Car shakes
My car is shaking, and the Engine Service Soon Light is on.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
The engine computer would need to be scanned to see if the engine is misfiring. That would lead to a possible coil, or spark plug failure. Depending on your car’s mileage, there may be a coil and plug issue. I recommend having a mechanic, like one from YourMechanic, diagnose the cause of the shaking, and recommend a path to repair.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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Any unusual shaking or vibrating forces coming from the engine is cause for concern. It could be something as simple as old spark plugs producing an uneven power delivery, it could be something serious like worn or broken engine mounts, or it could be even more serious in the case of internal engine damage.
An engine misfire—a problem that almost always causes an increase in hydrocarbon emissions —is one of the many reasons why the check engine light might illuminate (or start to flash). Usually, when the check engine light is on and the car is shaking, that means you`re dealing with an engine misfire.
Common reasons for this to happen:
Tire issues: The most frequent causes of a vehicle shaking while driving stem from tire issues. Tires begin to behave differently when worn or out of balance. Tire replacement, realignment, and rebalancing are common solutions.
In general, the check engine flashing and engine shaking means there`s a problem with one or more engine components that needs to be resolved immediately. Some possible sources of this problem could be an unreliable ignition coil, bad spark plugs, fuel supply problem, defective engine sensor, etc.
Worn or dirty spark plugs can cause a petrol car`s engine to misfire in one or more cylinders, which can cause vibrations when the car is idling or at running speeds. The easiest solution is to replace your spark plugs and check the related wiring. Engine vibrations can also be due to the air and fuel systems.
A loose or disconnected air hose or vacuum hose can cause quite a bit of violent shaking and vibration in your car`s engine. To correct the problem, simply look for any loose or disconnected hoses and reattach them and replace them as needed.
Often, your car shakes when idle simply because it`s time to replace your spark plugs! When yours are dirty or worn out, they fail to fire in the right way. If this happens, they`re unable to ignite the fuel located within each of the piston cylinders on time. As a result, your engine can misfire.
Any unusual shaking or vibrating forces coming from the engine is cause for concern. It could be something as simple as old spark plugs producing an uneven power delivery, it could be something serious like worn or broken engine mounts, or it could be even more serious in the case of internal engine damage.
The most prevalent cause of vibration is problems with your wheels or tires. The potential problems include improper wheel and tire balance, uneven tire wear, separated tire tread, out of round tires, damaged wheels and even loose lug nuts.
If your vehicle is shaking when you are idling at a complete stop, the problem is likely to be damaged or broken motor mounts or transmission mounts. Broken motor or transmission mounts can result in severe motor shaking and should be fixed before causing other serious mechanical problems.
One of the most common causes of engine vibration is faulty spark plugs. If your spark plugs are worn out or dirty, it can cause your car`s engine to misfire. Sometimes, it might not even fire on every cylinder or create the spark your engine needs to ignite the fuel.
Regardless, it`s a good idea to get your car checked out in this instance. Shaking: If your car shakes while it idles, you might need an oil change. This is because your car`s engine will create more friction without enough oil.
Improperly functioning spark plugs cause an uneven burn of fuel in the engine, resulting in fluctuating RPMs and a louder noise. You might also experience increased vibrations of your vehicle while sitting idle or while traveling at low speeds. These vibrations originate from the engine and can shake the entire car.
To help confirm that the vehicle has an engine speed related vibration, with the vehicle stopped, put it into park or neutral and raise the engine speed to the RPM at which the vibration occurred to see if the vibration can be reproduced. If reproduced, diagnosis should begin with engine speed related components.
The most common cause of the shaking most often happens near your tires and rims. The tires and wheels connect your vehicle to the road, and if anything is a bit wonky, will notice. It may be something like a broken transmission or a broken control arm.
Most cases of vehicle shaking are due to worn-out or dirty spark plugs–but there are other possibilities. You`ll want to have a trained mechanic look at your BMW as soon as possible–pretty much anything causing your car to vibrate is a potentially serious problem.
The CV joints are located mostly at the end of the axle points. There are two joints, outer and inner. When the inner joint gets damaged, you can observe that the car starts vibrating under hard acceleration. Because of wear and tears in the joints, CV joints can get damaged and cause failure.
Potential causes of a vehicle shaking at idle include a loose gas cap, loose battery cables, a worn throttle sensor, a damaged engine mount, or bad spark plugs. Perform a general inspection of your engine bay to look for damage. If you can`t repair the problem yourself, take the vehicle to a mechanic.
The CV joints are located mostly at the end of the axle points. There are two joints, outer and inner. When the inner joint gets damaged, you can observe that the car starts vibrating under hard acceleration. Because of wear and tears in the joints, CV joints can get damaged and cause failure.
You could have a damaged or broken motor mount. Motor mounts are the things that attach the engine to your vehicle`s frame. That sounds serious because it is, and damage to one or more of the motor mounts can allow the engine to vibrate and move around when you press the gas pedal.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
I put the wrong key in my car and a few weeks later my car just shut down and it will not start I believe it’s the computer but…
ANSWER : Hi there. What had happened is the wrong key set the security to the vehicle. This is to prevent the vehicle from starting with the wrong keys. Try removing the battery cables (+) and (-) for 13 minutes. During that time, put the original key in the ignition and turn it on. Activate everything in the car even though there is no power. Then remove the key and hook up the battery cables. The computer should have reset and reset the security. If the security is still being tripped, then I recommend seeking out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you
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car shakes when idle and accelerating
ANSWER : It is very possible that you have a valve cover gasket or spark plug tube seal leak on your vehicle. These type of leaks will allow oil to leak onto the spark plugs causing misfires. When the engine misfires due to oil getting on the spark plug, the engine oil will burn. Since oil and tires are both petroleum products, they will both smell similar when they are burning. I would recommend having an oil leak inspection performed by a qualified professional to determine if there is an oil leak. Consider YourMechanic as an Oil/Fluid leak inspection can be peformed at your home or office.
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My car shakes and shakes even more when i turn on my AC
ANSWER : Shaking with the a/c on can be caused by a number of reasons. The a/c compressor puts a lot of strain on the engine because the compressor is similar to being a small engine itself. When the a/c is switched on, the engine control unit should trigger components such as the idle speed/air control motor, to increase the idle slightly to compensate for the extra drag of the compressor. If that does not happen, then the additional drag can cause a low,shaky idle and even cause the engine to stall. Stalling can happen more often with the a/c on and turning the steering wheel as the power steering pump also creates drag on the engine. Excessive shaking can also be attributed to weak/broken motor mounts as well.
Have a certified technician look into the engine shake to isolate the exact cause.
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Replaced alternator on car 2 times each time shows it’s charging 14v let car run for a little bit then test drive and car voltage
ANSWER : There are reports that the replacement alternators will not communicate with the engine computer and will not charge correctly. I recommend using only the manufacturer approved replacement part. It can be new or remanufactured but approved for use in the vehicle. Some lower cost alternators on the aftermarket will have charging problems since they will not communicate with the ECM on the vehicle and will stop charging.
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Car shakes violently after a few minutes of driving
ANSWER : This may be a sign of a clogged catalytic converter. As you may already know, the catalytic converter converts toxic exhaust gases into less harmful pollutants that are suitable to be expelled into the atmosphere. When this is clogged, this causes these gases to be backed up into the exhaust system not allowing the engine to breathe properly (think of a backed up sink). When this happens, the engine is forced to work much harder to expel these gases. This often results in the engine bogging down, hesitating, shaking and causing very poor fuel economy. This should also cause a check engine light to come on as the O2 sensors should be reading the incorrect amounts of oxygen in the exhaust gases if this is your problem. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and replace your catalytic converter.
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After you sit with the car running, the car starts smoking and eventually starts shaking
ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in. It all depends where the smoke is coming from. If it is from the exhaust then your engine be running rich and starting to foul out the spark plugs. Have the computer tested to see if any codes are present that could indicate what is causing the smoke. If you see smoke from the engine compartment then you may be running the engine hot due to low airflow over the radiator. Have the cooling fan checked to make sure it is running. If it is running and the vehicle has the AC running and the blower is on or near high then you may be using more energy than the alternator can keep up with. This can cause the radiator fan to not turn as fast as it should and let the temperature to rise if idled for long periods. If you would like help, consider having an expert automotive technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to inspect and diagnose this issue for you, and make or suggest any repairs as needed.
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The car keeps shaking
ANSWER : Hi there:
When the engine shakes or vibrates, it’s caused by either a fuel restriction issue or an ignition system issue. If the check engine light came on, there should be a few error codes that can be downloaded by a professional mechanic that should pinpoint what’s possibly causing this to occur on your Kia. However, the only way to know for certain is to have a professional mechanic complete an engine is shaking or vibrating inspection first.
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BMW 318i, car is shaking. Why?
ANSWER : Hello, thanks for writing in. It sounds like you may have a serious internal engine issue, something may have come disconnected, or you have bad gas. I usually check the computer for codes first. If the computer is seeing a problem then it will be stored in a code and that will give direction to the issue. If there is nothing there then a visual inspection of the engine must be done followed by a compression test. If you need to have this looked at, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose and repair this.
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