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1995 Toyota Camry Steering vibration when stationary

Tiny
HD45223
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 TOYOTA CAMRY
  • 2.2L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 200,000 MILES
Hello,
I have a 1995 Camry LE, 4cyl, automatic, 2.2L. Recently, my steering column vibrates when stationary. While stationary and in Park and Neutral, it does not vibrate. When I put in Reverse or Drive while stationary, the steering column vibrates. I have replaced all four motor mounts, front, rear, top (torque) and transmission. It did not solve the vibration. Instead, now when in Park and Neutral, the steering is also vibrating. And when in Drive or Reverse, it vibrates more. I noticed the spark plug wires were very worn so have also installed a new set of wires. No results. I also occasionally get a Fuel Rich engine warning light. Could the fuel pressure regulator have something to do with all of this?
My other question is why does the new engine mounts caused the steering vibration to get worse? Could it be that the mounts were not the original cause of the vibration but since the rubber on the new mounts are stiffer than the older ones, they transferred the vibration more and maybe lessened after some wearing in? Thanks.
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Monday, June 1st, 2015 AT 8:11 AM

10 Replies

Tiny
HD45223
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Just wanted to add that I replaced the engine mounts with 3rd-party parts. I read on another site, another person with the same problem used 3rd-party parts and did not solve the issue. However, when he used OEM parts, the vibration was gone. Does the OEM parts make the difference?
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Monday, June 1st, 2015 AT 8:33 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,512 POSTS
Hello,

Sorry for your troubles, its sounds like the engine mounts are not your problem, it could be the low cylinder compression or intake valve leakage which can cause the problem, please follow this guide to perform an compression test:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-engine-compression

Also your transmission torque converter could be having a problem, it can cause a vibration much like you describe when in drive or reverse, unfortunately there is no easy way to check this, do you have a good transmission guy that specializes the Toyota's near you?

Please let me know what you find so we can continue.

Best, Ken
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Monday, June 1st, 2015 AT 6:45 PM
Tiny
HD45223
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Thanks for the quick response. Completed the compression test. Cyl 1: 190 psi, Cyl 2: 180psi, Cyl 3: 120 psi, Cyl 4: 190 psi. Obviously Cyl 3 is low. About 6 months ago, someone replaced the head gasket. If they didn't do it correctly, it would be the problem. If it were any other reasons you suggested, the car would not have run really well at all. But since the car ran smooth once above 1k rpm, can we assume it's the head gasket? I also noticed there was a slight oil wetness on the plugs. Is that normal?
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Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 AT 9:53 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,512 POSTS
Nice work on the compression test you found the problem, the head gasket shouldn't cause the low compression, its sounds more like an intake or exhaust valve is leaking. Did they do a valve job when the head was off?

Best, Ken
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Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 AT 10:30 AM
Tiny
HD45223
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Hi, I was looking at some videos of the exhaust gasket replacement. Can you explain how a leaky exhaust gasket would cause compression lost in only one cylinder and not all. I am just trying to understand the mechanics of it. Much thanks.
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Thursday, June 4th, 2015 AT 5:00 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
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Sure, no problem, its an intake or exhaust valve, not gasket, check these articles for more information:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-a-cylinder-head-works

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-a-car-engine-works

Hope this helps

Best, Ken

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Thursday, June 4th, 2015 AT 8:42 PM
Tiny
HD45223
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Hi, it's me again. After talking to several people, it looks like the cost to do a valve job is pretty expensive due to the labor. I found out there's a place in Los Angeles, Epic Autoteks that sells used Japanese engines with 40K to 50K miles for $800. I have a friend who is a mechanic and will pay him to install the new engine. This is not much more than the cost of the valve job. Thus I am willing to spend a little more and get a relatively new engine and not have to worry about future problems. From your experience, what would be the main concerns to watch out for during the engine replacement process? Any special parts that would be good to replace since we will have the engine out anyway? Much thanks.
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Saturday, June 27th, 2015 AT 5:12 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
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Hi Hd45223,

I have heard good things about those engines and have used them many times myself, wise choice to dump the old engine, let me know how it goes

Best, Ken
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Saturday, June 27th, 2015 AT 7:37 PM
Tiny
HD45223
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Hi, I just recently noticed the engine warning light came on with a code of 26 which says the air fuel ratio is rich. I know this means the engine is getting too much fuel, but what is the cause of this? Does the fuel pressure regulator cause this or is there something else I can check. The fuel pressure regulator is very hard to access to remove for cleaning and testing. Much thanks.
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Tuesday, June 30th, 2015 AT 1:03 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Hi Hd45223,

It could be due to the low compression exhausting unspent fuel which will cause the code.

Best, Ken
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Tuesday, June 30th, 2015 AT 3:26 PM

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