QuestionWhen I first start the car it doesn't vibrate (at less not much) as the car warms up it vibrates more and more. Would this be because of the engine mounts?
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I do not believe it is a misfire, I had a tune up and it didn’t help. I feel the vibration a lot in the steering wheel, seat, & the whole car, even if you but you hand on the trunk. If I rev the engine I feel less vibration but it is still there. The car was in a small collision before I bought the car two years ago, front bumper. The car ran very good the first 6 months I had the car then slowing keeps getting worst.
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My 2000 Tiburon vibrates (low miles 90,000km) , I feel it lot when the car is idling but a little all the time. The rpm is steady at 700, drives ok. I have brought it to two dealers and to Midas. First dealer completed a tune up and replaced timing belt. Midas found nothing. Had oil changed and replaced all fluids (transmission & coolant) and cleaned the injectors. The last dealer I brought it to look at it for 2 days. They have checked the engine mounts, completed vacuum test (found a small vacuum problem which they fixed), spark plugs, ignition coil, computer found no errors, I am not sure what else that have check but they say they call the Hyundai engineers and checked everything they suggested. The only thing they found is that the clutch is worn and this might be causing the problem, to me the clutch feels fine. Is it possible that the clutch is causing the vibration? I do not want to spend another $750 and still have the vibration. I have a bad back, the vibration is hurting it more, and I am getting motion sickness, which is not normal for me. Please help.
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Hi, Joanna. I don't have a very good idea of what the vibration feels like, and that's key in this type of situation. The frequency of vibration helps considerably with diagnosis.
Do you know what it would feel like if one of the engine's cylinders were misfiring? If so, compare the vibration you feel to a misfire vibration. Is it's frequency the same as a misfire, twice, four times? Give me your best guess if you can.
Let me know where you feel the vibration. In the steering wheel? In the seat? In both? In the whole car? Rev the engine while you're sitting still. Does it's frequency vary proportionally with engine speed? Does the amplitude (severity) of vibration become worse or better with higher engine speeds?
If the vibration happens when you're idling, I don't see how it could be the clutch. Perhaps the flywheel, but the clutch is very doubtful. It also seems that most of the work that was done was routine maintenance for your mileage, but wouldn't address a vibration issue. The spark plugs are a possible exception because it might cure a misfire issue (although there were no codes indicating a misfire).
Answer the questions above to the best of your abilities, and we'll see where that takes us. Maybe you'll hit on something that'll help find the answer. Oh, and has the car ever been in a collision? If so, what part of the car was damaged?
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The symptoms you describe are consistent with an engine mount problem. Usually, the vibration frequency is about four times that of a misfire. But without actually having the car present, I cannot be very certain that's the cause.
Engine mounts are primarily rubber insulators in metal brackets. Their purpose is to hold the engine in place and isolate engine from the body. It's possible that the mounts have become weak and sagged a little, causing the vibration you describe. What's more, this wouldn't be visually detectable.
The mounts in question would be the one on the right side of the car at the top of the engine, and the one on the left side of the car on top of the transmission. There are two other mounts on the bottom at the front and rear of the transmission, but these don't actually support the weight of the engine and transmission, so they wouldn't typically contribute to a vibration.
To verify whether the mounts are indeed the cause, it may be necessary to replace them and see if the vibration goes away. Since you say the shop checked the mounts, it's doubtful that an inspection of them would turn up anything abnormal.
AnswerIt's consistent with a mount problem. When you first start the car, it idles faster, so that'll reduce engine vibration and hence the amount of vibration that's transmitted to the passenger compartment. As the computer lowers the idle speed, the engine vibrates more, hence you notice more vibration.
