hi! my name's Sara and i bought my '98 3.0CL about a month ago. i just took it into the Acura dealer today because i've noticed it doing this vibrating kinda thing when it idles. sort of like a pulsing vibration that you feel in the steering wheel, brakes, etc. when you're stopped a light or something. the mechanic drove it around and said that this vibration is normal and that "they all do that." i've had 7 other cars before this one and i've never felt anything like this before -- to me, it doesn't seem "normal."

since i'm guessing you all know your cars a little better than i know mine so far, can anyone tell me if this kinda thing IS, in fact, normal? and i apologize in advance if this is a dumb question or anything like that... thanks for your help!

*Sara*

 

welcome to the board. if this is your first time, please prepare yourself for all the virtual leg-humping. these people dont get out much. j/k

at any rate... if its doing that in drive, then check to see if your foot is all the way down on the brake pedal. sometimes the v-6's like to lurch forward if your foot isnt all the way down.
you could have a busted motor mount, that would cause excessive vibration. other than that... i dunno. go somewhere and get a second opinion.


edit: how many miles on your 3.0?

 

Welcome to ACL, me 3.0 has never done that

 

That doesn't sound normal. Our 3.0's have a special motormount stablizer. I belive it is controlled electronically or by vacum. Anyhow, you may want a second opinion by another Acura mechanic and ask about the motormounts, as 1genCL suggested.

P.S. You do look Asian.

 

only thing about the vaccum controlled motor mount is that if it was malfunctioning (i.e. not keeping pressure) it would show as a CEL code.

 

Sara,

What is the RPM when it's "vibrating" (when you are at idle). Is it stable? or does it go up and down, up and down....

 

Mechanics are just like doctors only for cars. You should usually get a second opinion lol. Oh and no question is a dumb question. Lack of experience and misunderstanding is what it comes down to. we've all been there.

 

hahahaha, i knew someone would say somethin......

 

ohhh, sara.... i live in tarpon.....went to school in st pete and am at auburn now, we should meet up when i come down for thanksgiving...i know turbo98cl wanted to, maybe a mini tampa meet? catch me on AIM - d5c5b

 

"they all do that" what kind of response is that? i would have asked to see that guys boss...if something doesnt feel right when you're driving your car...odds are it isnt right. Go with your instinct and get a 2nd opninon, definetly!!!

good luck girl!

 

The second opinion on that is in.
I agree to an extent. You do look asian but not to an extent that I can't tell that you're not.
I think you're very beautiful though, if I met you in real life I'd definitely hit on you
Unfortunately, I'm in
Oh well, hope your car is fixed.

 

wow thanks for all the advice so far... i definitely appreciate it!

to answer some of your questions... 1genCL, yea it still does the vibration thing when i have the brake pedal all the way down. and it has about 67k miles on it. the motor mount thing did cross my mind, but i kinda thought if that was a possibility, the mechanic would have considered it a possibility too! guess not though.

wingman, the RPM seems to stay relatively stable when it's doing this... maybe a slight variation, but not enough to show up on the gauge i don't think.

d5c5b, that's cool you're from tarpon... unfortunately i just finished up school in st. pete & moved back home to PA for a lil while! i miss florida so bad but i gotta live at home til i get a job out in the real world!

Katies99CL, i definitely agree with what u said... i want to get a 2nd opinion for sure, but i thought it would help if i had some kind of idea what the problem might be -- it's not fun to sit there talking to a mechanic while they're looking at you like you're nutty!

thanks again everyone for all your help so far... let me know if u have any more advice for me!

*Sara*

 

haha i just saw that last post about me looking asian!! dude i swear that is one thing i will *never* figure out. maybe it's just a camera thang, cuz no one's ever said that about me in person! *sigh*

 

i know exactly what you mean! i went into a parts store to buy a replacement headlight bulb for temp. use and the dude was like "do you need help installing that?" i just looked at him, smiled and said "nah, i know how to do it, thanks"

god that just pisses me off...yeah sure he was being nice, but to assume JUST because i'm a girl i dont know how to change a bulb...it just gets annoying

sorry---venting

 

Welcome Sara

Did you buy it from a dealer?

If not, maybe it's past due for the 60,000 mile checkup where they would change your plugs and a few other things that might make it run rough.

I also have a '98 3.0 and just had my 60K checkup and it runs much smoother now.

 

Welcome to the board!!!

any moding done yet?

any1 here going or did do the 90k tuneup? i need the timing belt changed soon since im coming up on 87k i would like to do it soon

is it worth the price that they charge? overall thoughts?

 

I think the vibration you're refering to may be the result of the A/C compressor turning on and off. My 2.3 does this too and the only time you can notice it is when you're idling. I did find it a little strange but I read somewhere that it's pretty normal so correct me if I'm wrong guys.

 

RPMs are definitely what you need to be looking at when this happens... My car has dropped to 500 rpms and has had a shiver but this was for a splkit second or two and then it was back up btwn 700-1000 rpms again.. thats your ideal spot... If this is the cause have your throttle adjusted!

 

that kinda sounds like a possibility... does anyone else have a very noticeable vibration associated with the a/c compressor? IS this normal??

thanx *Sara*

 

wow you saw your pic, dayyyymmnnn leggg humping will be in due time

 

you guys really need to get out and find some girls... lol... as soon as a new one pops on the board, you all pounce on her!!

So, where can I see this picture???

 

*sigh*... oh the silliness. i'm redoing my website today so i'll have my pics back up soon.

but in the mean time... can someone please please please answer my freakin question?!

does your a/c compressor make everything vibrate when you're idling?

 

The a/c compressor could make a rattle sound or you might be able to feel the vibration. It may be a sign that its going bad. Have you stood by the engine and looked at it while the compressor is engaged?

 

Nope. There's a very, very slight jolt (more of a tug than a jolt), but no vibrations when the AC kicks in.

 

welcome to the board - colored font for a n00b, not bad!

 

haha thanks sometimes snazzy colors are the only way to get a guy's attention off of me and back on my vibrating a/c compressor ya know? :P

 

thank you...haha...

 

Actually, the easiest way to test whether or not it's the compressor is to turn off the A/C.. Just Hit the A/C button on the console and it'll display "A/C off" If the vibration is still there then you know for sure that it's not the compressor that causing it.

My car idles pretty smoothly with the A/C off.. Although I don't think this is a sign of the compressor going bad.. Even the power steering pump will cause a slight variation in idle speed (but not enough to see on your tachometer). Try turning your wheels at a stand still and you'll probably see what I mean.

I dunno if you mentioned this before but is what your describing a constant vibration or does it happen intermittently when your idling?

Either way, see if you can track down when a tune-up was last done on your car.. If all else fails, this should solve the problem... (Assuming that all this vibration is a bad thing) :P I'm j/k of course.

Best of luck.