Shakes at idle. There is vibration during acceleration: the main causes of the problem

Every car owner, when getting behind the wheel of his car, must listen carefully to the noise that is created when he drives. Over time, you can learn to identify the noise of the pump, engine, brake systems, and alternator belt by the characteristic sounds they make. If vibration is felt when the car is moving, it means that some of its components have already exhausted their service life.

Causes of vibration

Exists whole line reasons why the car “shakes” when driving. Let's consider the most popular:

Steering wheel shaking (driving at speed)

The most common cause of shaking is the vibration of the steering wheel when the car is moving at speed. Interestingly, when accelerating, it intensifies even more. At first, the vibration on the steering wheel is not too noticeable, but then it becomes more noticeable. Failure to correct the cause may result in serious damage or loss of control, resulting in an accident. Also, due to steering wheel vibration, many vehicle components wear out faster, from tires to transmission.

Elements of the machine whose operation you need to pay attention to:

  • Wheels. Wheel imbalance can cause the steering wheel to vibrate when accelerating. It is better to seek help from a tire service; this procedure will not cause any major damage to your budget, and it can be resolved quite quickly;
  • Engine. The occurrence of vibration is often caused by poor performance of one of the cylinders due to the lack of a spark on the spark plug, wear of the piston gasket, valve or cylinder head. Body vibration when driving is also a consequence of problems with the engine. The elasticity of the rubber cushions and engine hydraulic mounts may have been lost.
  • Shock absorbers and struts. Untimely replacement of struts and shock absorbers can lead to uneven operation of the suspension, which causes vibration in the car. Shaking will be especially noticeable if you drive at high speed and on uneven roads;
  • Ball joints. They often become unusable due to bad roads. Unfortunately, our cars suffer from this problem much more often than cars that are used in European countries;
  • Tie rod ends. Another cause of vehicle vibration when driving is wear on the steering arms, which may cause the front wheels to not be parallel. This causes the steering wheel to shake.
  • Vehicle vibration during acceleration

    The appearance of vibration during acceleration can cause discomfort, especially in those moments when you want to overtake the car in front. However, pressing the gas pedal only results in uneven acceleration with jerks.

    To eliminate the cause of vibration, you need to check the following vehicle components:

    • Transmission oil level. If the transmission fluid level is too low, this may cause dips in acceleration dynamics (jerking) and shaking during acceleration;
    • Transmission filter. Perhaps it was simply clogged. The filter needs to be replaced with a new one. You can do this in a car repair shop or yourself;
    • Cardan joint. Vibration may occur due to wear on the U-joint on the driveshaft, which will become especially noticeable when accelerating. If the cause of the shaking is the universal joint, you should not delay replacing the part, since at one point the car will simply stall, and you will have to pay more for an emergency call to a tow truck than for buying a new joint.

    The list of sources of vibration and its danger to human life are quite significant factors for conducting a thorough and timely diagnosis of your car.

    On our website you can find out how much it will cost to diagnose faults in your car among service stations cooperating with us in Novosibirsk. To do this, just enter the details of your car in!

    Renovation proposals will start coming in very soon!

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Vibration in a car can occur for many reasons, and the situation is complicated by the fact that the breakdown may not give any special signs. The car can shake either during acceleration or when driving at speed. If you feel vibration coming from the steering wheel, then you urgently need to inspect the car, find the cause and eliminate it by replacing the required unit. What could be the reason why a car shakes at speed? We need to figure it out.

What harm can vibration cause during acceleration and speed?

The vibration emanating from the car causes significant discomfort to both the driver and passengers, and it is also harmful to the car itself. Vibrations can cause cracks; due to this phenomenon, nuts and bolts can unscrew on their own, and this is fraught. In addition, the driver can suffer from this, because vibrations can cause problems with blood circulation, narrowing of blood vessels, and deposition of salts in the joints.

Important! Inspect carefully dashboard. If there are any violations in the car, the indicator will show this.

Causes of vibration at speed

You are extremely unlucky if your car shakes at speed. The difficulty is that you, as a driver, constantly feel vibration from the steering wheel, and this has an extremely negative impact on yourself. In this case, you urgently need to find out why the car vibrates at speed.

Inspecting the wheels



Wheels can be main reason vibration of the car when driving, with the main symptom being shaking at a specific speed. Often the car vibrates at a speed of 100 km/h. If you are in an accident and the wheels are impacted, then the body may vibrate precisely because of this. Defects can be detected even by visual inspection. The problem may be with the balancing weights. If they fly off, the body will vibrate at speeds of more than 80 km/h. In this case, you will have to go to specialists and, since it is impossible to find out on which wheel the weight fell off.

violated

Improper wheel alignment can be considered one of the causes of vehicle vibration that occurs at certain speeds, although vibration can also occur during acceleration. Externally, a similar defect is visible by uneven wear of the tires. If external or inner sides tires are very worn, then it’s time to re-adjust the wheel alignment.

Tire quality

The quality of tires directly depends on the wheel alignment. If you have corrected the corners, then it is impossible to correct the tires, since they are already “accustomed” to driving this way. You can either install new tires, or drive carefully and at low speeds to make the wear even.

The reason is the chassis

There may be several problems with the chassis:

1) Suspension struts and shock absorbers. If these parts wear out, the car will rock from every pothole. This can cause damage to other machine components due to too much vibration. When replacing these elements, inspect the strut support bearings.

2) Ball joints. Due to their wear, play occurs, which causes vibration. Keep track of the service life of these elements.

3) CV joints. You can simply check their integrity: grab the shaft and spin it. If there is play, even the slightest, the element must be replaced. The rubber component of the boot may also be damaged.

Vibration can be caused by damaged wheel bearings, poor fastening of brake discs, or bent wheel drive shaft. With such damage, the car vibrates at any speed.

Other reasons

If the car vibrates at high speed, the engine should be the first suspect. The cause of engine vibration may be incorrect installation. It is clear that this phenomenon appears after a major overhaul of the motor or its replacement. To fix this, you need to remove the suspension, slightly loosen the mounts that hold the engine, and then put the suspension back in place. At speed, the driveshaft can also vibrate - the culprit is the crosspiece. If this is the problem, then it is necessary to dismantle the shaft, inspect the crosspieces, which should move freely even with slight pressure, the presence, and at the end - a splined connection. The solution to the problem is to replace the entire shaft.

Causes of vibration during acceleration and how to eliminate them

The most dangerous situation occurs when the car shakes during acceleration. In this situation, you need to check the following parameters.

Low gearbox oil level

An insufficient amount of oil can be both the cause of engine vibration and the cause of shaking of the machine as a whole. Vibration when accelerating in this case can be eliminated very easily. And to determine exactly this reason, you need to start accelerating, during which you will feel jerking, and when you press the accelerator pedal, the dynamics will drop.

The gearbox filter is clogged

If the car has an automatic transmission, a clogged filter can lead to strong vibration during acceleration. This is especially noticeable at high speed. A clogged filter needs to be replaced.

Cardan joint wear

Vibration at speed also occurs when the cardan joint wears out. The shaking is most pronounced when the driveshaft is spinning from idle. If this element wears out, it must be replaced as soon as possible. Because of this, the car may fail completely, and repairs will be very expensive.

Note! If your car has a manual transmission and the car shakes during acceleration, then the cause is most likely a worn driveshaft. If the car is with, then it needs to be inspected Consumables in it.

Vibration in a car is always bad, which means you can’t leave things to chance, otherwise there is a chance that inaction will cost much more.

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It can drive any driver crazy if the car shakes. But fortunately, in 75% of cases, the cause of the car shaking can be eliminated, which will allow the car to return to its former comfort. Each of us wants our car to run smoothly and without vibration. We especially want the car not to disappoint us and to be as before (like new). But, unfortunately, sooner or later any car begins to break down due to natural wear and tear. But this doesn't mean it's time to buy a new car. After all, uneven car performance can occur not only on a fairly used car.

If your car is shaking from an incomprehensible vibration, then the main thing is not to panic. If the car is older than 3-5 years, then most likely some components of the car have exhausted their service life. As they say, the car began to show its age. If you don’t want to overpay for car diagnostics to identify the cause of the shaking, then you can try to identify the problem yourself.

1. Steering wheel shaking when driving at speed


The most common shaking that occurs in a car is the vibration of the steering wheel when driving at speed. It is noteworthy that such shaking of the steering wheel becomes even greater when accelerating. As a rule, the vibration on the steering wheel is barely noticeable at first, but then becomes more and more severe. Be aware that vibration in the steering wheel can cause serious damage that can lead to an accident due to loss of control.
Also, if you do not pay attention to steering wheel vibration, this can subsequently lead to rapid wear of many vehicle components (from tires to transmission).

Therefore, if there is vibration in the steering wheel in your car, you must check the following elements of the car:

- Check wheel balancing. Contact a tire shop to check wheel balancing. Unbalanced wheels can cause strong vibration in the steering wheel at speed. This is the most simple reason steering wheel beating, which can be eliminated without much expense. (Vibration from 60 km/h to 100 km/h)

- Replace shock absorbers or struts. Worn struts or shock absorbers can cause the suspension to perform unevenly, causing the vehicle to shake. Shaking will be especially noticeable on uneven roads or at high speed. (Vibration from 80 km/h and above)

- Check the strut support bearing. They are located on top of the shock absorbers. From the front you can check them under the hood. If they are worn out, then replace these components, which may cause vibration when driving at speed. (Vibration from 80 km/h and above)

- Check and replace ball joints if necessary. Ball joints often become unusable due to uneven and bad roads. In our country, ball joints last much less than on cars used in Europe. If these components have play, then when driving, this often leads to shaking in the car. (Vibration from 110 km/h and above)

- Check and replace tie rod ends. Steering ends begin to “loose” over time due to wear. Thanks to them, your wheels turn parallel. If the steering tips have become unusable, then the front wheels may not be parallel, which will cause shaking (vibration) in the steering wheel. (Vibration from 90 km/h and above)

- Check for tears and wear of the silent blocks on the suspension arms, vibration is also not uncommon (Vibration from 100 km/h and above)

2. The car shakes Idling


If your car shakes when you are stopped at a traffic light, then most likely something has gone wrong. To determine the cause of idle vibration, check the following:


- Broken or worn engine mounts. Broken or severely worn powertrain mounts do not support your engine properly, causing detonation from the engine to be transferred to the body.

- Problems in the fuel system. If the engine speed suddenly drops or increases, it may cause the vehicle to shake or vibrate. In order to find the cause, it is necessary to fully diagnose, using special equipment, the operation of the entire fuel system, starting from various electronic sensors and ending with the fuel pump.

- Misfires also affect engine vibration at idle.

-Touching the guard to the engine or gearbox can cause severe vibration both at idle and when driving

Ice, snow and dirt clogged between the engine compartment and suspension parts can cause a characteristic vibration

3. The car shakes when accelerating


Vibration or shaking when accelerating a car can cause the most unpleasant sensations of discomfort in a car. The worst thing is when you count on rapid acceleration of the car (for example, to overtake a car), but when you press the gas pedal, you get in response, uneven acceleration with jerks.

In order to find out why the car shakes during acceleration, you need to check the following:

-Low oil level in gearbox. Yes, a low level of transmission fluid can cause vibration and dips in the acceleration dynamics of the car when accelerating. Including, as a rule, when the oil level in the transmission is insufficient, jerks are observed during acceleration.

- The gearbox filter is clogged. A dirty automatic transmission filter can lead to vibration when accelerating the vehicle. Replace the filter element with a new one yourself or at a car repair shop.

- Wear of the cardan joint. The U-joint on your driveshaft may wear out, causing it to shake or vibrate when you drive or pull away. This is especially obvious when accelerating a car. If the cause of the vibration is really the cardan joint, then do not delay in replacing the part, because in the event of a complete breakdown, your car will not be able to move, which threatens unnecessary expenses to evacuate the car to a car service center.

- Wear of internal CV joints/tripods can create vibration when accelerating in low gear (Vibration from 60 km/h)

Unpleasant car vibrations are a reason for serious investigations

Of course, when the car shakes, it seems that there is simply nothing worse than a breakdown. Unpleasant vibrations permeate the body and the driver, causing them to literally panic. However, panic and think about major renovation early. The most important thing in this situation is to diagnose and try to identify the cause.

First, try to understand when exactly the vibrations and shaking begin. If the car “sausages” at idle, most likely it is a problem with fuel combustion. The internal combustion engine is tripping, which means that fuel burns poorly in one of the cylinders or it does not work at all. The range of problems here can be very wide.

The most difficult thing to determine is when the car shakes when starting off. Because many nodes may be to blame for this. And here you can’t get by with diagnostics from an electrician or motor mechanic. You may have to remove and disassemble the gearbox, clutch, change engine mounts, etc. To do this, it is best to contact a car service for, “ ”, “ ” and other brands, depending on what you are driving.

The car shakes at idle

So, the car shakes at idle. Most often this happens due to inefficient combustion of fuel in one of the cylinders or due to its failure. The problem may lie in many systems:

  • injectors,
  • electrician,
  • candles,
  • ignition,
  • ECU, etc.

Of course, for more detailed analysis problems will require diagnosis. It is carried out quite quickly and in almost any service.


Engine trouble at idle can occur due to a variety of malfunctions.

If the car shakes idle speed, then you can carry out a visual inspection yourself. First, inspect the ignition coil and armor wires for sparks. Perhaps the spark is escaping somewhere. It is best to do this in the dark. Secondly, try to remove the armor wires from the spark plugs one by one with the engine running. When you remove the wire from a working cylinder, the machine starts to work even worse. If, when you remove the wire from one of the spark plugs, nothing changes, the problem is in that cylinder. Faults with injectors are diagnosed by the condition of the spark plugs.


If the engine idles, then in most cases there is a problem with the fuel ignition in one of the cylinders

And remember, if the car shakes at idle, it is not needed in most cases. Most likely, this will be a less expensive repair, although situations vary.

Why does the car shake when starting?

The most difficult thing to find an answer to is why the car shakes when starting. The fact is that a variety of components, from engine mounts to the gearbox flywheel, can be to blame. It is really difficult to diagnose a specific breakdown, but using the following table you can roughly determine which unit is waiting for replacement.

Knot Signs
Engine support cushions Vibration comes from the engine; upon visual inspection, one or more of the cushions look damaged, there are deformations and cracks.
Flywheel There are extraneous noises from the gearbox during operation.
Cardan outboard bearing Most often, vibration occurs in a certain range of engine speeds and appears only there.
Clutch (basket deformation) Vibration is transmitted to the depressed clutch pedal, noise when the clutch is pressed, difficult operation of the clutch and gear shifting
CV joint Extraneous sounds from the suspension, changes in the nature of vibration when turning


Deformation of the clutch basket is very often the cause of vibration when starting off.

In any case, only specialists can help you determine exactly why the car shakes when starting off. The most difficult diagnosis in this case is the gearbox flywheel, since in some cases it is necessary to dismantle the gearbox to assess its condition.


This is what the gearbox flywheel looks like

Best regards, team of specialists

Admin | 28 January 2016 | Comments: 0

Several main reasons why a car may vibrate How to determine why a car begins to shake

One of the most common and most annoying car problems is vibration. Usually it begins gradually and unnoticed - until one fine day you pay attention to it. When your vehicle vibrates, it can be a sign of something as simple as improper tire balance, or it can signal a more serious problem with your vehicle, such as steering problems or suspension damage.

Engine related vibration

Sometimes vibration can radiate from the engine compartment because the engine is not getting enough air, fuel or spark, causing it to run rough. Symptoms that may indicate engine-related vibration: Vibration or jerking occurs during acceleration, the car begins to shake within a certain speed range, the car starts and runs fine for a while, but then it begins to shake. These symptoms indicate that it may be time to replace the spark plugs. In addition, check the spark plug plugs and wiring. The air or fuel filter may be clogged with dirt. The engine is clearly missing something.

Vibration due to bent bridge

Modern cars are full of rotating parts that... proper operation must be within certain measurements and tolerances. If the vehicle's axle bends (as can happen in a collision or when driving fast off-road), it will create noticeable vibration. A vibration problem associated with a bent bridge can be suspected when traffic intensity changes. The faster you go, the more vibration there is.

The source of vibration is the brake system

It happens that vibration appears or intensifies when braking. If this is the case, then there is a good chance that your vehicle has problems with a bent rotor brake, or brake discs. Brake rotors can become bent due to excessive wear - mainly due to overheating. Practice shows that bent parts of the brake system quite often lead to vehicle vibration.

The car vibrates due to the wheels

Sometimes drivers feel that the car begins to vibrate when turning the steering wheel. This may occur because one or more wheels may have excessive play. Make sure each wheel is securely fastened and all lug nuts are properly tightened. You may need to replace your wheel bearings. Determining the reason for the “beating” of the wheels, or how many wheels deviate from a perfectly circular rotation, can only be done using precision instruments in a car service center. Perhaps your problem will be solved quite simply, after driving.

Car vibration due to tire problems

Tires are the main cause of car vibration, and the list of reasons why they can contribute to your car shaking is quite long. We will list only the main ones: torn tires, tires separated from the tread, uneven tire wear, tires no longer round and even, a stone or other foreign object stuck in the tire. Potholes, uneven roads, driving on gravel and roads without asphalt can lead to problems with tires.

Timely diagnostics of the car and detection of problems at an early stage can save you a lot of hassle; if you detect the first signs of car vibration, contact a car service center. By paying not so much money, you will save on future repairs.