Excessive Engine vibrations

[hesser]

I tried playing with the idle speed to fix the vibration but it did not work for me. I would increase the idle but when you put it in gear, drive or reverse, the idle drops and the vibrating begins. So one would think just up the idle right? Well, when I found the point that there was no vibration my idle would have needed to be set at about 1700rpm!!! Nope, this didn't fix the problem. So far I am playing the put it in Neutral at a stop game........

[nxski]

The same thing still happens to be as well to a lesser extent now though. If running this cleanser doesn't work then I will remove and block the egr, change the glow plugs (both of which I want to do anyways) and possibly have the injectors refurbished. Hopefully that will solve the problem.

[jessef]

have you guys checked your engine/transmission mounts yet ?

[FalcoColumbarius]

Have you set the idle to 750rpm yet? The only reason I ask is when your idle is set to 750rpm, then when the vehicle is cold it will run lower than 750 but not too low. If you have her set to 666rpm when she is cold she will really shudder. I am not saying that it couldn't be all those other things previously mentioned but typically I have found that by starting with the simpler possibilities it not only works out cheaper but it's also less of an ordeal.

Falco.

[hesser]

I am going to up my idle as per Falco's suggestion. I also had my injectors done and my glowplugs and neither seemed to help the situation. I am wondering if the engine/tranny mounts are the problem. If so I am thinking thats out of my league to fix. I will have a look and let you know.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Do set the idle to the proper setting (750) but as Jessie has mentioned, it doesn't hurt to check the mounts. I had to replace the tranny mounts and it seems to me through observation that they are sometimes a problem with other Delicas.

Regarding putting it in neutral when at a stop ~ I do that anyway, it's easier on the transmission.

Falco.

[nxski]

I did set the rpm's to 750 ad that has cured the vibrations for the most part although it still shakes a fair amount when cold. It has also made starting the vehicle easier. So putting it in Neutral (although illegal) is better for the transmission? I've never owned an automatic before and the jerking every-time I shift made me think otherwise.
Thanks

[FalcoColumbarius]

Putting it in neutral when parked at a stop light or sign is not illegal. Perhaps you were thinking of free-wheeling (dropping it into neutral whilst rolling down a hill, &c.. I usually put the hand brake on if it's a longer light. In the L300 driver's manual Mitsubishi recommends using the gears manually for gearing down, for instance; on hills so you don't boil that brake fluid by riding the brakes all the way down the hill.

Nxski, get to know your vehicle, check your fluids. When you check your transmission fluid dip stick(the fatter one) the wagon should be in Park on level ground with the E brake on and the engine running. When you pull the dip stick out the fluid should be pink, if it's brown then it is time to change the fluid and the filter. If it's black then change it right away as your plates are eroding and could damage the transmission. The fluid level should be between the high/low lines and not outside them. There are two sets, both for warm and cold engines.

When gearing down: Just when you shift there is a gap between the gears where the tranny goes into neutral, just enough time to pump the accelerator and bring your engine RPM up to the next gear. First get out of overdrive, and only if you are not exceeding 90KPH. when shifting to second gear be sure your are not going faster than 55KPH. If you decide to keep your transmission in 1st (L), say in snow for instance, do not go faster that 30, 25 would be nicer to your tranny. These numbers are good for 4H, as well.

Falco.

[deli1733]

i had the exact same symptoms as you so i changed the tranny mounts because they were easier, then the vibrations seemed to move right underneath me so i changed the motor mounts(kind of a pain) and now i cant even tell if im in neutral or drive at a stop.

[nxski]

A police officer had told me that a long as I was on the road I couldn't have the vehicle in Neutral but they were probably just talking about coasting. I've checked the fluids and will be doing an oil change soon, transmission fluid is still pink although seems to be going brown. I will have to look up how to do that as I haven't had to in the past. I had a leak by the front passenger side and I believe I've figured out where that was coming from (hopefully). I've been worried about switching out of overdrive because the previous owner told me not to as it just creates complication. As I do not want my brakes to wear out I might try messing around with the gearing bit though. The engine definitely feels different when in drive than it does in neutral and when in park revs up from 750 rpm to about 870rpm and when I turn the lights off in park it goes from 850 to 1000. I've also noticed that if I rev the engine the lights get brighter. Is this normal or might I have an alternator problem?
Thanks for all of your insight!

[dfnder]

.... The engine definitely feels different when in drive than it does in neutral and when in park revs up from 750 rpm to about 870rpm and when I turn the lights off in park it goes from 850 to 1000. I've also noticed that if I rev the engine the lights get brighter. Is this normal or might I have an alternator problem?
Thanks for all of your insight!

I have the identical symptoms, I was leaning towards alternater but I haven't narrowed it down yet.

[nxski]

I'm hoping that's not the case. It feels much better after having put the additive through it. The problem I have now is that it revs way too high and I can no longer adjust the throttle to make it lower because it is jammed.

[deli1733]

are you remembering to turn the knob to the left?

[nxski]

Are you referring to the throttle control or the screw inside the engine? In either case both are in their correct location.

[deli-belly]

I've been monitoring the excessive vibrations that were occurring earlier and they've actually calmed down quite a bit. My RPMs are a little lower than Falco's suggestions and I've found that when there are vibrations, giving it a little gas and bring up the RPMs seems to do the trick. Seems like its just a revs problem and has thankfully it takes care of itself once the engine is warmed up. I had a cracked muffler pipe repaired earlier on but I don't think that is really what fixed the vibes... I saw that it was vibrating like mad out the back end of my L300 and thought it was the source of the problem, however it was only a symptom since at the time the vibes didn't disappear (but it got a lot quiter!).