Own a car long enough and there's a good chance you'll develop auto problems of some nature. And one of the most common and most bothersome problems is vibration. What's more, it often creeps up on you gradually and subtly -- until one day you find yourself wondering how you ever put up with such an annoyance. Perhaps then you asked yourself, what does it mean if my car is vibrating? While there's no substitute for the assessment of someone with an extensive automotive background, you can develop a good feel yourself for diagnosing car problems that are relatively common, such as vibrations.
The fix could be something relatively cheap and simple, like a tire rotation or balance. Or it could signal more serious auto problems -- something more costly, like steering or suspension issues.
Engine Problem:Sometimes a shake or shudder will emanate from the engine compartment, because the engine isn't getting enough air, fuel or spark that it needs to run smoothly.
Symptoms that might indicate such an engine-related case of the shakes include the following:
- Shudder or jerking occurs during acceleration
- Staccato shaking, as if over a highway "rumble strip," within a specific speed range
- Car starts and drives fine for a while, but later begins to shake
Axle problems:Our vehicles are full of reciprocating, rotating parts that have to fall within certain measurements, or tolerances, in order to perform properly. If an axle gets bent -- which is actually quite easy to do in a collision or other mishap -- it will create a jostle of a ride afterward. With this problem, the vibrating often picks up in intensity the faster you drive.
A related problem would be that the driveshaft also needs inspection. This rapidly spinning part transfers engine power to the rear axles and wheels in rear-wheel drive vehicles. If it's bent, shaking may result.
Brake trouble:Do those bad vibrations appear or intensify when you apply the brakes? If so, there's a strong possibility that your car is tooling about with a warped brake rotor, or rotors.
The rotor is the shiny, silver disc-shaped component on vehicles with a disc brake system. The rotor can get bent out of shape due to heavy wear and tear -- basically, overheating from more stopping than that particular rotor can handle. Instead of being uniformly flat all the way across, a deformed rotor is raised or lowered on part of its surface.
Wobbly wheels:Often, you'll feel your car vibrating directly through your steering wheel. And one seemingly logical thing to guess is that an alignment issue might be the culprit. But car experts often advise otherwise.
One or more wheels may suffer from excessive "play," or wobbliness, at the hub itself. The diagnosis and cure for this is pretty involved, as it could point to any of a number of issues. First, let's just assume that each wheel is fastened securely to its hub with properly torqued lug nuts.
With that out of the way, the solution to a shaky wheel might entail replacing the wheel bearings. On most modern vehicles, wheel bearings are meant to last the life of the car or truck. But as you may already know, if you subject your vehicle to worse-than-typical wear-and-tear (off-roading, extremely hard driving, high mileage), it's not unheard-of for bearings to wear out.
Tire problems:We listed tires last, and made them reason #1, since they are so frequently the source of your car's moving vibrations. The full list of ways in which tire issues can contribute to your vehicular shake, rattle and roll is a long one. But here are just some of the major ones:
- Car vibrates at certain speeds -- requires tire balance
- Tires have separated tread -- requires tire replacement
- Uneven tire wear -- requires tire rotation
- Tires are "out of round" and roll unevenly - requires tire replacement
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