I wanted to throw this one out there and see what others think. I have a FWD 4cyl camry which when the accelerator is pressed, it makes a droning sound inside the cabin (i.e. a low frequency constant vibration of the chassis often associated with bad tires). When you let off the throttle, the droning goes away. Hit the throttle and it comes back. Secondly, when I come to a stop at a traffic light, sometimes I get a faint jerk. I don't know if is the engine or the transmission, but I occassionally feel the slightest jerk (most passengers would never notice it, even if I stated right afterwards "did you feel that?"). Lastly, if I have the vehicle in neutral, and I turn on the A/C, the car will vibrate a bit. My current thoughts are that this has to be the rear engine mount. Why the rear...because I already replaced the front. It actually made it worse, which makes me think that the new one is fighting the older worn out one. Therefore, as the throttle is pressed, the engine will be torqued onto the rear engine mount. I plan to rotate the tires here shortly, to see if it moves to the back. However chassis vibration is very difficult to determine, since it manifests itself throughout the vehicle. Am I wasting my time with the mount or is there any other components that might exhibit this symptom?
Chassis droning question
Nov 14, 2005
16 Replies
It could be a few things, motor mount , differential, did you ever check its oil? CV joint, bad belts, there are many more things that can make noise
I have always noticed a soft droning noise (its barely audible ) associated with a slight vibration as well thru the whole car at speeds less than
50mph, and most noticeable at about 40 mph. I have done 20,000 ks in this '96 model (manual) and have always done the appropriate manitenance ie g/box oil replaced, diff, cam-belt etc. The engine doesnt look like its running at idle its so smooth,..but the droning is there on throttle on. On power-off, the droning drops to almost nothing. Tyres are OK. The noise didnt change when I had new tyres on the front and the old front to the rear.I can only put it down to some resonance thing,..maybe in the exhaust,...assuming its the same thing you have. The CVs are OK as well.
Jason
Sounds very similar to what I am experiencing on my 2000 Avalon with
72,000 miles. Except I would describe the sound as similar to an electric motor winding up. It is most distinct between 30-40 mph and is related to car speed, not engine speed. Just like you it is apparent when accelerating (pressing the accelerator), but goes away when take your foot off the gas. I suspect front wheel bearings, and I plan to take it to the dealership for diagnosis.My old 87 Camry with 135,000 miles also did that, but I just attributed it to old age in that case. I don't think a 72,000 mile Avalon should make that sound.
Merritt
Not sure if this is the same as your condition, but I was getting a hydraulic droning sound under acceleration which I attributed to the transmission. Now when I drain the fluid I use Mobil 1 synthetic ATF with 8 oz. of Lucas transmission fix and I haven't heard that sound for years. Lucas contains no solvents or particulate additives and can be considered a maintenance product for new units also. Obviously just my opinion.
I would look at the mount on top of the engine too. I had a droning problem that drove me nuts until I found it. With the hood up stand next to the drivers side and have someone put it in gear, AC on, holding the foot brake, then have them push the gas pedal. You should be able to find it. Oh my problem was the air filter box! I had to remove it and put a thick sponge under it and retighten it. A simple fix, hope yours is too.
Have you checked the exhaust? I had the same thing in a Supra, couldn't find anything until I found a Quarter sized hole in the exhaust system.
95 and 99 Camry LE, both 4 cyl auto & approx 100000 miles. Oil changes every 3000 miles.
I have experienced the "droning" sound myself on several occasions, clearly audible when sitting in the driver seat.
Seemed to be coming from right side of car.
Stopped when my mother-in-law opened the passenger side door and got out.
ROTFLMAO!
Jason
Were you going fast enough to permanently solve the problem? :-)
I wouldn't think that you would be able to hear water flowing in the engine bay, due to the sound insuation. tI could be coolant running through the heater core. Try turning the heater knob to heat, so that you get some coolant flowing through there (it might be trapped air). The refrigerant also would be liquid when compressed, but I have no idea where the fresh air heat exchager for this is located. I assume it is somewhere between the fire wall. I used to have a wall air conditioner that when first turned on would have liquid start to recirculate and it was a gurgling sound. Is the symptom constant, or early in your drive? My initial guess would be the heater core if not used in a while, else I would think it is the A/C. Figure out where these units are located and then try to determine if that is your source.
The sound seems to be directly behind the steering wheel or rather in the close vicinity to where the steering column is behind the dash. I've noticed this noise when I back up and well as going forward.
I'll try the heat today. Usually, the A/C is always on but will have to turn the hearter on today, anyway, even though I am in NW Florida. We've got very strong winds here today. Hopefully, the wet roads won't be to loud and block my hearing the gurgling noise.
Thanks for your suggesti> I wouldn't think that you would be able to hear water flowing in the
Bee man, wonder if your AC drain line is clogged and water is collecting there. Do you have a good drip of water under the car when the AC is on? If not take a look under the car passenger side for a drain hose. A coat hanger wire carefully wiggled around in there should open it up.
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