2003 Toyota Solara- Check engine light and vibration & Bar Link

[quote=”panda29″ post=194687]I own a used 2003 Toyota Solara SE, 4 cylinder. It is the first car that I have ever owned, so I am quite unknowledgeable when it comes to its mechanical components. I would also like to add that it already had the check engine light on when I purchased the car.

I took it to the mechanic for the first time for a maintenance check and was recommended to replace some parts and that it would be a two week process. I followed their recommendations and went back the week after for some of the replacements:

-valve cover gasket
-(4)spark plug
– serpentine belts
– axle shaft
– (4) suspension struts
– belt tension pulley

After leaving and driving it around for a while I noticed that when I go over bumps, dips, and make turns I would hear a creaking/cranking sound coming from the front end of the car. I explained it to the mechanics over the phone and was told they would take a look when I come to get the next few parts replaced. I also noticed that I still had the check engine light on. I believe they mentioned once the spark plugs or the engine mount gets replaced the light would go away (honestly I do not remember very well).

A week later I came back to get the following replaced:

– Power steering pump
– power steering hose
– Engine mount

The mechanics also checked on the sound that I was hearing and apparently because of the new struts, I now needed to get new sway bar links for the car. Once that is replaced, I wouldn’t have that problem anymore. I felt a bit frustrated and annoyed that I wasn’t told about this before, but due to my lack of knowledge on auto parts, all I could do was accept the explanation (wether it’s true or not) but decided to not get the parts yet until I try to do more research on it.

After leaving the mechanics I noticed that the check engine light was finally off, which made me happy, but my car began to have a strong vibration when ever I press on the breaks or leave the car idle. The vibration was definitely coming from the front and going to the steering wheel. Also, a couple of days later the check engine light came back on.

I went back to the mechanics to have them check the issue. They had to restart something which, sadly, I do not recall what it was, but it was supposed to make the vibration and check engine light go away after I drive the car for a while.

Its been a few days now and the vibration calmed down significantly-though it is still there- but the check engine light is still on.

I was hoping if someone could explain to me what is going on with my car.

I would like to know if what they said about the sway bar link and the sound on my car was true and it was not something they did on purpose to get more money out of me. Is it common that once you get new struts on your car, you also need new sway bar link to stop the noise?

What caused the vibration and is there always going to be a vibration due to some part replacements and owning an old car?
What could possibly be the reason the engine light to go off and come back on again?[/quote]

1. It’s an old car with probably 100000 or more miles on it so mechanical parts wear and need to be replaced.

2. I would not go back to that workshop. They don’t sound very competent.

3. The Sway Bar Links.

If there was no noise from the front suspension components before the front struts were changed (such as you suddenly have now) then it is most unlikely that the noise you have now is from worn sway bar links. More than likely the new noise you have is from a sloppy new front strut installation where the components have not be correctly tightened up and there is movement.

I would have changed the sway bar links in any case when the new front struts were fitted as they are not an expensive item, do wear, and you have to unbolt one end of the link from the front strut before you can remove the strut in any event. The other end of the link is bolted to the sway bar and it can be easily removed and replaced and only takes a few minutes, especially when the strut is removed.

It is possible the sway bar links are the old originals but unless you know the history of the car it is also possible that they were replaced previously and are still quite serviceable. The workshop should have checked the sway bar links for soundness when they were removing the front struts in any event. They should also have checked the rubber bushings that fit over the sway bar where the bar is bolted to the frame of the car because these also deteriorate with use and need to be replaced eventually.

The sway bar links have a small encased ball joint on each end which enables them to swivel . If worn and in need of replacement the ball joint will move up and down in it’s casing producing a clicking noise. This can easily be tested on the car but this component should have been checked at the time the front struts were being replaced.

I would have a suspension specialist check over the front suspension for you to determine where the new noise is coming from. I would not let the workshop that changed the struts do any more suspension work on your car because there should be no new noise coming from the front suspension after the replacement of the old struts.

4. Check Engine Light (CEL)

If the CEL is still on then they never correctly diagnosed the cause of the engine problem which is just sloppy and incompetent. They probably just cleared the CEL with their scan tool when they finished work on the car. But if you don’t identify and rectify the cause or causes, the CEL will always come back on.

It sounds from what you report that you have an engine vibration at idle or when the engine speed is slow which was not present previous to work being done on the car. If this is the case it would appear to be an engine misfire in one or more cylinders that is causing the engine vibration because a misfire will also normally generate a CEL.

When the CEL appears you will normally have the computer generate fault codes . These codes are retrieved by connecting a scan tool to the car to check which engine fault codes are being generated by the computer to aide diagnosis.

If we knew what fault codes were being generated by the car’s computer we could tell you the possible causes that would need to be investigated. But we don’t. A CEL and an engine vibration following the spark plug replacement is not much to go on.

5. I would take the car somewhere else because these guys you are using don’t sound very capable. To address the CEL and the engine vibration (which is also new apparently since the engine vibration was not occurring prior to your having the spark plugs changed) you need to get a scan tool onto the car to check for fault codes. I would not be surprised if these guys you used screwed up on the spark plug replacement either. You will probably get a better diagnosis of the engine issues if you take the car to a Toyota service center even though it may cost you more. They will also have better diagnostic equipment to check your engine than many independent workshops will have.