'00 5SFE engine kind of shakes/vibrates a lot, how to fix?

[guccimane]

so my 00 Camry LE's 5SFE engine moves around in the bay more than I'd like. It seems to run fine regardless, but I don't know if this is bad long term.

I'll try and get a video of it up, but all the parts and tanks in there (like even the air filter cover) shake a good bit. how can I fix this? any idea what's causing it?

edit: sorry guys, I just realized I mistyped this entire thread, I have a 2000 Camry. not 99. My Dad's 99 4Runner is what i was thinking of.

[BMR]

Motor mounts. I've never had any trouble with mine, but lots of folks on this board say to stick with OEM on those, because the aftermarket stuff is junk. And they're usually right.

[guccimane]

Originally Posted by BMR

Motor mounts. I've never had any trouble with mine, but lots of folks on this board say to stick with OEM on those, because the aftermarket stuff is junk. And they're usually right.

thanks! so now I have some new questions:

1. how can I look at my mounts and inspect them (where are they?)?

2. where should I buy new ones? is ToyotaPartsBarn the place to go like usual?

3. is it likely at all that my current ones just need to be tightened? or do they not work like that?

4. how hard/easy is it to install new ones?

thanks again man, I appreciate your input.

[BMR]

Originally Posted by guccimane

thanks! so now I have some new questions:

1. how can I look at my mounts and inspect them (where are they?)?

I think there's 4, but I'm not familiar with the 5SFE, so could be wrong.
1) Dogbone - up top, on passenger side.
2) Front - centered on the engine, in front, down low.
3) Rear - centered on the engine, in back, down low.
4) Transmission - driver's side, down low. Look in the wheel well, at the bottom of the inner fender liner. (That's where is is on my 3VZ anyways.)

2. where should I buy new ones? is ToyotaPartsBarn the place to go like usual?

I've never used them, but reckon they're OK. You might send a PM to "Toyopartsman", Gary. He's a ToyotaNation board sponsor, and parts manager at a dealership in Georgia. Great guy, good prices. I've purchased from him several times.

3. is it likely at all that my current ones just need to be tightened? or do they not work like that?

I suspect not.

4. how hard/easy is it to install new ones?

Again, not familiar with the 5SFE. I vaguely recall people saying the front (or back?) one is a royal pain.

[fenixus]

yeah, if engine moves excessively, then it's the motor mounts. gen4 5s-fe might have something wrong with them (weak?), they can die out in 10 years, especially if you either like pressing on gas pedal hard or engine has some high idle problems (>800rpm idle in P gear is considered high) and makes real hard shifts in parking lot when shifting between Park/Neutral vs drive/reverse <- that's how we killed our mounts in less than 4 years.

anyways, BMR is correct there is a total of 4 including the trans mount. I am not entirely sure about the trans mount because I ordered that from OEM catalog at online dealer, along with other 2 (front and rear). to me the trans mount looked like a sort of bracket, but oh well I let the shop replace it too.

dog bone (aka engine torque rod) goes fast if any of front or rear is bad already, so check those 2 first, or if you have money go ahead and replace them all for best results.

it doesn't make much sense to replace one bad mount while leaving another one bad elsewhere, because increased strain on the good mount will cause its rapid deterioration rather quickly.

replacing the dog bone takes 5 minutes tops if you do it slow , I replaced myself only this one letting the shop take care of rest, I believe I paid them $50/mount to replace

front one takes some time, but is still considered easy to DIY (need to support the engine from bottom)

rear one is a little problematic, but possible to DIY as well. not easy though.

have no idea about trans mount replacement, as I said, I let the shop do it for me.

[guccimane]

thank you both of you

so I guess I'll probably have the shop do it. any idea though how much I'm looking at all told? fenixus, are you saying you legit paid only $50 per mount for the rest? did you supply the new mounts to them or is that all they charged you for parts and labor?

also, what ramifications do bad engine mounts have in the long term?

edit: I mistyped throughout this entire thread, for some reason I wrote '99, but I was thinking about my Dad's 4Runner. I have a 2000 Camry LE

does that change things?

[fenixus]

I paid $50 per mount of labor only.
I supplied the shop with mu own OEM mounts (front, rear and trans) that I bought from an online dealer. I don't remember the total but it could have been around $220 or so?

dog bone alone is not too expensive ($30-40?) and very easy to replace.

no, having '00 doesn't change anything, parts for 97-01 camry are mostly same (minor things are different, but not stuff like mounts).

Originally Posted by guccimane

thank you both of you

so I guess I'll probably have the shop do it. any idea though how much I'm looking at all told? fenixus, are you saying you legit paid only $50 per mount for the rest? did you supply the new mounts to them or is that all they charged you for parts and labor?

also, what ramifications do bad engine mounts have in the long term?

edit: I mistyped throughout this entire thread, for some reason I wrote '99, but I was thinking about my Dad's 4Runner. I have a 2000 Camry LE

does that change things?

[guccimane]

Originally Posted by fenixus

I paid $50 per mount of labor only.
I supplied the shop with mu own OEM mounts (front, rear and trans) that I bought from an online dealer. I don't remember the total but it could have been around $220 or so?

dog bone alone is not too expensive ($30-40?) and very easy to replace.

no, having '00 doesn't change anything, parts for 97-01 camry are mostly same (minor things are different, but not stuff like mounts).

thanks again man. do you have any guiding advice as to where i should buy my new mounts? ebay?

and what new problems could arise if I don't replace the mounts asap?

[fenixus]

no probs.

here you can check part numbers (if you know official parts name):
www.toyodiy.com/parts

For shopping I think you can try a few places like:

a) TN member TOYOPARTSMAN - Gary Smith (Toyota of Newnan, Georgia)
best discount, 30% off, actual s/h charges depending on weight
he can help you with finding parts you need based on your VIN

b) www.toyotapartszone.com (Toyota of Dallas, Texas)
also nice pricing, good reviews from members

c) www.1sttoyotaparts.com (Toyota dealer based of Tacoma, Washington)
consider only if you are in the North of West Coast, ordered once or twice from them and had to wait for 2 weeks until parts got delivered.

d) www.toyotapartsoutlet.com (Toyota dealer in Charlotte, North Carolina)
not bad pricing, but VERY VERY slow order processing, often communication problems (don't even count on contacting them by email system in trademotion platform).
the plus is they sometimes offer free shipping or a flat shipping charge (now $9.99 flat on all orders)

e) many, many other dealers in many places selling their parts online, but usually those mentioned above come up always cheapest (excluding shipping) being 30% off from Gary and around 20-27% off from other places.
I even found 1 online dealer from state of New York, but they were insanely expensive when compared to others.

I shopped at all of those places (excluding Toyota of Dallas) and including ebay, some new OEM parts used to be there too in past.

Nowadays I usually order from Gary, he's the fastest and makes no mistakes (never a single problem) and total usually comes lowest, however actual shipping charges are not the best option sometimes

EDIT:
based on your location (Atlanta), you might want to contact Gary, but since shopping will be in-state then he will likely have to charge you tax. if you buy out of state, there will be no tax.

Originally Posted by guccimane

thanks again man. do you have any guiding advice as to where i should buy my new mounts? ebay?

and what new problems could arise if I don't replace the mounts asap?

[BMR]

Originally Posted by guccimane

and what new problems could arise if I don't replace the mounts asap?

If the mounts are REALLY bad, letting the engine move a LOT, it can break the exhaust flex pipe. Could also be tugging on electrical cables, throttle cable connections, basically anything connected to the engine. How much movement do you see? A half inch or so is normal. If the mounts are bad, it could be an inch or more. Easy way to check:

1) With hood open and engine running, set parking brake, stomp on brake pedal, put trans in Drive. (Assuming you've got an auto transmission.) Watch the engine for motion.

2) Put trans in Reverse; watch for motion.

3) Repeat 1 & 2 as much as needed to get an idea of how much the engine moves.

[fenixus]

yeah, I forgot to mention, the flex pipe on wife's 5s-fe got torn open when engine mounts went bad

[garytho]

This is a petty thing but I notice that when my 5FSE is in park & neutral,...it is smooth as silk running. Even when I push the gas. But when I put it in Drive,....I get a very small amount of extra vibration when stopped. The car runs the same,...very smooth,...but I get a tiny bit more vibration when stopped. Whattaya think men?
Dogbone?
Thanks!

[BMR]

To some degree, that's normal with the 4 cylinder.

[fenixus]

the truth is there is plenty of little things that add up and together make the car shake when in Drive and at dead stop ... really annoying to get rid off of it ... and expensive.
just to name a few things/systems requiring attention: engine mounts, IAC valve, timing belt tension, EGR system, fuel injectors, intermittent vacuum leaks, the whole minor tune up items, etc.

Unless it shakes violently or has acceleration problems, I wouldn't touch it for now. 5s-fe engines are never super smooth, even when everything is in order.

[garytho]

Thanks guys!
I'm not having any problems with the car running well,....I've done all the required maintanence. T-belt, EGR, IAC, complete tune up (the works), yadda yadda yadda. She runs smooth as silk. Theres no visable shaking at all when inspecting the mounts as the car is running. I'm just being picky and seeing if it was a normal thing to feel a tiny bit of vibration when the car is in gear. You can't feel it at all when your hands aren't on the steering wheel. So I guess I'm over cautious. This is nothing new or just starting. I got the car from a family member (Grandma) and have only had it since April and put maybe 1800 miles on it since I got it.