My 1998 Avalon XLS has been idling rough and noisy (relatively) for a few years now (It has 146k mi). When I first bought the car at 50k mi, it was near-silent at idle and the RPM was under 1000.
I had replaced ignition coils and cleaned the throttle body valve last year, that got it more smooth and quieter for a while. Now it's back to being rough and noisy. The idle RPM never goes lower than 1500... my mechanic says it's normal.
Any suggesions on what to do next?
Thanks!
Have you ever replaced the ignition cables? I would hope so if you replaced the coils.
I dont know when you are supposed to replace the timing belt or chain on that one (and that is embarassing because we own a 2007 Avalon) but it might be worth checking.
Vacuum leaks are always to be suspected when there are roughness and idle issues.
I replaced the timing belt 40k mi ago. Will take it to my mechanic this weekend for a checkup.
How do you like your '07 Avalon? To me that's just as smooth as a Lexus ES and more roomy (and cheaper!)
It has been a dream car. Smooth, fast, and very economical. Never any problems. This is the kind of ride I dreamed about as a young boy.
Dump that mechanic, he is a moron, 1500 isnt normal, 6-700 is, if it cant idle at 600 smoothly you have more to fix. How old are wires and plugs, what is plug condition, as you can Read alot on a motors condition by plugs, Bottom line you need a new mechanic. To just replace all coils first before plugs and wires without proving ones is bad is also dumb and ripped you off, what you do is replace a bad coil you have tested, not all of them first. Coils rarely go bad, and its usualy one at a time, but with a bad coil could be a fouled plug from lack of voltage. Was it put on a scope, start there and with plugs and maybe wires.
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