the freeway that last about 15 secs maybe ball bearing?"

This should be easy to check for any competent tech. This could be a loose tie rod, a bad control arm, or even a very worn wheel bearing. This is also something that is very important to take care of right away. If the tie rod or a control arm needs to be replaced, you will also need to get the car aligned after replacement.

Mike

aliirmak · 06-07-2011, 12:30 PM

Check if your rims are bent.
Then, ace CV axle. After you take tire out, pull and push the axle to check if there is any clicking noise. If there is, axle is dead. If not, change the boot and grease the joint.
if none of those solved the problem, it comes to worn rack - pinion assemblage.

By the way, is the vibration intermittent or always there?

villbumato · 06-07-2011, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aliirmak

Check if your rims are bent.
Then, ace CV axle. After you take tire out, pull and push the axle to check if there is any clicking noise. If there is, axle is dead. If not, change the boot and grease the joint.
if none of those solved the problem, it comes to worn rack - pinion assemblage.

By the way, is the vibration intermittent or always there?

Thanks for all the responses. After I hit the curb the vibration was always there driving in the morning, but when i took it to the shop around noon time to test drive it the vibration seems to lessen. Now, I can barely pass 60mph due to it vibrating so much. I did check the axle on both sides push and pull both have the same amount of play (couple cm movement). Thanks again for the advice I think i'll start with the passenger axle.

Any recommendations on where to get axles for a decent price?

aliirmak · 06-08-2011, 11:30 AM

Did you check RockAuto.com?

Please let us know if changing axle will solve the problem.

aliirmak · 06-08-2011, 11:37 AM

BTW, a couple of cm movement indicates both axles may be close to dead. But starting with passenger side is a good idea.

villbumato · 06-25-2011, 01:02 AM

I do have an update, I finally got the chance to change the right side axle. it turns out that the axle was not the cause of the vibration, nothing has changed. i need help any ideas on what else it could be? i am thinking alignment or motor mounts next, what do you guys think? thanks again.

The Camry · 06-25-2011, 11:22 AM

It does sound like alignment to me, had a friend buy a camry doing the same thing that needed a new outer tie rod end and lower ball joint. Got the car aligned, good as new (Well, close as its going to get)
But that's just me, second opinions?

aliirmak · 06-25-2011, 09:42 PM

if alignment doesn't solve the problem, i would look at the struts.
Are they leaking any oil?

***fenixus*** · 06-25-2011, 10:06 PM

I would re-balance the wheels in a shop equipped with Hunter GSP9700 or better machine. that always worked for me as per 60mph+ road vibrations. I bet one of your rims is a little out of round and needs new tape weights in proper spots.

aliirmak · 07-12-2011, 04:54 AM

please update us on the status of the car.
this looks like a common problem that may have a lot of or a specific solution.

dc_98_cam · 07-12-2011, 09:26 AM

... hit a curb some time ago. After that the camry would pull to the right ... would not track straight. Required major steering effort to keep on the road. The problem seems to have been caused by internal damage in one of the tires .... something like a cord or belt that had been broken.
You could try switching both front tires to the back of the car ..... then test drive.
A new set of tires seems to have resolved the problem for me.

JCamry94 · 07-13-2011, 02:06 PM

I think you said the front passenger wheel hit the curb? Get rid of it and buy a new one.

I had a bad wheel, would cause vibrations, so I put it to the back. That did absolutely nothing. Took off the wheel and haven't had a problem since.

mgartner0622 · 07-13-2011, 05:21 PM

I have the exact same problem with an identical car. ('98 i4)
My alignment is perfect, although the alignment place said it was my struts, then my mechanic I go to for major issues (And that I have full trust in) said it wasn't my struts, so you can probably cross those two things off your list.
Does your car also somewhat pull to the left or right like mine does?
I just got new tires as well. It's better than it was, but not perfect. The tires are also perfectly balanced, I made them show me before I let them put the tires back on the car.
Keep in mind the speed limit here in Colorado is 75 outside of Denver, so I tend to drive 75-85, and this issue, at least for me, starts happening about 55ish.