1993 Corolla Vibration Problem - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

agreeneone · 10-25-2011, 07:58 PM

Hi, I recently bought a 1993 Corolla with 55K miles on it. It actually came from a one owner, little old lady who bought it new. The car is in amazing condition only that it has a severe vibration problem when in park or neutral. It is an automatic. While driving the vibration goes away and it runs smoothly. The engine idles nicely, it just causes a vibration. Initially I checked to make sure there were no vaccum lines disconnected or anything obvious that would cause this vibration. I took it to the local dealer, they checked it out and said that the upper engine mount was going bad. They said it was not a problem that would need repaired right away as long as I could live with the vibration. Well, I don't think I will be able to live with this vibration throughout the whole car for very long. I brought it home and checked out the mounts and they all seem to be in decent condition. The rubber insulators all seem to be fine, even in the one I was told was going bad. The mounts have a decent firm feel to them(not hard). I did not notice any wear, tears, chips or cracks in any of the rubber? Is it possible for the rubber material to start failing without showing any wear? It's not that I think the dealer is wrong, it's just hard for me to believe that I need to replace this part on such a low mileage car. Any suggestions to help solve this problem would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Bitter · 10-25-2011, 08:21 PM

lift the engine with a jack and wooden block by the oil pan just enough to unload the mounts, is the vibration gone? If yes the mounts are bad. Have a helper brake torque the engine from drive to reverse while you watch, you might be surprised.

hancockr · 10-26-2011, 09:39 AM

As with many rubber auto parts, age is just as important (if not more important) as miles as an indicator that a part might need replacing. I had a timing belt fail on a Ford 2.3 liter engine with only 43,000 miles on it. BUT the engine was 15 years old at that point.

Mawtin · 10-26-2011, 02:41 PM

Most likely engine mounts, I currently have the same problem.
Planning on fixing it during the winter

iToaster · 10-26-2011, 03:35 PM

It's most common for the passenger side mount to go bad. I've replaced it on two different Corollas, and in each case it got rid of the vibration.

agreeneone · 10-27-2011, 07:41 AM

Thanks for the advise on the mount. I'm going to replace it asap and hopefully this will take care of the problem.

agreeneone · 11-02-2011, 08:19 AM

Just an update, I had the passenger side upper mount replaced and that solved the vibration problem. Thanks for the help and suggestions.