Hi all,
I have a 2002 Corolla w/ 147,000 miles. I've recently encountered a vibration that wasn't too bad and thought it was something in the vehicle. Although today, it seems it's a lot worse which might make sense as I got back from a 3 hour drive last night..
Anyway, I know it's hard to diagnose sound without hearing it so I won't ask you to do that. What I can tell you is it appears that the radiator is loose somewhere and that is allowing it to vibrate -- very annoying.
I had my girlfriend hold the radiator when this sound started and it appeared the vibration/sound went away which leads me to believe that the radiator support brackets/dampeners or whatever are loose/broken.
Does this sound plausible?
What actually holds the radiator in place? It shouldn't really move back and forth, should it? It's not loose loose.. but it does freely wiggle around which I don't think is normal.
I'm taking it to a shop tonight to have them verify what I found and hopefully fix it.
I'm more curious what the radiator assembly/support is made out of -- as you know here in California, pot holes and crummy streets are the norm so wondering if hitting a pothole or a serious bump would be enough to possibly crack a support, especially if it's just made out of plastic or something.
Thanks for insight,
Steve