computerwi

I have only started experiencing vibration since the colder weather started settling in. The vibration occurs around 750 rpm, similar to @corradoMR2. It occurs when it's generally colder weather (below 0°C), and the engine is about 80% warmed up but not completely, and at a complete stop. The brake hold feature makes no difference. The vibration can be felt throughout the vehicle in the steering wheel, floor, seat, doors, etc. Driving for a few more minutes until the engine is at full operating temperature makes the vibration disappear, even though it idles at the same rpm.

Other than that, I would say it's been vibration free and I don't think it's significant enough to warrant reporting to the dealer at my next service appointment. They probably wouldn't be able to reproduce it anyway.

optokki

Been experiencing exactly as others have described here. It was so annoying to me that I googled it and to my surprise this forum had a thread on the very issue. Anyways for me, I get the vibration pretty much ALL the time, from cold start to warm temperature. The vibration occurs EXACTLY at 760rpm. The car generally idles at 750rpm so the vibration is generally felt just as I let off the brake and apply throttle. Some things to note, the ambient temperature is well below 0 degrees where I live and seems to have become more noticeable with the colder season.

On a unrelated note, I also get this strange tick/knock noise from seemingly the front wheels/axles/driver footwell area when I first drive the car out of my garage and make the first steering input as I'm accelerating. Its happens regularly and only under those circumstances (first startup acceleration with steering input). Anyone else have this issue? Its like a something loose in the steering column that 'clicks' into place as I'm turning the steering wheel.

computerwi

Agree about the 760 rpm. It is just a slight tad above 750 rpm.

I also hear a series of clicks on start-up. Not sure if it's related to colder weather because I didn't notice that during the summer time.

chandlervt

Interestingly, I never had this vibration when I was in Dallas. We are in Louisiana currently and just started to notice when the car is in Park or Drive with brake pressed. However, if I am stopped at a light then I don't notice it . It seems to happen if I am standing still for longer than a 1 minute or so.
Also, it goes away after a while.

Also, my last gas fill was from Louisiana gas station . I always use premium - highest available and always use Chevron, Shell or Exxon. Not sure if gas station has leaky gas tanks. There has been lot of rain here and I don't trust the condition of gas tanks at these locations.

Once I am in Dallas, I will fill it up again and see how it fares.

BTW, if there is anyone here from Louisiana - you guys have really crappy roads. Potholes that can swallow a baby. My friend visiting from California thought Texas roads were bad - clearly Louisiana has not been on his itinerary.

MikeW83

Remember, a 4cyl has to work harder to maintain itself vs. an engine with more cylinders. I would expect a slight RPM increase as the car is trying to move itself. 2 tons of components even on wheels is still a lot of metal and plastic to push around

I also wonder how much of this may have to do with the motor mounts? My ES330 only has 3 of them, and it was a major complaint on the 300/330's that it actually hindered performance. Maybe the NX's mounts aren't as dampening as those on other models in colder weather...

chandlervt

Update: My vibration is gone. I am assuming this was just bad fuel in Louisiana. So could this be a fuel related issue for others too?

Swacer

I apologize, I lost track of this thread entirely (busy before Christmas rush at work).

Anyways, I think once before I mentioned that I believe the hesitation that everyone is feeling is related to the amount of load being put on the car compared to only 4 cylinders of power. The fewer cylinder, the less engine power, the more utilization of the motor for accessories to run.

I would think that for most people, those who are seeing it the most, are those who are using AUTO most of the time. The reason being is that when the car is on AUTO, the AC compressor is always ON. It doesn't matter if air conditioning it running or not, it is running the compressor, and thus additional auxiliary work for the engine. I personally never use AUTO in the NX, and I have never felt this shutter. Now, when I went and test drove the 4Runner, it was in AUTO, with it being 20F outside, and the 4.0L V6 had no shutter whatsoever.

As for the exhaust changing the vibration, I'm not sure those 2 events are connected. While the exhaust will help the engine breathe better, you aren't decreasing the auxiliary load on the engine, so I don't think it will fix your problem.

To those having the problem on a regular basis, I would recommend leaving the car off AUTO and no A/C. See what it does.

dadofahusk

Already tried it, had no effect leaving it off, still have vibrations. Also, i disagree with the workload of the 4 cyl being the issue and my reasoning is the vibration only occurs when the brake is not applied. Even if i am only barely touching the brake, not enough to physically hold the car, there is no vibration, but, once i let off the brake is when the vibration presents. The load on the engine is the same yet only one way causes the vibrations.

Swacer

The load is NOT the same when you're on or off the brakes. Any touching of the brakes will utilize the brake booster, and your idle is tied to wheel speed and brake position on modern cars (and several other parameters that we don't need to discuss).

So what is the RPM during this vibration? Is it below when you're on the brakes?

corradoMR2

Swacer, I never keep my cars on AUTO for the reason you mentioned. That is, it has the AC compressor enabled. I like to control when I have the AC on. So vibration is there regardless.

As dadofahusk mentioned, the vibration is noticeable the moment you release the brake and let the car idle and creep up slowly. It gets worse when stuck in traffic which lends me to believe increases in operating temperature exacerbate the issue.

Now one thing I will mention, though could be coincidental, is my last tank was filled with 94 octane. The engine was running smoother... When I get it back from my dealer for the tapping noise (some day!), I will pay closer attention to the engine smoothness/higher octane...

dadofahusk

RPM is definitely lower when on the brake pedal and as soon as you release the RPM goes up just enough to cause the vibration

KL5123

I don't see anyone mentioned it. You can program it so that when you press Auto, the AC is still off.

I have a 2016 model and I don't see this engine vibration issue.

Swacer

Which makes sense. The crank can't rotate as fast with the additional load from the braking system.

Since I do not have this vibration, can you qualify it? Does the vibration feel like the engine is lugging? or does it feel like something is physically vibrating? Can you HEAR anything vibrating?

dadofahusk

the whole care vibrates, you can feel it through the seats, the armrest, etc. it doesnt feel like the engine is bogging down and no, you cant hear anything vibrating.

computerwi

Agreed. The vibration is pretty rough and felt readily throughout the vehicle. Even my passengers noticed it in the rear when stopped at a light.

Not A/C issue, because even in AUTO, the compressor won't operate in freezing temperatures.