One of the worst feelings you can have is when you’re driving your vehicle to work or school and all of a sudden, you begin to feel a strange vibration. Since there are literally hundreds of things that can go wrong within your vehicle, it is important to inspect any type of vibration or strange noise that you know shouldn’t be there. While engine vibrations may lead you to believe there is something seriously wrong with your car, it could be a problem that is easily fixed. When you need to check out an engine vibration there are several tools you’ll need to have with you.
These tools include a crowbar, flashlight and a spark plug wrench. After you have gathered these items you will want to park your car either in your garage (with the garage door open) or you will need to park the vehicle in your driveway (recommended). Once you have securely parked your vehicle, turn the engine on. You will want to listen carefully to the sound that is coming from the engine. If you are hearing a “hissing” or “whistling” sound, than an air hose or vacuum hose could be loose, or at worst, disconnected. After investigating this sound, and you see a disconnected hose of some sort, simply use your flashlight to appropriately connect the hose(s). Of course, turn your engine off when you are doing this. After you have connected the hoses, turn your engine back on and see if that was the cause of the engine vibration noise.
The second step to finding out why your engine is vibrating involves a little more elbow grease. When you turn your engine on, listen and see if the vibrations and noises are coming directly from the engine (or cylinders). Sometimes, spark plugs can cause the engine to vibrate and the cylinders will not operate normally. If you think this is the case, simply take out several spark plugs and check out their condition. Usually, if this is the cause, the spark plugs will be dirty and have a worn appearance to them. If this is the case, than you will want to change the spark plugs, and this should get rid of the vibrations or noise.
If you still cannot figure out why your engine is vibrating, take the engine into your garage, or leave it outside until dark. Once you have your vehicle in a dark place, you will want to open the hood and start the engine. If you see that the ignition wires are sparking, than you will need to replace these wires. It is very easy to see this in the dark because once your engine is started, and the wires are bad, you are actually able to see bolts of electricity arching from one to another. Remember, if you cannot find the source of your engines vibrations, than you will need to take your car to a mechanic. Never drive a car for a long time when things aren’t sounding correct, this could make an easily fixed problem into a major issue.
