Bear Damage = xA transmission grinding 5 spd
12-05-2004, 02:52 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Northeastern PA
Posts: 18
Bear Damage = xA transmission grinding 5 spd
I need some help diagnosing a problem related to an accident I had 2 months ago...
As rediculous as is may sound, it's a fairly common thing around here for people to hit a bear. 2 months ago I hit a bear coming back from Wilkes-Barre PA, in a town called Bear Creek (seriously you can't make this stuff up) and two months later I now have my xA back. And no, I wont show any pics, they're pretty messy.
I hit in the center of the vehicle and went over top of the bear, the car was pretty much useless at this point and I had to be towed. Upon impact the radiator and condenser were obliterated and the car started making a loud buzzing sound (which turned out to be the radiator fan smacking into something) and smoke started pouring out (coolant), so I stopped the car immediately. I even managed to dent the floorboards. Insurance total $4500. It did no suspension or frame damage, it was mostly bolt on components that needed repair and hence made it easy.
But now here's where i need your help. I have taken this to the scion dealership/body shop 3 times now to diagnose this problem, the first two times they were barely able to hear it (because it is more obvious when the car is fully warmed up), this last time I drove it hard for a bit before they drove it and they heard it clear as day, took it for the day, said it was a misrouted AC hose and claimed it was fixed, but as soon as I drove it away, the sound was back. I can't do the lemon law thing because this isn't a manufacturer defect (at least I doubt it is), and I'm over the mileage. The car only has 13K miles on it, has been well maintained and well broken in. I have my doubts that after 3 trys the dealership is going to be able to diagnose the problem. I test drove a new xA while I was waiting last time to see if it was just me, but no, the new one was whisper quiet compared to my now buzzy and sluggish engine. It still sounds a good deal better than many new cars, but it sounds much worse than the new-ish scion it used to be before I hit smokey on the turnpike. They had it on the lift and could "SEE" no damage. They replaced NO engine/transmission or exhaust parts as they were supposedly not damaged.
FINALLY THE SYMPTOMS:
The engine/transmission/exhaust is making this odd buzzing sound/vibration. The vibration is comparable in frequency but not magnitude to the grinding you would get if you miss a gear, it even sounds similar to that. It's a cross between that grinding and what is was like on Honda's to have a loose heat shield (any honda owner probably knows what I'm talking about) but it is more of a vibration than a noise. It can be felt through the pedals and shifter from 2k-5K rpm and it can be easily reproduced when in first gear and engine braking going downhill. It can also be easily produced in reverse. But it is present in all gears, just most noticeable while engine braking (engine is not under load). The engine used to be smooth and lexus like, now it has this feeling of cheap econocar. There is also an appreciable lack of power compared to before, I used to think the engine was rather peppy with the 5-spd, but now it just dogs in all gears especially during acceleration.
I know there are a lot of Scion mechanics on here, or maybe someone else even may be able to offer some tips as to what could be the cause. For now I am going to keep driving the car in the hopes that it either goes away entirely, or that it gets significantly worse so the diagnosis will be very simple. It's all still covered under my insurance, but if they can't figure out the problem, they wont be able to fix it.
As rediculous as is may sound, it's a fairly common thing around here for people to hit a bear. 2 months ago I hit a bear coming back from Wilkes-Barre PA, in a town called Bear Creek (seriously you can't make this stuff up) and two months later I now have my xA back. And no, I wont show any pics, they're pretty messy.
I hit in the center of the vehicle and went over top of the bear, the car was pretty much useless at this point and I had to be towed. Upon impact the radiator and condenser were obliterated and the car started making a loud buzzing sound (which turned out to be the radiator fan smacking into something) and smoke started pouring out (coolant), so I stopped the car immediately. I even managed to dent the floorboards. Insurance total $4500. It did no suspension or frame damage, it was mostly bolt on components that needed repair and hence made it easy.
But now here's where i need your help. I have taken this to the scion dealership/body shop 3 times now to diagnose this problem, the first two times they were barely able to hear it (because it is more obvious when the car is fully warmed up), this last time I drove it hard for a bit before they drove it and they heard it clear as day, took it for the day, said it was a misrouted AC hose and claimed it was fixed, but as soon as I drove it away, the sound was back. I can't do the lemon law thing because this isn't a manufacturer defect (at least I doubt it is), and I'm over the mileage. The car only has 13K miles on it, has been well maintained and well broken in. I have my doubts that after 3 trys the dealership is going to be able to diagnose the problem. I test drove a new xA while I was waiting last time to see if it was just me, but no, the new one was whisper quiet compared to my now buzzy and sluggish engine. It still sounds a good deal better than many new cars, but it sounds much worse than the new-ish scion it used to be before I hit smokey on the turnpike. They had it on the lift and could "SEE" no damage. They replaced NO engine/transmission or exhaust parts as they were supposedly not damaged.
FINALLY THE SYMPTOMS:
The engine/transmission/exhaust is making this odd buzzing sound/vibration. The vibration is comparable in frequency but not magnitude to the grinding you would get if you miss a gear, it even sounds similar to that. It's a cross between that grinding and what is was like on Honda's to have a loose heat shield (any honda owner probably knows what I'm talking about) but it is more of a vibration than a noise. It can be felt through the pedals and shifter from 2k-5K rpm and it can be easily reproduced when in first gear and engine braking going downhill. It can also be easily produced in reverse. But it is present in all gears, just most noticeable while engine braking (engine is not under load). The engine used to be smooth and lexus like, now it has this feeling of cheap econocar. There is also an appreciable lack of power compared to before, I used to think the engine was rather peppy with the 5-spd, but now it just dogs in all gears especially during acceleration.
I know there are a lot of Scion mechanics on here, or maybe someone else even may be able to offer some tips as to what could be the cause. For now I am going to keep driving the car in the hopes that it either goes away entirely, or that it gets significantly worse so the diagnosis will be very simple. It's all still covered under my insurance, but if they can't figure out the problem, they wont be able to fix it.
12-11-2004, 04:57 PM
#3
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Springfield, MA
Posts: 13
If you dented the floorboards thats a heavy hit. I'd have the motor and transmission mounts checked (they aren't all that strong to begin with) and the "A" arms & bushings too. All these parts hold the power train in place and keep everything in alignment to insure smooth aceleration and braking. You may have to replace parts blindly and hope for impovement unless you find a tech who's exceptional at diagnosis. Good luck!
01-02-2005, 03:11 AM
#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Northeastern PA
Posts: 18
Well 3 tries later they finally found the culprit, the catalitic converter was bent upwards and was hitting the floorboard, now, $1K later (all covered by insurance) the last of the problems has been resolved and my xA is now as smooth as new. I'm a happy driver once again. Now it's time to start thinking about some suspension upgrades.....
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