Doug21

I drove the car a little today after changing the fluid. Seems like the rack and pinion noise went away. Won't know for sure till I drive it more. Than I need to drive it on the one road near me where the wheel jerks left when turning right, but fixes itself almost instantly.

Doug21

That noise is back, but I am assuming it's not steering related. I put the car in park while at a red light, and the noise went away, but when I put it back in Drive the noise came back. I'm assuming an engine or transmission mount unless it's normal.

drizzoh

Definitely could have a failed mount given the age of the vehicle. They usually last 100-150k depending on driving habits. Haven't really seen one cause 'strange handling' on a vehicle with this power level but a failed one will definitely cause increased NVH.

Doug21

Ok. Not sure how to tell, but my car just hit 101,000+ miles.

Doug21

I made videos sitting in the driveway e-brake, drive and reverse with the gas pedal down with the brake pedal as well. I hot about 2,000 rpms in both drive and reverse.

Reverse

.

Drive


not sure how much the motor is supposed to move which is why i posted the videos. Doesn't seem like it's moving much, but I am assuming one or more mounts need replaced if not now soon.

drizzoh

Doesn't look excessive for stock mounts. They're worn but don't look like they've failed.

What is the issue you're trying to fix?

Doug21

Ok, thanks. Just some vibration at red lights. Doesn't happen all the time.

drizzoh

I know the tC2 suffers from some vibes at lights when the rad fans kick on. Haven't spent enough time in the tC1 to notice if this was an issue. But guessing that those mounts are likely still OEM, it would not be a bad time to change them. I love upgrading things, but motor mounts are one thing I always choose OEM for on a street car. They seem to be the only ones that make the vehicle feel as smooth as it should. I'll stiffen up the torque mount (front or rear depending on the vehicle) for improved shifting and better traction but for everything else I prefer OEM (not one that 'meets OEM specs', but the ones from Toyota).

Doug21

Ok, maybe thats it. That would explain why its only every now and than. Yea I am sure they are OEM. I did research, cause I did see a kit for about $130 for all 4, and some people said you could get about 5,000 miles before having the same crappy ride. Why buy cheap parts especially all the work involved in some of the mounts. I was looking at getting them at the dealership when it comes down to it. Thanks for the info. What do you mean by stiffen up the torque mount? Also when I replace the mounts in the future I saw different people saying not to torque them, but than I saw other people on youtube using an impact gun on the new mounts. I know not everybody follows the guidelines on this stuff, but making them too tight is going to affect how long they last too right?

drizzoh

For the most part, tight is good enough for most. I make sure mounts are torqued to the frame and engine individually, then torque the connecting bolts between them last after it has its weight on it (same as control arms with rubber bushings).

Stiffening up the mounts is basically upgrading them to an aftermarket solid urethane piece or using urethane to fill the voids to reduce engine movement. This is generally inadvisable for anything that is not going front-to-back on a street car though as it can make things excessively stiff and uncomfortable when not moving.

i.e. - The tC2 has so much engine movement from its excessively soft torque mount (I could flex it with my fingers) that it was almost undrivable in 1st gear at a steady slow speed (thru parking lots, etc). The engine bounced around so bad that it looked like all those driving videos of people when it's their first time and the car jumps back and forth like crazy. Filling the torque mount (front of this motor - not load bearing) fixed it completely without adding excessive NVH (though it did add some when the cooling fans kick on - but not enough to make the interior rattle). This also helps reduce wheel hop and allows you to put more power to the ground. However, if you were to do this to all your mounts it could make the car shake much more violently than it does now. It's a trade-off. The driving experience increases but the idle comfort decreases. Probably best for you to just stick with the OE mounts.

Link to when I had to DIY my mount because nobody makes them for the tC2 anymore: drizzohs 2014 tC2.5 thread - Page 2 - Scionlife.com

Doug21

I was doing more research, and popped my hood, and definately the radiator bushings. Not much left of them, and I can move the radiator with ease. I bought new upper ones just waiting on them. Is their also 2 lower ones? Reason I ask is I can't find the part number anywhere.

drizzoh

Lol those are a good thing to replace but won't affect anything but the radiator flopping around. Not sure how many there are on the tC1, check Toyota parts sites for p/n's.

Doug21

I know, but tired of the wife asking about the vibrations. Will do. I was looking to get a manual for my car, but ebay is pricey. I foi N d a pdf you can download for $13.99, but not sure if i trust the site. https://www.libfeed.com/downloads/sc...2007-download/

drizzoh

Search around here to see if there's a downloadable version. They're nice to have but it sucks paying for them.

Doug21

Will do, that it does suck paying for a manual. Used to be able to go to Autozone or Advanceauto to get a book for your car.

DannoXYZ

Vibration in gear vs. smooth in neutral shows issue with idle-speed control. What's engine speed in gear at stop vs. in neutral?i

Doug21

Pretty sure it was the radiator bushings. Happened in park as well with the heat cranked all the way up.

My rpms aren't always accurate. 2 years ago i replaced the power steering pump, and my car kept acting like stalling when stopped so the shop reprogrammed and cleaned the throttle body. Sometimes it reads 0 rpms, but sounds fine and runs fine. Other times it's parked and reads 500-1,000 rpms with the car off.

drizzoh

Could be a possibility, but unlikely on this platform. Vibration in gear can absolutely be caused by worn mounts. I've changed worn mounts on multiple vehicles and it corrected that issue.

62Fender

A dirty MAF sensor can reduce in-gear RPM at idle. Slower idle can make the car shake, particularly when in gear. Might not be more than 100 RPMs but you can feel the difference. Loose parts might rattle louder than tightly secured parts but the source sounds like slow idle. Some people call it rough idle. Cleaning the MAF sensor should slightly increase the RPM when stopped and in gear. This should smooth things out. Maybe not as smoothly as neutral but you should see an improvement. Cleaning the throttle body might also help.

If your radiator is still rattling, check the top hanger bushings. They might be cracked or even missing. New radiator hoses are typically stiff enough to reduce rattle. Your hoses may be the originals. If so, might be time to change them.