Stick Shift Shakes/Vibrates in Neutral - Is this normal?

I recently bought a 2009, 4 cyl, 4x4, manual transmission, 89,000-mile Tacoma and I've noticed a vibration while the truck is idling in neutral. It is most noticeable when it's warmed up and idling at lower RPMs. Once I start moving the vibrations go away.

You can feel the vibrations in the seat and they cause the shifter to shake (see video). The vibrations aren't steady, like you would expect to normally feel from the natural movements within the engine and transmission. It's more of an intermittent shudder. If I were to put it into words it would be - ....shudder..........shuddershudder..........shudder.......shuddershuddershudder....... As far as I can tell, it feels like it's coming directly from the transmission.

Immediately after purchasing the truck I changed the spark plugs, cleaned the throttle body and MAF sensor, replaced the air filter, replaced the PCV valve, put in a new serpentine belt, and changed the fluids all the way around. I was hoping one of those things would reduce the vibration but nothing has changed. I suppose this makes sense though, because the truck has always idled steady. Once it's warmed up, it hangs out right around 650 RPMs and doesn't really move. So I wouldn't think this is engine related.

Shortly before I bought the truck, the owner had the rear main seal replaced due to a minor oil leak. He wasn't driving the truck much and let it sit for a few months, which may have contributed to the seal leaking. I'm wondering if the technician may have gotten the flywheel/clutch disk dirty or re-installed something incorrectly. Not sure if you need to resurface a flywheel after taking out the clutch and putting it back in. Maybe the flywheel needs to be resurfaced?

Anyways, just wondering if anyone else has experienced a shifter shake/vibration in neutral. Is this normal? I'm used to driving manual Hondas which do not shake at all, so this is new for me. I've heard that this is really common with some BMW's and it is somewhat normal, but sometimes the flywheel needs to be replaced if it is excessive.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

I'm not familiar with your specific truck, but I wouldn't go tearing apart my clutch over that. Besides, if the clutch is losing grip at idle, you would see problems at other speeds most likely. An idle speed of 650 sounds awfully low. Is that spec? I would try bumping that gently up to 800-850 and see what happens. Any engine idling that low would be expected to shake a little bit, especially a 4 cylinder. You could check all of your engine and transmission mounts, but I wouldn't expect one to be bad at 89K. The cycling could also be due to a fuel problem. I wouldn't hurt to run a bottle of Techron or similar fuel system cleaner through, and see if there is any change. There are ways to test the fuel pump for power spikes or inconsistency electrically as well. Again, my first question is the idle speed.

I've owned Hondas too. Comparing anything to a Honda is a mistake

 

Have you tried using fuel system cleaner that's mixed with fuel? I suggest the Redline product or anything that has a higher concentration of PEA. Double or triple dose if need be and let it run its course for a full tank.

 

Is the shift knob heavily weighted ? I replaced my stock shift knob with a weighted knob, and the shifter would then vibrate in neutral. I put the stock knob back on and it stopped. I have since installed a OEM Hilux shift knob without the vibration reoccurring. I don't have an explanation of the "why".

 

I’ve got the same shifter shake in my ‘10 Tacoma 2.7L 4WD, had for 11 yrs. (150k miles). I had questions about the shake when I first bought, after years of doing all my own
maintenance and repairs, I believe this is normal.

 

It's just the harmonics that get created. Sometimes a heavier knob will have the opposite effect and reduce vibration. It is something you can experiment with.

 

I'd be examining the trans mounts. May have gotten damaged during the trans R&R. Worth a look.

Never drove one with a broken dog bone (motor mounts) or two huh?

It's also worth pulling the shifter and making sure the bits it mounts in are all intact. The name is slipping the old brain at the moment, but there are threads around here regarding the process. Pretty easy to refresh and tightens up the shifter itself

 

From what I've read, a normal idle RPM range is between 600-800 RPMs. So I figured 650 was normal, but I'm not 100% sure what the "perfect" idle RPM is.

I have taken a look at the mounts and nothing looked broken or loose.

I dumped a bottle of Gumout PEA cleaner in there this afternoon, so we'll see if that smooths things out a bit.

I would be interested in testing the fuel pump if I knew an easy way to do it. I have noticed that the gas tank cap cover vibrates sometimes and makes a fairly loud humming/rattling noise as it vibrates. I'm not sure if this would indicate that something's wrong with the fuel pump, or if it's just something like a loose hinge on the cover. Maybe I should look into this a bit more...

 

Dumped a bottle of Gumout PEA cleaner in the gas tank this afternoon. We'll see if that helps out at all.

 

The shift knob is stock, seems to be a medium weight.

 

That's great to hear that I'm not the only one with the shifter shake. I figured it may be normal, but the fact that there was some inconsistency to the shakes made me wonder. But it isn't super excessive, so it may be perfectly fine.

I may still look into a couple possible causes, anything that's not terribly difficult and doesn't require ripping apart the transmission. But after that, I think I'll just drive the darn truck and let it be.

 

Did you pry by the transmounts with a pry bar? You usually can't tell if they are cracked/broken by looking, you need to induce a load on them.

Some have also reported loose trans mount bolts, needed as much as 1/2 turn to set them tight.

Also it's still worth checking out your shifter bushing at your age/mileage. Would not affect the engine/trans shaking, but could be a cheap fix for smoother shifting and less shifter shake.

And yea, I'd bring that idle speed up a tad. Around 750.

When you did the plugs, did one of them happen to be considerably more carboned than the others?

 

I did not pry the transmission to test the mount. I can look into doing that tomorrow.

So I guess I'm still not convinced that the idle speed needs to come up. Everywhere I've read says that, in general, 600-800 is normal. So according to this, 650 is normal for some vehicles. (I know that automatics and manuals have different idle speeds, but not sure which one is typically higher/lower). Now I haven't found a source that specifies the exact optimal idle speed for my specific truck, so I can't say for sure that 650 is normal, but it is definitely in the normal range according to multiple sources. How sure are you that 750 is more optimal than 650 for my truck? Also, I thought that the idle speed was electronically controlled and is not able to be adjusted. Am I wrong about that?

The old spark plugs looked fine and the wear was consistent among them.

 

Following... I have a similar issue that I'm looking into on my 06 6spd. The vibrations go away when I push the clutch in.

 

Mine has done the same thing since I bought it. It doesn't seem to affect anything, and the truck is well maintained, so I brushed it off as normal. Take that with a grain of salt, though, as it's my first vehicle and I'm far from being a mechanic.

 

Same thing with my 2013 2.7 4x4 although the whole truck vibrates a bit. Kind of annoying - vibrations go away at around 700 rpm’s but it sits just below that when warmed up. Did the fuel system cleaner help?

 

My 08 2.7 does the same thing. Just put in Red Line fuel system cleaner and hope it works as I believe it is more a matter of dirty injectors causing the engine to run a tad rough at idle. If I raise the rpm a bit, the shaking stops. There is about a 1/2 a tank left. The engine does seem more responsive, but the knob still shakes like in your video. I had a 92 Toyota pick up that did the same thing. Not at all worried, but I am just picky about my cars.

 

FWIW my '08 steady as a stone. I agree with @Clearwater Bill that the nylon bushing at the shifter base may be amplifying a condition rooted elsewhere. I'd take another hard look at all mounts, torque values, etc. Good luck, keep us in the loop of the outcome.

 

Well, after viewing your posted video, I'd say there's absolutely nothing wrong with your truck. Lemme guess, first manual right?

 

The engine shakes at idle, the transmission is connected to the engine, the shifter attaches to the transmission, it’s going to shake. As stated above, some ware items might be worn, amplifying the movement. It’s totally normal.