99 Camry 4 cyl clutch questions

[zorobabel]

Hi, I just bought a Camry 148k manual gearbox, and I hope to solve some of the issues it has.

The main thing about it:
When driving a little faster and changing gears faster I get a sort of thump when I press the clutch and release the gas fast. You know, like your head moves suddenly to the front accompanied by a sort of noise from the engine or transaxle. Now I'm not talking about hard acceleration.

The work around I found is to let go of the gas completely or light foot on the gas and then push in the cluth - no noise/thump. I tried doing it without changing gears - same symptoms. Another work around is to let go of the gas a little bit later.

Is this a wet clutch?

This is not my first manual gearbox, I've driven cars and a motorcycle before this, and never encountered anything like it (but they were all under 120k). Until the last 2 weeks that is, when I noticed the issue with several cars I tried to buy.

The gearbox seems a little noisy/dry when changing gears but I don't think it has anything to do with it - I won't be able to change the gearbox oil until after this weekend.

The guy that sold it said he changed the clutch after he got stranded on the freeway - not so sure about that .

I kind of checked the clutch pedal distance, freeplay and clutch release point - they seem okayish.

I bled the clutch line.

I haven't drove it enough to say whether the problem goes away after the car is warm, I'm just trying to be as gentle with it as I can for now.

Thanks for reading and hopefully helping

P.S. I want to try the cheapest fixes first, as I'm unemployed right now.

[quick69gto]

The "thump" sounds like a broken/loose engine or trans mount. It's possible that whoever changed the clutch left something loose. It's also possible the clutch job was done wrong.

It is a "dry" clutch unlike most motorcycle clutch's which is immersed in oil.

The "noisy/dry" feel could be the lack of fluid or not enough fluid in the trans.

My advise is to check all engine/trans mounts and replace if necessary.
Then drain and fill the trans with the proper viscosity oil.

Good luck!

[Mike Gerber]

"The "thump" sounds like a broken/loose engine or trans mount."

I would have to agree. As a side note, I would download the generation 4 Toyota technical service manual stickied at the top of this forum. It may be helpful with this problem and will come in handy for other issues that come up in the life of this car.

Mike

[zorobabel]

Thanks for the advice guys, I was thinking about the motor or transmission mounts myself, as the engine vibrates a little bit too much above 2000 rpm (although not a vibe at idle).

How do I check the mounts?
Thanks!

[zorobabel]

I changed the trasmission oil, and there's nothing different about the car. It had the right amount of oil in it, and it didn't look bad. I needed a 24 mm socket as opposed to 10mm - which I saw suggested in some older post by BrianR.

Has anyone got any info on checking / changing the motor mounts?
I noticed another thing: when decelerating from 80-85mph the engine shudders some times, which leads me to believe even more that the motor mounts (or hopefully just one might be bad). Is there a way that the balancing shafts might not spinning right? That's the only other explanation for the engine vibration above 2000rpm I can think of.

Thanks

[Mike Gerber]

"I needed a 24 mm socket as opposed to 10mm - which I saw suggested in some older post by BrianR."

The 10MM reference is for an allan wrench used for the drain plugs on automatic transmissions.

Mike

[zorobabel]

offtopic, but here it is:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...20&postcount=2
I just wanted to help someone in the future

[zorobabel]

Ok, here's some feedback, and some questions.
I changed the dogbone mount with a gen3 5sfe mount (one of the ends was offset at an angle, but I managed to squeeze it in with a light hammer), and the thump shows up less often now. Hopefully I'll change the front mount soon, and have some more impressive results.

Meanwhile I'm getting worried about the vibration above 2000rpm, and I want to change the sparkplugs see if that helps. It has some Bosch platinum double pin ones right now, but the FAQ says I should use NGK or Denso ones. I also saw a post that the double pin ones were not recommended anymore, could I get some part numbers for the NGK single pin ones that you use in your 5sfe please?

I also noticed a new thing about the car, sometimes the car starts shuddering on the freeway in or out of gear, and it is felt thouroughly through the brake pedal. Also my left front wheel seems to get hot. Alright, I know I need to look at that wheel (probably stuck caliper pins), but could it be caused by a vacuum leak or something?

Do you need a special tool to compress the front calipers (like the one that twists the cylinder too) or can I just use a clamp?

A question about Seafoam:
When you pour half a bottle in fresh engine oil, do you have to change the oil again soon, or keep the oil/seafoam mixture in there for your regular 3000/7500 miles? What happens if you pour the bottle in dirty engine oil 500 miles before your schedule oil change?

Thanks a lot!

[GSS123]

I had a vibration that occured more at 52 mph then at any other speed or RPM. Problem was solved when I replaced passenger side half axle. I would give a look to your half axle CV joints. Later I replaced my worn tires with new and the ride improved even more.

[jdmccright]

Could be a warped rotor due to a sticking caliper. Check the front pads for uneven wear (inside versus outside and cock-eyed). In/out unevenness is usually due to sticking slider pins while cock-eyed wear is due to sticking of the piston in the caliper bore (or one of them in dual-pot setups).

A big c-clamp can be used for pressing the piston back into the bore, but you'll need some flat bar stock to do it on two-pot calipers so that both can be compressed evenly. Parts stores have a special tool for this too. If it takes alot of effort to turn the screw, then you likely have a sticking brake piston. It should be firm yet smooth.

As for the Seafoam question, I've asked that same Q also, w/o any answer. My thinking is to do it prior to an oil change so that the cleaned off gunk can be removed and trapped by the oil filter or suspended in the oil. Then once the oil/filter are changed, you've got a cleaner engine and there is little time for any redeposition to occur. That's my 2 bits. Hope this helps!

[zorobabel]

Hi again, here's some more update on the situation.
I changed the front motor mount, and I coudn't tell any difference, there's still some thumping, although I'm more gentle with the car now, and avoid causing it.
I also took a look at that heating wheel, and lubed the pins (they were almost stuck), and now the wheel isn't getting hot anymore, but I still have the shuddering, just more often now. I think it's nastier then what I hoped and think it's related to the engine vibration. But I'll make another thread about that, one that has a more suggestive title.

[Mike Gerber]

"sometimes the car starts shuddering on the freeway in or out of gear, and it is felt thouroughly through the brake pedal."

Are you still feeling that shuddering through the brake pedal? Have you checked that rotor for runout? It may have been warped from all the heat it was subjected to when the caliper pin(s) were stuck.

Mike

[zorobabel]

Thanks Mike, please read my new thread:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...13#post5904513

I really don't think it's the rotor, as the car was okay for a while, and it doesn't always shudder.