Hey all. I am the new, 2nd owner of a metallic red 2006 Acura Tl with 86k original miles, tan leather, Nav, Bluetooth and a 6MT. I bought the car yesterday after the original owner sold it to the dealership.


The car has new Fuzion tires, the timing belt and water pump were replace at 76k miles. The lot I just purchased from installed a new battery, positive battery cable, air filter, performed a brake flush an fill and a wheel and tire balance


There is a very noticeable vibration that is still occurring after a Pre Purchase Inspection at the Acura Dealer and after the car lot did all the work I mentioned above. The wheel and tire balance clearly made no difference.


The mechanic noted it is probably a "soft" front motor mount. The vibration is virtually unnoticeable in 1st gear, but is very pronounced in 2nd and 3rd, especially when accelerating at spirited or full throttle speeds. The vibration seems to weaken and virtually go away as soon as I pull the car out of gear and coast. The vibration is also extremely pronounced in any gear above 40 mph but especially at HWY speeds of 55+.


The sensation is definitely coming front the front of the car but I can feel it a touch in the seat of my pants/under the dash board. I would think this could be attributed to the front or possibly more mounts.


Does my diagnosis sound correct? Lets say in theory the lot is going to take care of whatever mount is bad. Should I fork out the additional $ to have them install the remaining mounts if applicable?


Thanks,
Sean

 

Vibration under acceleration may be the CV/Axles. Front mount "shouldn't" cause a vibration, but usually causes a clunk or something more when on rough surfaces or during acceleration.

Items that cause vibration:
- tires (balance as well as out of round)
- rims (balance as well as out of round)
- engine mounts (unlikely when coasting on smooth roads)
- CV/Axle (more pronounced when under acceleration)
- bushings (difficult to prove and also unlikely when coasting on smooth roads)
- wheel bearing (not as common...usually more noise than vibration)

 

It's about to go up on the lift now where I purchased the car. I agree that the sensation could be a bit suspect for a motor mount. Hopefully it's not an axle. Are axles knows to go out on a car like this?

 

Update:

I just hopped in the car while it was on the lift. In 3rd gear at about 2500 rpm with the wheel turned all the way left, we were able to replicate the vibration. With the wheel straight, it's a touch better but still there. With the wheel all the way to the right, virtually gone.

We are now taking the front left wheel off and throwing it on the left rear to see if it's a bent wheel causing the issue.

The wheel is curbed pretty badley so this may be the culprit. Will keep you guys posted with my findings.

Sean

 

You could be wasting time rotating a bent rim.
Have it balanced at a tire shop. The hunter road force balancer is a good option for a slightly bent rim. Also someone who is dedicated to the work where they double check the mounting cone and make sure it's on properly. If the bend is visible on the machine and from the sounds of it, it is, you'll need a new rim.

 

^agree, most discount tire stores have the hunter machine and will help you out.

Since you say the vibration disappears once you are out of gear it might not be a wheel problem but an axel.

Road force balance the wheels and also check your tires. Sometimes you can get an out of round tire! Fuzion tires aren't the highest rated.....

 

Update:

The dealership I bought it from took it to a tire shop and they concluded that 3 of the tires are out of round. They are taking care of $200 worth of new tires and I am responsible for the difference. I had them order Continental Extreme Contact DWS for me. They should be in today or Monday so hopefully this fixes the problem.

I guess it makes sense because we checked all of to motor mounts and axles and they look to be original and in good condition. If this doesn't do the trick, I am going to be upset, as I have been dealing with this since I bought the car a week ago and haven't had time to enjoy it without worrying.

Sean

 

Update:

I just drove the car after the dealership mounted and balanced 4 brand new Continental Extremes on. The shudder/vibration has virtually disappeared at hwy cruising speeds as I had mentioned in my original post. However, when you are on the gas hard or giving it more gas than usual to switch into a teller gear, the shudder/vibration is still there but might I ad not nearly as noticeable as before.

After chatting with the mechanic again, he said its unlikely that its an axle or CV joint because those would cause the sensation to be there all of the time not just when the motor is under load or accelerating. Although visual inspection of the motor mounts came back clean, he still thinks one of the side mounts may be compromised or "soft" as he keeps mentioning.

After I had turned the car off in my driveway a few minutes ago, the steering wheel didn't fully lock up so I turned it left and right and now hear what seems to be a metallic (metal on metal) clunk when turning the wheel roughly 5 or 10 degrees in either direction. What could this noise be and would this be related to the problem I am experiencing?

Hunting down this issue is stressing me out so any snd all advice is very much appreciated. Although I am not new to hunting down issues or working on my own vehicles, Acuras are a new adventure for me so please chime in with thoughts.

 

Update:


Long story short, it turned out to be BOTH axles. They replaced the drive side and noticed the vibration was still halfway present so they threw the passenger side in and poof; the vibration disappeared completely.


It's funny because I told the mechanic that I had this exact same problem in a VW I had and it feels nearly identical. He told me it's possible that it is a vibration but more than likely it is a motor mount. Anyways, the moment I walk into the shop today to pick up the car, the mechanic says: "You were right....it was the axles". He proceeded to laugh, as did I.


I am so happy they took care of this at no charge for me. This dealer has bent over backwards for me and I am still shocked at how amazing these guys are.


I wish nobody the same stress that I had to endure dealing with this but I am stoked that this problem is gone and I can finally correct and remove the swirls from the paintwork and finally enjoy this wonderful machine!


Sean