Aloha from Hawaii Scotty,
My wife and I have a 2005 Toyota Avalon XL with the 3.5L V6 2GR-FE engine, 5 speed automatic transmission and 117,335 miles. About a year and a half, ago, it developed a vibration when accelerating from a stop to say about 20-25 mph then goes away. This happened after we hit a steel plate on the road which we didn’t see. The road contractors doubled the steel plate so instead of the usual ¾” plate, it was 1-1/2” and did not put an asphalt slope on each edge of the plate. The same when turning right at a low speed. At first I got the tires balanced and that did not help. I checked if the engine mounts were bad by starting the engine and leaving the parking brakes on, putting my foot on the brakes, shifting to drive and giving it a little gas. Then put the car in reverse and did the same. Engine move a little but not a lot so I ruled out that the engine mounts were bad. I jacked up the front and found the CV boot torn on both sides so I replaced the driver’s and passenger side CV driveshafts. While in there I replaced both sway bar links since 1 bushing was torn and grease leaking out of it. I also discovered the rearward bushing torn on the passenger side lower control arm. To replace both sides, I would have to unbolt the engine mount, lift either side and remove the mount to get to 1 bolt of the lower control arm. I did this last month along with replacing the brake rotors and pads, since I had the wheels peeled off and it was 5 years since I did the last brake job. Replaced both lower control arms and did a front brake job – vibration still there but not a whole lot like before. Someone on Youtube suggested I check the rear control arms which I did and all bushings were not cracked or damaged and as I shook each arm, there was no play.
Mahalo very much,
DC
have you got the car aligned since you changed that stuff?
Did your wheels get bent? When was the last time you had them balanced?
If its not that, something in your front end needs attention. Get a thorough diagnosis done first, BEFORE you start replacing parts as, like you’re finding out, replacing parts randomly is a good way to burn cash without fixing the problem completely.
Get a good diagnosis done first, before you proceed any further.
Thank you everyone for your comments. Sorry I forgot to mention, after I repalced the front lower control arms, I got the the tires rotated, balanced and wheel alignment. Still vibrates but not as much as before I replaced the CV halfshaft and control arms but it's there and we both can feel it.
@anndel
Get a reputed front end shop to give you a thorough diagnosis first, before spending anymore cash.