Vibration From 4afe Engine When Driving

[1ofthejuicys]

I have been having a vibration type noise coming from the engine of my 2000 Avensis 1.6 petrol.... only when driving. This vibration is not there when the car is stationary and revved. I have checked everywhere to no avail... it does sound like trouble ready to happen in the engine....but the car has being driving fine for the last number of weeks with the vibration. I thought i had the source when i took the air filter housing apart as it seemed loose and rattled but when tightened up the vibration is there still when driven. I am thinking it could be from inside the timing belt area but I am not sure and cannot get the rocker cover off to check the belt out. Is there some hidden bolts in the cover as i removed the visible few but the cover did not want to come off???? any help on this issue would be greatly appreciated.

[gazza1286]

As far as I recall the cam cover needed a bit of persuasion to come off the head. Gentle leverage on the nearside front corner with a pry bar. The rubber gasket has additional sealant on the left and right arches to prevent oil seepage which needs to be overcome.

There's some images here which might help:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/130-7th-generation-1993-1997/360032-timing-belt-change-failure.html#/forumsite/20543/topics/360032

Could the engine be running on just three cylinders? This is more noticeable at idle and when revving might give the impression that all is well.

[Duggerz]

I don't have any direct experience if this, but you mentioned that the issue isn't there when revving the engine, and only presents when driving, so if I did have such an issue I'd be looking at drive train first. Does the frequency of the vibe increase with your road speed or only as a function of engine rpm? If it's the former then I'd check that driveshaft joints aren't worn such that a shaft is orbiting/unbalanced. I know this sounds basic but are the front wheels well balanced and the tyres in good condition? Are the front shockers in good shape? No broken springs? Hope this helps...

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

[1ofthejuicys]

The vibration only can be heard and felt when driving and particularly when driving on cold start... driving along when you rev the car you can feel the vibration increasing. At slower speeds the vibration is slower and louder but at high speeds i.e on motorway the vibration is not really noticeable as it is going so fast. I will give a good check over the 'drive train' tomorrow and get back to yous. I have a feeling it is coming from in around the timing belt but i could be wrong. I will also try again to remove the Rocker Cover and get a look at the belt and pulleys.

[1ofthejuicys]

Would it be possible to have a vibration coming from T-Belt area or inside engine only when driving? Or do all pulleys and shafts not move the same when revved stationary...in which case would rule out this area?

[Konrad C]

There is vibration and there is resonance.

Now if the resonance happens at certain revs, say 1500 and/or 2500 rpm, then one of the vibration dampers have fallen off. The main culprit would be the damper on the exhaust part no. 17581A on the catalytic version.

http://www.japan-parts.eu/toyota/eu/2000/avensis/at220r-almnkw/3_273540_008_/tool-engine-fuel/1702_exhaust-pipe

The next source of vibration is misfire from inferior or faulty HT leads. Also make sure the Iridium spark plugs are fine. When was they last changed?

The damper pulley can fail. The rubber laminate between the inner and outer parts. I changed mine a few years ago along with a couple of damaged belts! Can you rock the crank pulley side to side, and does it have a pronounced wobble? part no. 13471.

http://www.japan-parts.eu/toyota/eu/2000/avensis/at220r-almnkw/3_273540_008_/tool-engine-fuel/1301_crankshaft-piston

Noise and vibration is so hard to pin down.

[1ofthejuicys]

Thanks for the printouts and the detailed information Konrad... I will get checking that out today and will report back later.

[1ofthejuicys]

Is there any handy way of uploading a video from your laptop here to show the vibration noise in action?? I have recorded one using my Android.

[Konrad C]

You could use YouTube or if you have downloaded Microsoft Windows Essentials which includes Movie maker. This program should be able to convert the video for web use. I have GoPro and that converts to a web friendly too! I prefer ad free applications. Realplayer and Quicktime are other free programs to consider.

Even if you have a YouTube account and upload, I found it better to convert first or the upload can take a very long time compared to have the file in the right format in the first place. Converting in one of the programmes mentioned above then uploading is far quicker.

It is all about converting the video file to make it fast to upload, and compatible. For me it helps that I have a powerhouse i7 quadcore laptop with 12GB ram and dual harddrives - one is SSD. For what what you want to do, you computer should be fine.

[1ofthejuicys]

So I think i might have discovered what the issue with my car is....I was trawling through a few videos on You Tube and I discovered this video

How to notice and hear damaged gearbox Toyota Corolla.

The vibration this guy is getting while driving is very similar to mine... he seems to only get it in 3rd, 4th and 5th i have this noise in 2nd - 5th.....I have just taken a drive in my car to see if it is the same and as he states in the video, when you push down on the clutch while driving the vibration stops....this must indicate the gearbox yes??? what is the progression in this issue of wear in the Gearbox? Is this a coffin nail on my Avensis. Would it be worth my while trying to fix it?

[Konrad C]

If you are sure that your symptoms are the same as the video, then yes it is the gearbox. I changed the gearbox oil every 4 years, but it still failed. I think I may have caused it when changing a wheel bearing, the driveshaft came out and I didn't relocate it straight away, so dirt got in.

When the transmission bearings fail, it progressively gets louder over time. Also if my theory is correct, the upper gears don;t seem to be built as strong as the lower gears because the torque is not as high. So wear becomes more evident.

Peter in the video, explains that cars carrying heavy loads and towing can suffer more from this wear. High mileage/kilometers.

Options are get secondhand or recon gearbox, rebuilt (mine was), or scrap the car!

If the car is in good condition and the engine is fine, I would do what I did as I knew the cars history. You could by another car that may not be in as good condition. The bearing work may not cost as much, if you find the right specialist. Remember some cars clutches cost more than you car gearbox repair, and they are not much younger!

[1ofthejuicys]

Okay its a decision to be made... I will price around on a reconditioned gearbox & I would also put new clutch kit in which could cost up on 150-200. But I feel I could replace it myself here at home which would save the most money. What sort of timeline are we talking about in regards to gearbox failure? This noise appeared around 8 weeks ago and my car is still driving fine...... apart from the vibration.

[Konrad C]

From my experience the noise will get louder over a few weeks to over a month. It depends on the damage and if there are any debris to accelerate the process. Add how you use the car.

It will get louder and since you have recorded it already, you can make more recordings to see how much louder the gearbox is getting.

The price is very good, plus you made more saving by doing it yourself.

When I was helping my brother look for a car last year, my transmission was noisy, but the car was nice to drive and in good condition. The cars we looked at were in awful condition and these were from secondhand dealers. The amount of faults I found with these cars was shocking. In the end we found a perfect car in mint condition and low mileage privately. And it was £500 - £1600 cheaper that the rubbish we avoided! This is why I had my car repaired.

Let us know how you get on.

[1ofthejuicys]

On Wednesday I am going to view a 2005 Avensis Strata 1.6 petrol. One owner from new and full service history... only thing is it has 120000 miles on it... What do people think? Too much miles???

[Konrad C]

That is a lot of miles. It would have to have all the wear and tear items, the O2 sensors and all the major parts that can go wrong changed. Also the engine is vvti and know for oil burning issue. If it has paperwork showing short block change, or the owner has never had that issue, then fine.

If the bodywork is good and everything works, then go for it if the price is fair.

[1ofthejuicys]

What is the situation with a Timing belt on this model? I always thought it was every 60,000 miles and this car having 120,000 would be due its second in my estimate...the lady owner of this car has assured me that it has never needed to be change and has the full service history. Maybe she is mistaken or do these strata Avensis have timing chains?

[Konrad C]

All petrol vvti cars from 2001 onwards are chain driven cams, no belts.

[Druid Boy]

Before you do anything else do a final check on your air filter housing. Remove the airfilter and ensure that the inlet pipe is totally secure. Even if you need to wedge a rag into the joint from the outside as a temporary measure to see if the noise goes away its worth it rather than shelling out big bucks. Or run a self tapping screw in.

[1ofthejuicys]

So since i was last here I have purchased the 2005 Avensis Strata... got it at a great price. I have checked the car over in more detail since taking it home and have not found much wrong with it. I changed the plugs yesterday and there was slight traces of oil on two of the coils....so I have ordered a Rocker cover gasket 'Genuine Toyota one' and will have it in the morning. I will replace it and this will give me a chance to inspect the chain and Cams etc. my question here is do I need to put gasket sealer all around the head or just at certain points when replacing with a new gasket? also is it essential to use a torque wrench to re-tighten the cover?? ... what are the specifications in nMs??..maybe I should have started a new thread for this but said I would let you guys know how I got on.