joshuapeterson87

I have an 04 automatic TSX and every time the car is in gear it vibrates uncontrollably while sitting still. If the car is in neutral or park you can not feel anything. I am hoping someone may know the cause. I have had a few people look at it; one mechanic said it was a bad motor mount, but another said all 4 cyl. cars vibrate. I assure you that the vibration is not subtle. Please let me know if anyone knows anything about this topic. Thanks in advance.

waTSX

The TSX is very smooth for a four banger. There's going to be some vibration with any automatic-equipped car when it's in gear and at a standstill (as opposed to a MT car in neutral at a stop, say), but excessive vibration should not be there. I suggest taking it to a reputable mechanic and having them take a look at it.

And welcome to AZ.

odannyboi

no, its not supposed to vibrate like that when in idle.

check your RPM gauge... is it moving around while in idle?

check it again in neutral... is it the same RPM compared to stepping on the brake?

aaronng

most autos vibrate in D when the car is stopped because the engine torque is absorbed by the ATF in the torque convertor. I'd change ATF first to see if it improves a little.

deznium

If you have little vibration on the steering wheel and inside, that's very normal.. Remember the TSX is a powerful-I4 and 4 cyclinders are not really smooth.. However, in general the TSX is a very smooth car when it's revved up.. I've checked this up with the Acura dealer's in South Cali and they say it's fine, I mean the vibration!

If you have a lot of vibration that's annoying, then it could be the warped rotors or a bad wheel alignment.. Either way, just get it checked with the Acura dealer to get your piece of mind!

litesout

The OP's talking about vibration at a stand still. Rotors and alignment don't come into play there.

To the OP, check the tach when you're in drive at a stop. Take note of the RPMs and see if they change when you bump it into neutral. The car might be idleing low. If that's the case, the dealer can reset the idle speed. Motor or transmission mount could be an issue too.

I seem to remember there being a post somewhere in the Problems and fixes section that had a solution to this problem. You might want to try searching there.

joshuapeterson87

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. I guess I should have been more specific...

The vibration has nothing to do with rotors or tires because it does not vibrate when I'm driving. It is very smooth driving. The vibration comes when I am at a stop light just sitting in gear. Most of the time I have to shift to neutral because the vibration is so darn bad.

Responding to the most recent person to comment.... regarding the RPM's from in gear to neutral. I just checked and starting the car for the first time this morning....On warm-up the RPM's are at 1,500, then once warmed up the stay at 800 in both park and neutral. Once I put the car in gear the RPM's go to 700. This seems pretty normal, but I'm no mechanic.

Also, the vibrations are reduced significantly when I turn the A/C off, but there are still STRONG vibrations.

I tried looking for a thread, but the only ones I can find involve vibrations in the steering wheel while driving. I do not have that problem.

unity

Just a question on the side. My car has a vibration at idle when in Drive but not in Park or Neutral. However, the RPM stays at 600 (with A/C, lights, radio and everything else off) regardless of which gear I am in.
Vibrations decrease when the headlights or the A/C is turned on. This raises the RPM to about 725.
Should there be a change in RPM when changing the gears at idle?

achan268888

i agree. the tsx is a lot of virbration on the steering at full stop while in Drive gear. i changed all the engine mounts and a lot improvements. thanks to my extended warranty that backed by acura. it is fully covered. haha. dont count pennies when comes to warranty extension. y u buy full coverage when you paid cash for your car during the first few years? no refund when u dont crash. so 1000 bucks for 7 years or 100k miles with zero deducible is a deal that covers all stuff except wear and tear. if parts and labor goes up couple years after you own your car, it is their problem not yours. and i get loaners or rentals.

hadeze

I would check the motor mounts most likely you have a boken one.

mystic2101

Did you ever resolve the problem? I am having the same problem and have taken it in to different dealers, had it worked on 3 times, and gone to corporate.

Nothing has been solved...if you have solved it please let me know, or contact me directly.

bmk04tsx

bump... I am noticing this same issue with my 04 5at with 117k miles. Any other input on this issue. New plugs and K&N air filter recently but it did not help much.

Simba91102

This thread is years old, but it does appear that we never got a resolution to the problem. Motor mount(s) would be a likely culprit here, but...... we don't know. I've never detected any vibration to speak of with our 05 or 07 (other than the very minor but momentary shudder when stationary and at idle when the AC compressor cycles on). This problem seems to surface on here every now and then, and it would be nice if we could nail it down (particularly for those of us with older cars).

aprook

I just bought a 2007 TSX with 57K miles on it last week. When I test drove it, it vibrated quite a bit a described above. When idling and not when driving. It was pretty strong and I was not very impressed with the car for that reason. I test drove a 2009 for comparison and it did not vibrate at all. This was almost a deal breaker for me. The dealer sent it to the auto repair(on site), ran the checks with the computer and showed me how there were no issues with the car. I asked him what could be causing the vibrations and he said a valve change and clean the top mount (?not sure I have that down exactly). He said that the manufacture doesn't recommend it until 100K or 120K (can't remember) but that any mechanic that works with these cars knows that 60K is when they need to be replaced. The dealer charged about $260 for the service which they discounted to $165 and the dealer covered it. The car was incredibly smoother! I was in love with it/am in love with it!! Every now and then, I still feel a slight vibration when standing still, but it is very mild and not an issue anymore. Hope this helps! April

gbaker

I occasionally had the same idle vibration with my 04 TSX. I think it ended up being because the AC compressor was beginning to fail and would start being hard to turn. The AC compressor failed completely a few months later. After the AC was repaired and the compressor and clutch replaced the idle vibration has never returned.

kvan2007

Found this on Helms a couple weeks back and thought it might be useful. (These are excerpts from TSBs.)

Engine Buzzes or Rattles in Park or Neutral
Got a ’04–05 TSX with an engine that buzzes or rattles when you rev it with the shift lever in Park or Neutral? You might just be hearing the normal harmonic resonance from the oil pump and the balancer shaft assembly. This harmonic resonance is most noticeable between 2,000 and 3,000 rpm and it’s just a normal characteristic of the vehicle. It’s not something you can fix by replacing engine parts.

A/T Engagement Shock or Noise? Neutralize the Engine Mounts
To cut down on engine noise and vibration, the subframe and engine mounts isolate the engine and transmission from the passenger compartment. If any of the subframe mounts or engine mounts are binding, they can increase engagement shock, transmission noise, or engine vibration. Before you replace an A/T for an engagement shock or noise complaint, test-drive an identical known-good vehicle to make sure the shock or noise isn’t just a normal characteristic. If your service client’s vehicle is worse compared to the known-good vehicle, refer to the applicable S/M to neutralize the engine mounts. If the S/M has no such procedure, then follow these steps instead:
1. Loosen the main engine mounting bolts until they’re just finger-tight.
2. Start the engine, and set the parking brake.
3. Apply the brakes, and then shift back and forth between Drive and Reverse several times.
4. Shift to Park, and shut off the engine.
5. Torque the main engine mounting bolts to spec.

whatdaPHO

every tsx vibrates i call acura be4 n they said "its cause its a powerful i4 thats why" stupid acura its suppose to be a luxury car think they would fix that be4 it left the plant. well hopes theres a recall for it hehehehee

MLB

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I am experiencing the same thing. The engine vibration recently started when I replaced my motor mounts (used acura mounts). Right after I replaced my front and rear mounts, the car was vibrating very heavily when in Drive and stopped. I have tried "neutralizing" the mounts, replaced ATF, new plugs, new O2 sensors, fuel injector and intake cleaning and I even went so far as to replace the Power Steering pump (related to the PS hose recall). I have gotten the vibration down from really heavy to noticeable. Prior to the mount change, there was zero vibration at stop, so I am inclined to think it is related to the new mounts.

As an aside, I have also noticed a very slight vibration at around 2000 rpm when driving. Nothing too bad, but something that was not there before. Currently, with the car in D at stop, I am at 680 rpm (checked via OBD II port and scan meter). In Neutral at stop and Park, it is at 800 rpm. It seems that the vibration occurs below 800 rpm.

Next on the list to check is valve adjustment. Have to wait until it stops raining.

If I can find a solution, I will post it, but so far I have not been able to figure out what is causing it. Any help would be appreciated!

pearl08tsx

So my car on the highway in any gear when rpm are between 2000 and 3000 gets a not so bad but very annoying vibration from the engine, you feel it through the whole car, pedals, shifter, steering wheel. It's definitely the engine and I was thinking of putting motor mounts in till this. I am so hard on the car, the mounts aren t ripped but I was figuring there were getting worn out but now I don't know what to do. 😞

Simba91102

It does sound like a motor mount issue, but whatever you do, don't do what this guy did (the first post included above). Don't just go blindly replacing things hoping that eventually you'll land on the right part. His problem started when he replaced the motor mounts, so.... in my opinion, I think any reasonable person would (or certainly should) assume that hey, new parts, new problem.

Diagnosis is always the key to fixing something. And that's why sometimes we need to pay someone to find and/or fix something that we could do ourselves (IF we know what the problem is). If I were you, I'd pay someone (that's knows more than you do) to at least figure out what's wrong. Then you can decide if you want to handle repairing it, or pay someone else to do it.

BiffJones

The issue of vibrations in the first generation TSX seems to require more than just conventional remedies.

I am a longtime Acura (Integra, RL) and Honda owner. I am considering replacing my 1998 4 door Integra LS with a 2007 TSX, with 86k miles. It appears to be a well maintained one owner car. Great ride until 60 MPH at which point it begins to vibrate and list to the right. The Acura dealership has already gone through the car and it has passed state inspection. This means the wheels should already be balanced and aligned. The price is right and I trust the dealer. Maybe the wheels should be looked at again? Or could this indicate a bigger problem?

Suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

importgrl727

I think we are all experienceing this issue. I have replaced axles to no avail. Acua went through my front end and found no suspension errors. I am sending it to my local transmission shop as I think there could be a bad bearing. I have eliminated tires, axles, control arms, wheel bearings, ect. 2004 TSX 6M 83k

CU2TSX

Picked up an 09 TSX 2.4L with the automatic just under a year ago and since then have been dealing with a similar issue. The vibration is very noticeable in the steering wheel but is an intermittent issue. At random when coming to a stop with the vehicle in drive and foot on the brake pedal the steering wheel will vibrate so much so that you can see it moving up and down. I've taken notice that it seems to only happen whenever the vehicles rpm is at its lowest point but the second you put it in park or neutral the vibration disappears. I've been up and down forums trying to figure out what is actually causing this and the most common answer is to replace the front vacuum controlled engine mount. With that said I installed a new OEM front motor mount along with the vacuum control solenoid and no luck. Another recommendation was to change the ATF fluid which I did 3 times in the span of a few months but that wasn't the answer. Some other notable repairs/service include recent valve adjustment, tune up, intake gaskets, air filter (k&n drop in), and all engine mounts/transmission mounts. The more I drive the car it's almost if when the A/C or heat is turned on everything is good which tells me the engine isn't struggling under load. In one thread somebody mentioned that A/C compressor clutch can be locking up but there is no signs of this. Had the A/C system recovered/vacuumed down and recharged and works flawlessly. One thing I've stumbled upon that is a possible cause is the radiator fans/rad bushings. With the problem only occurring when rpm's are low the vehicle must up to operating temperature so its very possible that either the high or low speed fan could be out of balance/damaged. I haven't inspected the fans just yet but I did come to notice the radiator bushing are not holding the radiator tight and it can be moved pretty easily. The only thing that doesn't really make sense is that the fans must be running when the A/C is turned on which would eliminate this being the cause. At this point I'm super curious as to what is actually making this happen. Some reported newer model Acura's/Hondas with the 2.4L having vibration issues with as low as 30k miles. Hopefully someone has an answer or advice on this. Going to be replacing those radiator bushings and fans soon so I'll come back with an update if that helps.