Alright, need some expert help/advise here , I searched the forum regarding this issue but most are incomplete and the OP never found the fix..

So I have this vibration that occurs when I accelerate from a complete stop. It happens around 1.5-2k rpm @ about 40-50mph and goes away after. The strange thing is that this problem doesnt happen during cold morning drives. It seems to happen once things start to warm up. The vibration can also be felt in the seats,floor and can be seen in the rear view mirror.
The alignment shop did a free complimentary vehicle inspection when I brought the car in for alignment and said the cv axles looks in good shape. I have also checked for play etc and they seem to be fine..

What could be causing this??

Notes:
+ The car is lowered ~ 1.7-2in give or take.

+ Put on brand new rims and tires 3 weeks ago. Wheels were balanced using a Hunter GSP9700 assuming it was road force balanced. ( have hubcentric rings installed )

+ Alignment done the following week after and is set to factory specs.

+ Had raxles installed for about a year now. Guessing i have about 9-10k miles on them now.

This weekend im linking up with Aaron ( Sharksbeath ) to change the front + rear motor mounts and as well as 3 transmission mounts in hopes to put an end to this ( and thumping sound when going from P-R). If that doesnt fix it, could it just be a case of bad tires? (separating . out of round?? ) possible axles giving out?? Anything we should inspect while the car is off the ground??


Car: 05 TL AT - 87k Miles

 

i'm assuming that the vibration was there BEFORE you put the new set up on your car??

only other thought on the vibration...LCA compliance bushings? axles can cause this (inner CV joint wear) which cannot be seen on visual inspection.

i'd say replace the motor mounts that you plan on doing, then reassess. if it's still there...then it could be the other two items i listed above. are you running spacers? your suspension set up can place excessive stress on the axles esp with spacers.

just throwing some stuff out there. say hi to sharkie for me!

 

flip the wheels around and see if there is any change

 

Or raise the car slightly to see if the vibration stops. Yours seem more severe since you described feeling it in the seats and seeing the mirror vibrate. Just some more ideas .

 

Hi Jamie,

- The vibration was not there before I installed the new tires+wheel. However, I did mess around with the height and lowered it about 1/2in more than what it was prior.

- I hope the axles arent starting to go out.. i just replaced them Visually they look good and boots still solid. While having the front on jackstands I held the wheels at a 9 and 2 o clock position and wiggled to see if there were any play and there were not. LCA was not on the list to check so I might have to check that out.

- No spacers

Also to mention, the vibration is even more definite when going up an incline at slow speeds.

 

I will keep that in mind and do that if the mounts dont fix it

yes.. my last resort

Ill report back with updates Sunday evening. Other suggestions / tips whatever are welcomed!

 

update:
so with the help of Aaron, he was able to get the front motor and top trans mount out and replaced. ( pics of the upper trans mount not pictured ). Both were cracked :


Vibrations in P + low rev's seems to have eliminated but however, there's still a hint of vibration during acceleration up an incline at low rpm ( less defined compared to before ). We didnt get to finish the rear motor mount and the lower trans mount yesterday because we ran out of time.

 

I get thst same vibration when leaving my underground parking. I just assumed this was normal since it seems like the engine was under strain. Im in a 6mt

 

how many miles on your car? and are you dropped?

 

122000km. What ever that is in miles. Still on the factory waffles. Lowered Just under 2 fingers in the front and just over 2 fingers in the rear.

You lower then this?:

 

Pressure switches and new DexIII fluid should solve it.

 

2 fingers. Really? You can't measure it? 2 of who's fingers? A child's? An obese 40yr old mans? Chicken fingers?

 

I'm having a similar problem. Let us know what happens.


2 fingers. Really? You can't measure it? 2 of who's fingers? A child's? An obese 40yr old mans? Chicken fingers?

and yes I registered just to say this.

 

Yeah, im lower than that, no finger gap. just very slight tucking.

lmao


I will. Still have the rear motor mount and 2 lower trans mounts to replace to see if theres any improvements. Already rotated my tires front to back and its still giving me the same feedback. Since my front motor mount and top trans mount were shot, im hoping the rest are shot as well

Im going to be busy this weekend so I wont be updating this situation until April 20-21

 

I'm thinking my issue is gonna be axles. Haven't had time to really investigate it yet though.

 

I should have been more specific. Its 2 inches of man fingers.

 

im leaning towards that too.. because i do noticed that when i have people in the car the vibration worsens.. then again, i just replaced my axles last year unless raxles are weaker than oem

 

When you did your axles last year did you do the half shaft?

 

There's a joke in there somewhere lol

 

so i understand from your first post andy, the vibration occurs under acceleration from a stop and lower RPMs from 40-50 mph?

it could very well be your axles if you've switched out everything else that was worn or cracked. and from what i have seen prices on OEM axles have sky rocketed for AT.

do you have camber kits installed?

 

yeah
correct, more like 30-40mph. yeah we looking at $1000 for a pair and yes, i have front and rear camber kits. Alignments are set to OEM specs

if this is the case... looks like this the last year i will be low

 

it could be the intermediate shaft...

 

lmao

 

when my axles were wearing (aside from the clicking outer CV), i had a vibration in my steering wheel (more like a stutter of sorts) and subtle vibration through the floor and seats accelerating from maybe 10-15 mph to 30-40mph. if you mashed on it you could feel it more (which is what the shop foreman at the dealer did and he felt the vibration, as i sat in the passenger seat getting whiplash ). since my axles were replaced, all has been well. it's probably the one time you wished you owned a MT huh? unbelieveable the OEM pricing for the axles right now.

 

i never really thought about that part but is there a way you can tell if its bad? just looked up prices and its gonna cost about $400 for a pair brand new oem

i have no vibration in the steering wheel. everything is good besides that little vibration i get at low speeds.. once cruising.. everything is fine lol i have high patience. If i have to spend more money on this car then i think its time for quits and return back to stock ( which i believe will cure everything )

 

The intermediate shaft doesn't come in a pair... It is a one piece that connects to the tranny and the other side connects to the passenger axle...brand new its like 250.... I had a vibration issue and that solved it

 

oh yeah.. oops lol not sure what i was thinking. I was looking at the part list and thought i saw two so i assumed it was a pair. Yeah I might try that during the summer if these dont fix it

 

bluetl04 : I've read up symptoms of a "bad intermediate shaft" and they were saying about grinding clicking noise? I dont have any of that.. did you?

 

im having this same problem except i get it around the 55-62 mph range. I dont hear any clicking so maybe not the intermediete shaft. My car is slammed and the acura tech said maybe i need to raise her up but i still havent tried that.... because my car looks so badass where she is haha but this is a helpful thread so keep it going!

 

lmao! thats the same reason for me man. It just wont look right.. I want to run this setup one last time this season at least. In the end.. gotta be function>form

I honestly can put money that the ride height is the issue. Im just testing out my luck to see if the mounts have anything to do with it since 2 were toast and I can only imagine the others left im going to replace.

 

I have had this problem for a long time now...no mods...inspection didn't turn up anything when I first had it inspected....first I thought it was the new tires I purchased at the time but they were road forced balanced....never could figure out the problem...maybe I'll have the dealer check it out again

 

Check your LCA/Compliance bushings. Chances are, they're destroyed.

 

Turns out all my motor mounts are done..... and the Acura Tech said they were fine... He told me he owned an NSX... i believed him from that point on. Moral of the story just cause the dude has worked somewhere for 15 years and has a super di duper rare clean car from your perspective car company there is no reason to believe him. Im getting my motor mounts and tranny fluid changed in the next couple weeks that should fix the problem right up, which means i can stay slammed hell yeah! Ill go ahead and check the bushings at the same time to make sure those arent doing some metal grinding

 

Oh and a quick question does lowering a car have an effect on the motor mounts and tranny mounts? my dad swears they do but i dont believe him, now the bushings i understand but the mounts?

 

They don't, as far as I know.

 

I checked them before and they looked fine. maybe ill check them again.. the boots still look good with no rips.

yeah buddy, cant always take someones word for granted. Sometimes gotta see proof as well
no, i dont think so because motor and tranny mounts go bad from age.

 

A simple and cheap way to dampen this vibration is to pack the CV joints with new grease.

The grease inside the joint starts to lose its ability to perform its task. If you take the cup off from the boot you can remove the old grease and pack it with new axle grease. I guarantee if your vibration is only at low end it will go away after you reinstall the newly grease axles. I would also recommend replacing the boots when you do this if they are cracked. All can be done in about 2 hours and for less than $40.00.

 

oh heres a little update.. still havent gone about the other mounts yet. However.. I was messing with the damper for the front and set it closer to full stiff and it helped a lot ( i was at middle settings before ).. it really toned down the vibrations to the point its kind of enjoyable to drive once again. Theres still a hint left but its something i can live with, though i prefer to have none..

 

seems like its just masking the problem

 

thats about right..