1994 Corolla/Geo vibration at 60 plus mph

[Eugenechris]

"My 1994 Geo Prizm 1.6 5speed with 165k miles has a bad vibration at 60 to 70 miles an hour that can be worsened when the engine is under load such as pulling a hill. During a left turn at these speeds the vibration will go away, during a right turn it remains the same as going straight. This car has had this same vibration for 5 years and 50k miles ago but has gotten progressively worse over the years till now it feels unsafe. I have read in forms and blogs about other people with the exact generation corolla experiencing the same thing at the same speeds,corners, engine load,etc. Oddly I have read a half a dozen remedies for the problem that some say has worked. I've had the front and rear end shook up a couple times and broken bearings, strut mounts,etc where found and I had everything fixed, still I have the vibration. People using the forum say engine mounts, seized brake pistons, cvc axles, etc where the culprit. I just refuse to believe that there is a half a dozen cures for a vibration that occurs in this generation Corolla at just the right speed and giving it just the right amount of gas. The car is only worth a 1k, and I've spent that much looking for the problem. Can anyone help, there has got to be on single isolated thing that is well known to cause this problem. Thank you much

[speedy25]

Originally Posted by Eugenechris

Can anyone help, there has got to be on single isolated thing that is well known to cause this problem.

I might have thought the same thing a while ago but recent experience lets me know that all of them can be true. Even the seized caliper!

Heres my list to check in most to least probable order:

Axles
wheel bearings
inner tie rod ends

Check them all closely.

-SP

[zppeacock]

I had the same problem, check your axles for excessive play my passenger axle had excessive movement.

[Eugenechris]

you've got to be kidding me, after all that with all the toyota junkies on board myself included, nobody can give me anything better than check everything that i've already checked again, ive had all the axles cvc's tie rod ends etc, checked i had the front end shocks out twice, you have just got to be kidding me that knowing many other peeps has had the same experience at the same speeds as I do in fact i know from these forums there is 4 other peeps with the same probs, from reading the forums, there is several that have, yet there is a half a dozen cures for the problem, i see a problem with that being the vibration occurs at the same speed, engine load, corners as does each other person, please give me a one time cure for the problem as i've invested this cars net worth trying to fix the problem

[Eugenechris]

this is what im talking about, posted as you can see if you scroll down there is dozens of remedies to fixing this problem, yet i just refuse to believe that this exact model of car can have this exact vibration experienced by many different owners at the exact speeds, corners, and speed, engine load, one guy just replied and said a seized brake caliper did that to him, yet i just dont think that is it, how does one car all the same model experience and generation experience the same symptoms at the same speed, left corner, 60mph and have several different remedies, not logical, when peeps are saying motor mount, cvc's are doing that to them at the same speed I've had all of this checked and it comes out perfect, sombody with experience please respond.

[zppeacock]

When you let off the accelerator does the vibration stop/lessen?

[azcorolla]

Well, like it or not, there ain't just one single cause. The hardest thing about fixing cars is diagnosing the cause of a problem. Even the grizzled old guy who's been working on Toyotas for 30 years can only try the most likely things first and then go from there. These are opinions, not necessarily facts.

That said, here's my own opinion - Speedy gave you some very likely causes. I would personally doubt the mounts. My first suspect would be axles, and I don't know if you can be sure just by checking them, sometimes it's kind of hard to tell for sure.

[zythr]

Originally Posted by azcorolla

Well, like it or not, there ain't just one single cause. The hardest thing about fixing cars is diagnosing the cause of a problem. Even the grizzled old guy who's been working on Toyotas for 30 years can only try the most likely things first and then go from there. These are opinions, not necessarily facts.

That said, here's my own opinion - Speedy gave you some very likely causes. I would personally doubt the mounts. My first suspect would be axles, and I don't know if you can be sure just by checking them, sometimes it's kind of hard to tell for sure.

Are you suggesting that the OP just replace axles, mounts, etc to see if the problem goes away?

[azcorolla]

Originally Posted by zythr

Are you suggesting that the OP just replace axles, mounts, etc to see if the problem goes away?

Well, no. I was just presenting a possibility, along with a caution about checking axles. But it may be the only way to find out for sure with the axles. How are you going to really check an axle at 60+ miles/hour?

For most of the other suspected parts, there are ways to check them out pretty thoroughly.

Vibrations can be a bitch to isolate sometimes in these little, light cars with front drive and the suspension all tied together. Everything interacts.

[slowrolla]

You said you checked those parts listed. But do you know that they are working properly?

[speedy25]

OP-

Sometimes the way you check things doesnt reveal the fault. Some days its obvious when you start shaking parts and other days you have to wait a few thousand miles until the wear has gotten worse to find exactly which part is going bad.

Bottom line on a car that can be almost 20 years old and hundreds of thousands of miles even undetectable wear on all those parts can cause you grief.

I've also had plenty of people who had vibrations like you describe, that couldnt find anything wrong with an axle or CV joint had all their symptoms disappear when the axle(s) was replaced.

Sorry its NOT a cut and dry replace the part that always goes bad and you're done.

While engine mounts may not be THE cause of your vibration they ARE a common replacement item on our cars.

Good luck on finding the real cause of your vibration.

-SP

[zythr]

Originally Posted by azcorolla

Well, no. I was just presenting a possibility, along with a caution about checking axles. But it may be the only way to find out for sure with the axles. How are you going to really check an axle at 60+ miles/hour?

For most of the other suspected parts, there are ways to check them out pretty thoroughly.

Vibrations can be a bitch to isolate sometimes in these little, light cars with front drive and the suspension all tied together. Everything interacts.

Oh ok, I see. This does make sense