http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/9249/dsc01298uj5.jpg

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone else has this problem and how it can be fixed..

Ive had my TJ for about 3 months now and im loving it.. Its a pleasure to drive, looks great and didnt cost me very much! Its got 175K on the clock though, and im starting to feel a kind of shake or rattle (no roll yet) while sitting at the lights in Drive with my foot on the brake. It happens if the a/c is on and off... But it goes away if i put it in Neutral. Over the past few months its been gradually getting more noticeable. Im guessing it might be an engine mount or something?? Anyway apart from that the car is in really good condition so i want to get it sorted before it gets worse.. I think this is a common problem in the old school auto magnas too? Any info would be greatly appreciated..
Cheers

Whats the idle RPM?

Do the revs go up and down or is it consistently sitting at 1 speed?

May just be an idle adjustment..... Dirty sparkplug.... Broken spark plug lead earthin...

EDIT: Nice ride... welcome!

Thanks Trotty,

The idle speeds are all fine.. just under 1k with ac off and around 1k with it on... It doesnt go up and down at all. I put new oil and oil filter in it not long ago.. But i didnt do the plugs or leads... So you may be right.. You have to take the intake manifold of to change 3 out of the 6 plugs! and didnt really have time.. Might have to check that.. Also prob could use a trans oil change.. Maybe thats why..

Idle speed sounds a little high if anything, maybe it's trying to take off at those idle speed's matbe lower it back down to about7-800 rpm in D, it should go up 200rpm when aircon swithced on roughly. Then there wont be any load on the TC labouring the motor at idle....

If not check the front 3 plugs as 9/10 times the rears are replaced with iridiums and last 100thousand k's, if the front are really bad replace and see if that fixes the problem, if not replace the rears. sounds a pain but eliminates removing the manifold first off.

i've got this as well, and a forum search in the past came up with a few possibilities, so tbh i havent bothered with it yet, just because i know what would happen! knowing me i'd get the engine mounts replaced, only to find its still there, and just keep chasing it around till its cost me a bit!

i have exactly the same symptoms as u tho, idle doesnt change, just definite vibration through the steering wheel and pedals (passengers dont feel it)

will wait till theres a definite answer before sorting it out!

mine is a '03 KJ with 84,000k's

Mine has this too, only slight though and definetly not as bad as my TR was. My idle doesnt change when the aircon is turned on so I'm thinkin there is something suss there because my aircon isnt working atm either.

Mine has this too, only slight though and definetly not as bad as my TR was. My idle doesnt change when the aircon is turned on so I'm thinkin there is something suss there because my aircon isnt working atm either.

The 2 aren't necessarily related, I think (but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) that there is some kind of cut-out so that when your A/C is low on gas the compressor won't turn-on (no gas to compress) so your rev's won't change if you switch on your A/C because there is no compressor to counter with the higher revs. Your A/C may be as simple as a service/regas for $150. The idle may be the same issue as mentioned in the above thread (ie. Spark-plugs, engine mounts)

An idle adjustment and replacement of the engine mounts should get rid of most of harshness. I've got this problem with mine and its annoying. I'm gonna try just the front and rear roll stops first and see if that does enough.

Guys! Check your engine mounts before looking at anything else. Particually the engine mount on the drivers side...

My VRX does this and It has a damaged engine mount...

I rang an auto electrician about a regas and he said that it was illegal for them to do a regas without checking for a leak in the system and that I would have to pay for almost a days labour to have the system checked then have to pay for repairs too. All up he said I was looking at about $400-$500 not including repair of damaged components.

I rang an auto electrician about a regas and he said that it was illegal for them to do a regas without checking for a leak in the system and that I would have to pay for almost a days labour to have the system checked then have to pay for repairs too. All up he said I was looking at about $400-$500 not including repair of damaged components.

What a load of crap. Ring around mate, i reckon they are pulling your leg. I got a regas done for about $150 on the te. Needs doin again as they didn't replace the o-rings where the pipes join the firewall, but its ok, its been about 2 years.

$400 for an aircon service?? Nah mate, thats bulls**t, most dealers and radiator joints will do a full "service" (basically a visual inspection and test of the system) for $150. I've got a flyer that came in the mail that advertises even Holden dealers doing it for $149, I'd be checking with Mitsubishi before forking-out that much cash for a test. Even if they find a leak when they're servicing the system you have the option of taking the car away, fixing the leak then taking it back for re-filling. I think you're being stooged.

Thats why I said I would think about it to him. Ill ring around tommorow.

PS: Sorry for the hijack

i noticed that in my old TH, i used some of that subaru upper cyl cleaner throught the t/b inlet manifold, PCV, changed spark plugs (iridium's all round), and threw the big big bottle of Nulon injector cleaner in it with a full tank of BP ultimate (normally used)..

i'm not sure which one exactly did or if was a combination of them all.. but the subie upper cyl cleaner worked wonders cleanding out the TB and manifold, especially though the idle speed ports in the TB..

I find that when I'm stopped at lights for an extended period of time I put the car in neutral.

it doesn't vibrate or shudder then.

but yeah, it sounds like your idle speed is a bit high, and I would get your engine mounts checked out.

cheers,
.wook

Thats why I said I would think about it to him. Ill ring around tommorow.

PS: Sorry for the hijack

You been HAD. I went to a a/c regas place and they checked my car says is ok and nothing to fix. Did not charge me even to test.

As for the topic of this forum, you have nothing to bother about. Nearly all the 3rd gen have this problem, and as above just push to neutral.

You can do a search, bunch of members recommended TONs of solutions and they vary from one to another.

PVC valve, Engine mount, Engine oil ype, and so on....

I just get used to this and switch my gear to neutral.

I bought my VR-X and it was simply woeful....
Started using premium unleaded and a few runs up the central coast from Sydney and now it idles great....especially after spraying the throttle body with TB cleaner!!!
still has the slightest tinkle of a shake but that's me coming from a Cressida....That was uber smooooooth!!

Squirt some throttle body cleaner around the inlet and butterfly and see if it helps....


Steve

I have been following this thread and can't help thinking that your TJ has the 'hippy hippy shake' (the Beatles) :dancin: or is 'shakin all over' (Johnny Kidd & the Pirates). :sick: Or am I wrong?

U could try keeping away from the lights.:nuts:
Sorry could'nt help myself.lol

Your car is typical TJ 3.5 rough idle in gear they all do it, driven a few of them, i wish mine would idle like a Camry or Nissan V6.

MMAL did revise the engine mounts in the TJ based on customer complaints of the engine shake. Apparently they simply just used softer mounts.

Thanks for all your help guys.. I think im going to start with the TB clean and see if that helps.. I am running normal unleaded (petrol is so freakin expencive these days) so that could be a factor. I hope it isnt the engine mount! That would be a bitch to fix.. Ill let you guys know what happens either way..

I thought it must be a common problem.. Its a shame though cause the car drives so smooth other then this.

I finally got both my spotties working today.. Played around with it for ages thinking the globe was gone but it turned out to be some dodgy wiring from the previous owner.. and because its wired up so that they come on with with the park lights (no extra switch), i was forced to drive around (looking like a tool) with one spotty not working for the past 3 months!

Hey has anyone here considered doing a gas conversion? Its practically free now.. The government reebates the money back.. (i guess another thread has already been started for this - just thought id throw it in)

Hey has anyone here considered doing a gas conversion? Its practically free now.. The government reebates the money back.. (i guess another thread has already been started for this - just thought id throw it in)

yeah its a good idea but the power loss and the wait times to get it done is whats stopping me

Yeah good point.. Plus i dont think gas is that much cheaper anymore!

i remember reading not to long ago they did a test with a BA falcon (yes i know) one with gas and one on petrol they did a 50k loop of sydney 3 times to get the average fuel comsuption then went to brissy. The gas was miles ahead in town but on the highway the petrol was more fuel efficent. Ill see if i can dig up the article somewhere...

U could try keeping away from the lights.:nuts:
Sorry could'nt help myself.lol
Yeah try turning your fully sik sub woofer down and try again :nuts: :P

haha nice..

if thats the case.. i guess you could always switch to petrol as soon as you hit 100 on the freeway / hwy.. Wouldnt take a huge amount of effort.. :D

haha nice..

if thats the case.. i guess you could always switch to petrol as soon as you hit 100 on the freeway / hwy.. Wouldnt take a huge amount of effort.. :D

yeah true i spose but havent a big lpg tank where will my subs go :bowrofl:

yeah thats the annoying thing... I guess you could arrange it so that the subs are closer to the back or something... The guys that install the tanks have problem come across this b4, must be a way around it..

just put your foot on the accelerator a bit when you come to a halt with the air con on