QuestionQUESTION: I asked the question and you responded outside your expertise, can you please tell me why? the concern is the vibtation during the inititial warmup:
Hi Ted,
98 Avalon, 95K miles, engine starts from cold, goes right to 1500 rpm, after about 1 minute warm up, tack is at about 1000 rpm. Then I place it in gear and drive, at 1st stop ligt, about 1 mile away, 800 rpm and a vibration is felt, after another minute of driving down to 650 RPM, no vibration at all. Fine till shut down for 12 hours.
New plugs, wires, fuel filter, and throttle body cleaded, ( wiped out) to sparkle. Any help is apprecited of course.
The vibration began in early November when I had timing belt done - by some one that must do them 2 to 3 times a week.
What I also noticed is that I no longer get any knocking while accelerating hard on regular gas.
Thanks, Mark.
ANSWER: Does the check engine light ever turn on and go back off while driving? Did this happen right after the timing belt was replaced, did you ask for an explanation from the timing belt installer why this condition was created after the belt was replaced?
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QUESTION: It is my intention to return to the mechanic soon, but hate to question his expertise, I will leave the car with him so that he can feel the vibration himself - but its a pain as he is some distance way. The two times I have been back to him the car ran fine. There are no codes, and never a check engine light. Can a timing belt mis-install run fine 75% of the time?
Thanks, Mark.
AnswerIf the belt timing iwas off the symptoms would be there all the time and the check engine light would turn on, just a small suggestion I have is to have the mechanic consider an idle air control valve problem located on the bottom of the throttle body, these have a tendency to stick intermittently causing a fluctuation of the idle speed, most of the time removing the throttle body and the valve and cleaning all the carbon and gum deposits out of both solves this problem.
