My car trembles or idles hard when I’m at a temporary stop. It feels like the car wants to move before I’m ready.
My car trembles or idles hard when I'm at a temporary stop. It feels like the car wants to move before I'm ready. The trembling feels like I'm in boiling water, being pushed to step on gas before I'm ready or the stop light changes to green.
My car has 47200 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
This problem may be related to a dirty or faulty idle air control valve. This valve is a unit that reads the air intake as it is mixed with fuel, prior to being injected into the motor. The computer then uses this information to make fueling adjustments.
When the idle air control valve is not working properly, this may cause the motor to be over-fueled or under-fueled, depending on the conditions. This will cause a rough idle as you have described.
It is recommended that you get a certified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, to come to your location and replace the idle air control valve for you.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
The most common reasons a Chevrolet Equinox has rough idle are a vacuum leak, an issue with the spark plugs, or a problem with the ignition coil.
Common reasons for this to happen:
Tires begin to behave differently when worn or out of balance. Tire replacement, realignment, and rebalancing are common solutions. Engine firing issues: When one or more of your spark plugs isn`t firing correctly, it can cause your car to vibrate.
Motor mounts: It`s the job of the motor and transmission mounts to dampen vibration. When they break, you`ll feel excessive vibration, especially at idle. You can diagnose this yourself by putting your car in neutral. If the shaking lessens, you very well could have broken mounts.
Common culprits include the ignition control module, plug wires, coils, and spark plugs. Defective Airflow Sensor: A defective airflow sensor can be responsible for a rough idle. A mass airflow sensor detects the amount of air coming into the fuel injection system and sends that information to the vehicle`s computer.
An indication that a vehicle is not receiving the right mixture of air and fuel is if the vehicle jerks or surges forward at high speed. Several components of the fuel or air intake system could cause this jerking or surging sensation to happen. Issues within these systems can also cause fuel economy to worsen.
Hello, an engine sharking at stop and idle is likely an indication of an air intake problem or vacuum leak. If you are getting not enough or too much air into the engine, it will run poorly. This is especially accentuated with low engine idle such as when stopped.
What causes the Chevy Shake? The class action lawsuits named two causes for the Chevy Shake: a weak aluminum driveshaft and GM`s 8L90 and 8L45 transmissions. According to Kim v. Bostick, the aluminum driveshaft (known as a “propeller shaft” or “prop shaft”) weakens over time and eventually drops to the ground.
Engine vibration can be a result of many different issues in your vehicle, but when it occurs at a low RPM it usually is the result of faulty spark plugs, poor fuel pressure, or even an engine misfire.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
My car trembles or idles hard when I’m at a temporary stop. It feels like the car wants to move before I’m ready.
ANSWER : This problem may be related to a dirty or faulty idle air control valve. This valve is a unit that reads the air intake as it is mixed with fuel, prior to being injected into the motor. The computer then uses this information to make fueling adjustments.
When the idle air control valve is not working properly, this may cause the motor to be over-fueled or under-fueled, depending on the conditions. This will cause a rough idle as you have described.
It is recommended that you get a certified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, to come to your location and replace the idle air control valve for you.
When i have my car running with my heat or ac on my car hesitates like it wants to stop when i’m stopped at a light.
ANSWER : As you may know, your car’s AC system when working properly puts an extra load on the engine at all times when it is running. When this happens, your car’s computer makes adjustments to compensate for this extra load on the engine. There is a component in your engine’s intake system called an idle air control valve that helps to control air intake as it is mixed with fuel during idle or low speeds. When this is dirty or not working properly (especially under load from additional power required for the AC), tis may cause incorrect adjustments to be made to the fuel mixture causing the hesitation you describe. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your home to take a look at your car to properly diagnose and repair your idle air control valve.
It feels like my car is about to break down, like I am very carefully carrying the engine home so it doesn’t fall out.
ANSWER : Hi there. I would typically start by checking to see if the check engine light is on and then I would scan the computer for codes. This can give some insight as to what is going on. If there are no codes then I’d monitor the signal from the sensors to make sure that they are all working fine. If those are also fine then the issue sounds like it may be a catalytic converter or a transmission problem. This vehicle has a history of transmission failures that could cause this. Also, if the catalytic converter fails it will cause the same symptoms. I usually test the converter for any signs of failure and do a back pressure test of the exhaust before getting into the transmission. If you’d like assistance in diagnosing this issue, a certified YourMechanic technician can inspect these issues with your engine hesitating and help diagnose your vehicle.
Your issues with the air conditioning unit are likely unrelated to the issues with your engine, and you will likely need your AC unit inspected in order to diagnose that issue.
I was stopped on the freeway, started to go about 5 mph, the car jerked and stop without warning like the wheels locked up.
ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in. I’d be happy to try to help. It is hard to definitively diagnose what the issue is. At first it seems like a transmission issue. Automatic transmissions are rather complicated and can do strange things when they malfunction. If not an issue with the transmission, you could also have a clutch issue. Always start by checking the simple components first. Check your transmission fluid level. Make sure your transmission filter is clean and debris free. When you have the transmission pan off, you can look and see if there are any metal shavings at the bottom. There is often a small magnet at the bottom of the pan designed to gather any metal shavings for a quick diagnosis. This is a sign of more serious transmission problems. Unless you have experience with automatic transmissions, it is not recommended that major repairs be done at home. I suggest taking your car to a transmission specialist for help.
Car doesn’t want to stop when brakes are pressed, has an odor, and feels like it wants to power off on me.
ANSWER : Hello.
From what you describe it would appear that some sort of serious issue may have occurred that is greatly affecting engine performance. A few common reasons why a car would not want to go over 45 mph is due to problems with the fuel, ignition, or engine management systems. Smoke from the engine is usually a result of fluid leaks. It may be possible that oil, power steering, or even brake fluid are leaking and have made contact with a hot engine component, producing smoke. You mention that the car did not want to stop, or had trouble stopping – this could be related to the smoke if there is a brake fluid leak present. I would recommend having a professional technician look at the vehicle, as the possibilities could be many.
Regards,
Eduardo
YourMechanic
My Car drives forward not backwards. In N and R rolles forward, but will not roll back. Have to lift front to move the car beck.
ANSWER : Hi there. Make sure the vehicle is on level ground with the engine warmed up when checking transmission fluid. Check the fluid for color, smell, and contamination as these could be telltale signs of what is occurring inside the transmission. It does sound like there is a shift solenoid that is not activating; this could be the 1-2 shift solenoid or the low/reverse solenoid depending on how many are in your particular transmission. These are simply valves that control the flow of hydraulic fluid used by the transmission control computer to determine the gear selection for the transmission. These solenoids can be manually activated in the same way you have described by selecting D1, D2, and so on. Since there was no change in the transmission operation when you selected D1, this could be a solenoid or electrical circuit fault. The solenoid could be mechanically broken/stuck or there could be an open circuit in the solenoid or the electrical circuit itself. Properly testing this system and components should be performed by a qualified technician and I strongly urge you utilize one for this inspection to avoid replacing unnecessary parts. Your Mechanic has several available technicians that can assist you with a car does not move inspection [https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/car-does-not-move-when-i-step-on-the-gas-pedal-inspection].
My car doesn’t want to go up hills. It has slow acceleration, and feels like it’s not kicking into the next gear when I drive it.
ANSWER : Hi There,
What you are describing sounds like you may have a clogged catalytic converter. The catalytic converter converts toxic exhaust gases into less harmful pollutants that are suitable to be expelled into the atmosphere. When the catalytic converter is clogged, this causes these gases to be backed up into the exhaust system not allowing the engine to breathe properly. 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.
What you are describing sounds like you may have a clogged catalytic converter. The catalytic converter converts toxic exhaust gases into less harmful pollutants that are suitable to be expelled into the atmosphere. When the catalytic converter is clogged, this causes these gases to be backed up into the exhaust system not allowing the engine to breathe properly. 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.
I got gas the day after my car stopped moving after applying the brake at a stop sign. Now it wont drive 2008 Chevy Aveo
ANSWER : Hi – first thing to check is for proper transmission fluid level. If fluid level is correct, this may be a transmission failure (forward clutches). I would recommend a transmission inspection by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.
