I recently bought a 96 cavalier. its got 120k on it.
well, as soon as I start the car, the entire inside vibrates. i can feel it strongly on the steering wheel esp. and i hear a quite loud vibrating sound.
it gets worse at speeds 60+. the car gets loud on the inside from everything vibrating.
the car runs fine, but that is my main concern right now.
the engine is secured tightly... it doesn't move when I push on it.
I've asked a friend about it and he said "Your timing is off. it's not running on all cylinders"
I have no idea what this means.
thanks in advance
the important thing to know is.. this is while in park!
he means that the you have 4 cylinders with 4 pistons in them
now at the top of the pisitons there is spark plugs the spark to ignite the fuel/air.
one of those cylinders isnt doing it job(ex: igniting the fuel).
if you dont know where to start you should get a mechanic before you accidently make it worse.....
so the timing being off would be your guess as well?
the friend who said this was basing it off the same information I gave in this thread.
i would check sprak plugs or just replace them since there cheap, and check all the cheaper things that could correct a rough idle.
i hope someone come on this thread and give you more help then i could cause i dont want to mislead you in the wrong direction
a lot of things can correct rough idle. hopefully some one can give you a list on where to start
Where to start:
1 diagnostic test
2 Mechanic: if you don't know what your timing being off means, you shouldn't be trying to fix the problem.
How is the response when you step on the gas? You'll definitely feel a lack of power if you have a cylinder acting up.
If its your wires or plugs, you can start the car, pull one wire and see the response. Then plug that back on and move to the next one. Note which one causes the least difference and there's a problem with that plug/wire.
Even though the car is shaking while its stationary i'd check the tires and alignment anyways if its vibrating above 60+ mph just to be sure. It wouldn't be your problem in this case but it can't hurt to check for a problem while you're at it.
The engine mounts aren't that hard to check. Pop your hood, there's one on the left right next to the coolant reservoir. Unbolt the top piece and check how the mount looks. Just cuz you can't move it when you push on it doesn't mean anything....you could be weak
Then the other one is underneath. Looks like a dogbone. If those are ok then you know its not the engine mounting.
Hope any of this helps.
