Why your car engine vibrates

___________________

Engine vibrations in a car can result from various malfunctioning components. These vibrations often lead to shaking and noises that can be alarming and uncomfortable for passengers.

William Lugemwa, a mechanic, explains that the primary causes of engine vibration and noise are broken, damaged, or worn-out engine mounts.

The mounts are crucial for a car’s stability and absorbing engine vibrations.

A faulty throttle position sensor or a bad throttle sensor can also contribute to engine vibrations because the engine suddenly loses power, making driving unpredictable, and rough idling or stalling.

Other leading causes of car engine vibrations

Ashraf Mutaasa Meeme, a mechanic at K. Centre Motor Engineering Garage, Wandegeya-Katanga in Kampala city, explains that worn-out spark plugs can cause the car’s engine to misfire because it may not ignite the fuel-air mixture properly in one or more cylinders.

Meeme notes that loose or disconnected air hoses can cause quite a bit of violent shaking and vibration in your vehicle’s engine, which leads to vacuum leaks and improper air-fuel mixture.

“A poorly adjusted fuel intake system as well can lead the engine to shake, resulting in misfires, uneven fuel delivery and poor combustion,” he says.

According to Meeme, a timing belt and other engine belts can lead to strange noises and vibrations from a vehicle’s engine if they are damaged, faulty or worn out.

Another potential cause is a clogged air filter, which restricts the amount of air entering the engine, leading to uneven combustion, a rough idle and vibrations.

Impacts

Lugemwa notes that excess engine vibrations can be uncomfortable and even nauseating for passengers, especially during a long trip. The vibrations can lead to reduced engine lifespan and damage because internal components wear out faster.

Other effects include poor engine performance, unpleasant driving experience with shaking, rattling noise, a feeling of instability and poor fuel efficiency, because other car components are working harder than normal to consume a lot of fuel.

Solution

Lugemwa guides vehicle owners to have trustworthy professional mechanics or repair workshops inspect the engine issues frequently. 

“It is important to consider replacing engine mounts if you experience strong vibrations, rattling noise, and engine misalignment. Damaged mounts may fail to absorb engine vibrations,” he says.

Install new spark plugs if they are worn out and regularly check the condition of the vehicle’s ignition system components such as battery, ignition switch, ignition coil, distributor cap, distributor housing, rotor and resistor.

Meeme says cleaning the components in the fuel intake system enables the fuel to flow better, thus smoother idling and improved car engine performance.

To avoid engine vibrations, frequently inspect and maintain the timing belt and other belts, such as serpentine belts, for indicators of looseness, faults or damage, as well as squealing noise.

Meeme advises drivers to find out and maintain loose or disconnected hoses, mainly those carrying air, fuel and vacuum, to ensure the engine receives the necessary components for proper operation to avoid misfire or rough idling.