what the hell is this thumping

[abovethelaw]

grrrrr this camry!!! another problem...today in the morning I started my car and it took about a second more to actually start...didn't really bother me...about 5 minutes into driving I came to a red light to a complete stop and felt a thump once...didn't really know what to think of it...later on coming back from work, every time I stop at the red light..the thumping would get worse and worse...you cant hear it...but I feel the thumping/shaking throughout the whole body of the car...its like thump thump pause thump thump thump pause thump thump...and it was like that the whole way back from work...but only when I come to a complete stop. When I got home I parked and put the car in parking gear and didn't really feel the thumping...tried all the gears...and it seems to only thump in Drive gear...any ideas?....man i haven't even got a chance to fix my previous problem with the brakes master cylinder and now this issue what ever it might be...anyways...any help is always appreciated...thanks all.

[mescalito]

if its when your rolling - maybe its something to do with those ballin' rims ? could have something stuck in there or some lugs loose?

[abovethelaw]

Like I said its only happening when I'm completely stopped at the red light and the thumping makes the whole car shake...these are quick thumps like someone is under the car hitting it with a hammer, except you cant hear the thumps...just feel them.

[BlackCamSe]

sounds like your alignment is off.....also try and get your tires rotated and balanced.

[mescalito]

hmm stopped you say? maybe its your front motor mount? They are common failures in 5sfe

best way to check is to pop the hood, put it in drive and press the brake and gas at the same time - if the motor jumps it's your front mount

[abovethelaw]

would an alignment issue make the car thump while its completely stopped? I already had an alignment done not too long ago. my tires are NOT getting worn out unevenly or anything and I would think if the alignment is off I would feel the thumping while actually driving. The thumping I'm experiencing is only happening while I'm at a complete stop in D gear. This kind of thumping is really hard to explain...you can't hear it like something metal is hitting something, its not like that at all...you can only feel the thumping...it feels kind of like its coming from either the center of the car or the front end. those thumps make the car shake a bit and they happen every other second and then every 2-3 seconds...at one red light I didn't feel the thumping and then again at the next red light I would feelit again harder and harder...and it was like this all the way home.

Also i forgot to mention that about a week ago when I would start my car on a hot day and after the first 5 minutes of driving the steering wheel would rattle when I'm stopped at the red light...once I would let go of the brakes the steering wheel would stop vibrating/shaking and the drive is completely normal...this would only last for about 5-10 minutes and then the ratteling of the streeting wheel disappears.

[abovethelaw]

By the way my engine is 1MZFE

[marc780]

Man thats a weird one. Maybe its a drive belt? Or possibly your timing belt about to let go. You need to put in drive and listen/look really good, if it isnt internal engine then perhaps it is a belt driven accesory...

[Gary_602Z]

Geez since you are having brake problems also and the problem occurs when you have your foot on the brake do you think the brake booster is leaking?

Gary

[abovethelaw]

I wouldn't know ... thats why I'm on here asking Q's? Would the leaking of the brake booster give the thumping and actually kind of rattle the car a little with every thump?

[abovethelaw]

Well I tried to drive the camry today and about 2 minutes into driving, the problem came back much worse then yesterday...now even when I let go of the brake pedal I can feel the car thumping while its rolling...it felt almost like it was jerking backwords.. and it got worse few minutes later to the point where I would feel thumping while pushing going about 40mph...I guess this problem has nothing to do with the brakes....I was hoping it did, that way I would only have one issue to deal with...looks like now I have two issues thats gonna eat up 1 weeks worth of paycheck...think its time to get a new car

[marc780]

Sounds like a tranny issue but i hope not....try throwing it into neutral as you coast to a stop and see if this affects the thump? And if it does, yeah it is probably the trans. Otherwise: Low fluid level?, bad rotors?, bad motor mounts?

[abovethelaw]

lol damn i did not wanna hear the words "tranny issue" I would exclude the rotors since most of the thumping is when the car is stopped at the red light...i'll check on the motor mounts...and then i guess off to the body shop it goes to check the tranny....and if it is the tranny...is it worth to put money in repairing it...or get new tranny...or just buy a new car period...it seems like the car is giving me a new problem every month or so

[abovethelaw]

got the car towed to shop yesterday...will update once they call me and let me know what it is...hoping its not the tranny.

[abovethelaw]

got a call from the shop today...they are telling me the plugs are bad and the plug wires