joshb217

So my 02 C4 isn't acting right again. I'm getting a ton of vibration in my pedals, steering wheel and console. This is with the car in neutral sitting still or with the car in motion in or out of gear. I really feel the vibration in the clutch pedal right when I have it pushed about 1 inch. The further I press it to the floor the lessor the vibration gets (in the pedal). The intensity of vibration also increases with RPM's in the clutch pedal, throttle and in the car. At 3-3.5k RPM's the car starts to sound different. It's like I can possibly hear the vibration at the same pitch as the exhaust. I can't tell exactly what the sound is but I do know it's different. My first thought was the motor mounts. I replaced them but it didn't fix the issue. Would a bad transmission mount cause this?
For the record I believe the transmission has not been removed from the car for any repairs. At this point it's sitting in my garage because i'm scared to drive it even to the shop. I'm open to any suggestions and will try to find a good deal on a durametric tool if that could help.

A bit more information in case you think it's related. The problem seemed to have started around the day I was cursing down the highway behind a few cars and we all hit a dead deer in the middle of the road. It went right between my front wheels and right out of the back. I did felt it hit the bottom of the car. Not 10 feet later I took a fresh dead raccoon under my passenger side front and rear wheel. Neither left apparent signs of damage on the car. I can't say positively that this was the day it stared because I was too angry at myself for following to closely or not passing everyone sooner. I'm doubting this caused it but thought it was worth mentioning.


Edit
I'd also like to add that the car shifts perfectly especially after the new motor mounts. I also have no other issues with the clutch other than an occasional chirp noise at take off in first gear. It's done that since I got it 20 months ago. There also doesn't seem to be any decrease in engine performance. I did see a couple tiny glittery specs in my oil filter during the last oil change for the first time. I'm going to change the oil tonight to see if I find anything unusual.

dporto

Did you check out the underside of the car after you hit the deer? It could be driveshaft related. There could be something wrapped around it or caught between the shaft and the tunnel (causing it to be out of balance). It could also be the transmission mount is torn/collapsed (accounting for the vibration when you're sitting still)...

DBJoe996

If it is vibrating in neutral and the car is not moving, that would eliminate a lot of drive train issues. Maybe it is the dual mass flywheel damper and clutch assembly. Running over a dead deer in the road sounds pretty bad. Glad you came out all right.

joshb217

I didn't notice anything caught under the car at all. I can't inspect the transmission mount with the transmission in the car correct?

joshb217

I had thoughts of it being the flywheel too. Do you think any internal parts of the engine could cause the vibrations? Crank maybe? Now I'm also wondering if it could be something from the exhaust system that could be sending the vibrations. Seems unlikely because it's quite powerful in the clutch pedal but I will inspect it tonight after the oil change. I will also try to pick a better word than vibration and try to figure out what i'm hearing. I do know that when I get out of it after a drive my hands and feet are tingling. I've been doing a lot of reading and everyone seems to have different symptoms. I'm really hoping whatever is happening is unusual and a simple fix but then again don't we all.

Driving over the deer wasn't too bad. All the cars in front of me got the worst of it. I think...

Montychristo128

I believe you can add something like Function First's inserts without dropping the motor?

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/...pg3.htm#item12

"Installation can be completed with basic hand tools in about one hour. Pressing out the stock transmission mount bushing is not necessary."

joshb217

Thank you. At this point I will try about anything to avoid tearing in to the tranny. I will probably order it tonight.

cds72911

If you can get the car up in the air and support the transmission, you can remove the two brackets that mount the transmission to the engine, at which point you could look at the transmission mount. I'm not sure what that would tell you, other than perhaps if the rubber is badly degraded. You may be able to put a screwdriver in the metal center section and twist it to make any cracks more visible.

My transmission mount was pretty shot, but on a quick visual inspection it wasn't obvious. Once I tried to twist the center section, it became apparent how damaged it really was.

The function first insert won't fix a failed mount. It'll just stiffen up a good stock mount.

Since we're playing the guessing game, I guess that is is a failed dual mass flywheel.

Noz1974

First job I would remove the undertrays and inspect, it sounds like something is transferring the normal engine vibrations through the body, could be something wedged where you can’t see, worth a look before the spending begins, maybe on top of the gearbox there’s a dead raccoon , poor bugger!

joshb217

You are the second vote for the flywheel.
You are thinking it wouldn't be worth installing the FF transmission mount just to see? I'm ok with a few small wasteful purchases to avoid going all in if I have too.

For those who think it's the flywheel what damages would that cause if I drove it more? Would a flywheel just fail over night or over a couple days time?

joshb217

lol.. well said! I think I might go look now since I didn't get to change the oil because it was sold out.

JSRossie

I’m with everyone on pulling the belly pans to inspect. That’s cheap. Inspecting the transmission mount is cheap. Just a couple of bolts while supporting the transmission.

That said, I will guess flywheel too. If it failed and is stuck weirdly it would cause vibration. Not crazy hard to replace but costs about $700. Plus it’s the kind of job that will have you spending on the clutch, RMS and IMS (unless you are sure when/how it was last done.)

I am doing a job like this now so a little too familiar with it right now.

Good luck.

joshb217

I did have the chance to start it and focus on the vibrations more. I used my hands on the pedals instead. Mainly the clutch. When I started to push it towards the floor (the first 1-2 inches) while raising the RPM's the clutch felt a lot like it were pulsating. If it were the dual mass flywheel what would actually be wrong with it. Warped or bent? Would the pulsating be the rotation of something bent? Just after start up I walked around it and touched the panels and they seem to be vibrating more than usual too.

joshb217

Kind of what I'm feeling. I just needed to replace a strut mount which ended up being 2 strut mounts, an axle, lower control arms, bushings, H&R sport springs and motor mounts. All those darn while you're in there things that fixed so many issues except for this big one. Such high maintenance but she sure is pretty.

I will be checking everything suggested before making any big decisions and continuing not to give up on what i signed up for.

JSRossie

Just thinking out loud but if a spring failed it would vibrate strangely. Maybe some impact shock from the deer? But I’m really just making a WAG.