Why is my Toyota 4Runner vibrating and shaking when I accelerate??
I have a 2001 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.4L 2WD. Whenever I accelerate the car starts vibrating and shaking. The car is aligned, has newer tires that were just balanced and I just had the sway bar links changed. I can drive it around the street but once I get on a hill or on the freeway it shakes & vibrates horribly! Anyone have any idea what this could be??
Why do my car's steering wheel and accelerator pedal shake and vibrate while I'm driving?
It is often very challenging to diagnose vibrations in a vehicle. The first thing to determine is whether the vibration is proportional to the speed of the car of the engine. Also, does it go away when you step on the brakes?Most likely, the vibration is related to the speed of the car; it will often go away when the car is not in motion.What generates vibration? Most commonly, it is an issue with the wheels, tires, or brakes. A tire that is out of balance is a very common cause. A wheel bearing that is nearing failure can also generate vibration, but is not very likely. A brake rotor can cause vibration if it is warped, but this will only be felt as a “pulsing” sensation under braking and won’t vibrate if you’re not applying the brakes.Less commonly, vibration can be generated in the spinning driveline parts that take engine power from the transmission to the wheels. On a front-wheel drive car, this is the CV joints and front “half shafts.”The first thing to do is verify the balance of the tire/wheel assembly. I recommend performing this on a “road force” balancing machine, like Hunter MFG makes and many shops use.
What would cause my car to accelerate slowly when I press down on the gas?
Assuming that’s the only abnormal symptom and that the symptom appeared suddenly instead of gradually dropping acceleration over a long time, and assuming that there are no other obvious problems like oil leaks or unusual smoke from the exhaust, it’s most likely your engine not operating properly.Keep in mind the 3 things your engine needs in each of the cylinders to work:airfuelsparkSo, I would troubleshoot in this order (easiest/cheapest fix first).check air intake and make sure there are no obstructions.While you’re there check that your air filter is clean.Check your engine, transmission and differential oil levels. Top them up if necessary. Change them if they’re dirty or due for a change.Check all fuses.Check that fuel filter is clean.Check that spark plugs are working. (there are tutorials on the web on how to do this). if there’s a fault, it could be the plugs, cables, dirty distributor, faulty ignition coil.Check fuel pumps are working and the in-tank fuel filters are clean.Check fuel injectors are working.Check throttle body is clean, unobstructed and the butterfly flap is moving smoothly and freely.**NOTE** In the past, whenever I’ve encountered this problem it’s always been a faulty spark plug. one cylinder was not firing and hence the loss of power.If it’s not any of the above, and you have an EFI engine, it could be the maf sensor or the engine management computer or software. These can be much more expensive to fix and need specialist tools.
My brake pedal vibrates or somewhat kick back on my foot whenever I step on it in the snow or ice. What could be the problem?
Not sure what all the nasty responses are all about …It’s normal. If you car is a newer model it may have 4-wheel anti-lock brakes. The anti-lock brake system does exactly what it’s name says; prevents the wheels from locking and skidding …the idea you have more control of your car with the tires rolling than with them skidding or sliding on the road surface.When you have less than ideal road conditions …like wet or snow slick roads or driving on unpaved roads ..it’s a lot easier to induce a skid …to lock one or more of your wheels when braking. The anti-lock (or anti-skid as it’s also referred to) kicks in and actually rapidly releases and reapplies brake pressure to the wheel(s) experiencing a skid or are locked. The primary device that does this lives in the engine bay and consists of a small electric motor and a bunch of valves and the whole thing is controlled by a computer.What you are feeling in the brake pedal, when the anti-lock system engages, is the the rapid release and reapply action of the system as it works. You might even hear a soft or muted whirring sound …which would be that electric motor running …when the anti-lock system is active.EDIT:Some advice Teodulo: If every time, or very frequently, when you apply brakes to slow and/or stop you trigger the anti-lock system you might consider modifying your braking technique. You see, because the wheel brakes are locking/skidding and releasing you are *not* getting the maximum stopping power of the vehicle for simple stops (for stop signs/traffic lights/stop and go traffic). It would be better *not* to have the anti-skid system engage when stopping when you are driving on slippery roads. To do this you have to anticipate and react sooner to stops. Slow the vehicle down by coasting (take the foot off the gas) and gently apply the brakes sooner. Rapid or aggressive application of your brakes as if the road were dry is *NOT* the way to drive on slick roads …and the slicker the toad the more gentle and sooner you have to try and slow and stop the vehicle.
Why did my car shake and the check engine light flash while stopped at a light?
What you experienced was almost certainly a misfire event and the cause may be recorded as a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) in the engine controller’s memory. Most failures that are significant enough to cause MIL illumination will record a trouble code and its environmental/ data information from the moment, even if the MIL is no longer lit. Onboard Diagnostics work constantly to keep the MIL off, looking for a reason to turn the CE light out if the condition hasn’t been seen again recently, eventually even erasing trouble codes if all’s good. I can only speculate on the nature of your event, but a thorough scan to retrieve codes and freeze frame data of the moment will often shed some light on the situation.Misfires come in many flavors, ranging from slight loss of performance in a single cylinder, to one or more holes being completely dead. Your description of shake at an idle implies a power imbalance, which usually involves complete loss of performance, but just one hole.Barring an at-home scanner being available, rolling the ignition key from LOCK to RUN three times, then leaving it in the RUN position at the end will initiate the customer code-read feature, spilling any matured codes stored in the PCM through the instrument cluster’s odometer window. All codes will be four digits in length, beginning with the letter P, such as P0123. DTC information can be found at OBD2-OBDII Engine Light Trouble Codes Definitions, Description and Repair Information online.One-trip failures - those that have not quite matured - will not be displayed in this feature, but will show up on a high-end scanner if present.If only a single cylinder misfire code is retrieved, pull the coil and spark plug to inspect for signs of flashover - black marks on the upper spark plug insulator and inner coil boot that will not scratch off with a fingernail. Flashover is pretty common on coil-on-plug ignition systems and the cure is to replace both the boot and spark plug together. Worn plugs tend to incite this sort of situation as spark will always seek the path of least resistance.If your DTC list includes an injector control circuit code that matches the cylinder of misfire, chances are good that the injector is at fault. The injector may test as completely normal when cooler, but will go to an open circuit once heated, either naturally or with a heat gun.
Why does my steering wheel shake when I go over 65 mph?
The steering wheel can shake for several reasonsThe first place to check is the rolling stock, or tire and wheel assembly. Its the simplest place to start, to see if the tire/wheel assembly is balanced correctly.It then becomes more complex. Wheel bearings that are worn can cause vibration. If the wheel bearings are fine, also check the ball joints and tie rod ends. These can definitely cause vibration (they actually don't cause the vibration, but they don't prevent it if there's play in the joints themselves)Shocks can also allow some vibration, but often, the entire front end bounces up and down, as opposed to vibration in the wheel.If all this works as designed, the next thing to check is control arm bushings. Many vehicles have control arm bushings that when they wear, the entire assembly can vibrate. If the control arms are good, then check the steering rack mounts, which do in fact wear on some cars.This is just about the entire front end. You could also have a bum tire or bent wheel.I've experienced all or some of the above on various cars. There are some basic tests to help isolate the vibration as well, like pressing the brake pedal mildly when the wheel is vibrating. Usually, alignment has little impact on vibration, but bad alignment could exacerbate mile vibration from worn components
Oil pressure light beings to blink and engine shakes?
This has happened a few times now. Most recently I was getting off the freeway and once I came to a stop my 2004 toyota corolla began to shake and saw the oil pressure light blink... this only lasted for 2 secs or so. The previous time it happened I had barely began driving my car when at a red light it did the same thing too. I added oil because it was low the first time, but it has been about 3 weeks since I did so that cant be the problem can it? I also noticed at times when I try to accelerate after coming to a complete stop, my car has a hard time accelerating. This doesnt happen too often. My rpm does drop a bit below 1000 at idle, is that an issue? Are these issues somehow connected? Thank you for your help. I truly appreciate it.
Why does my car idle at a really low RPM while stopped, and start shaking?
You may have a misfire, a vacuum leak, or a clogged/faulty idle air control valve. It could be a couple other things, too, but those are the most common and first things you should explore. This is because:If you have a misfire, one of your cylinders is not working and while that may be less noticeable at higher speeds when the engine is spinning really fast and the throttle is wide open, at lower speeds the difference is more apparent.If there is no misfire (and no codes / check engine light), the problem is most likely air related. This could mean a vacuum leak from a hose or the intake manifold itself. Or, commonly, it could be that your Idle Air Control Valve is clogged or not working well. The engine monitors via sensors how much air is coming in vs engine speed and uses that to control fuel injection and ignition timing.If it's a vacuum leak, the engine is getting more air than it thinks it is and that is causing a 'lean' fuel/air ratio.If the IAC valve (and its passages around the throttle plate) are clogged up, the engine thinks it's getting more air than it really is at idle with the throttle plate closed (foot off the gas), resulting in a 'rich' fuel/air ratio.All of these scenarios will probably cause some sort of engine code and checking them should be your first step. Note that an oxygen sensor code will be indicitave of one of the above 'air' situations because it detects how rich or lean the ratio is.
Why is my car shaking and the check engine light flashing?
A shaking vehicle AND flashing MIL ("check engine light") sound like the vehicle is misfiring on at least one cylinder. As @Anna Nguyen, @Brendan Sinclair, @Antoun Nabhan and others have said, it could be an ignition related problem. It could also be fuel-related. If one or more fuel injectors are clogged or dead, that would also cause a misfire in the affected cylinder(s). These are relatively cheap/easy things to check and fix.Other causes (which could be more complicated and more expensive) to fix include contaminated fuel, a bent intake or exhaust valve, a broken valve spring, a damaged piston/connecting rod, and on and on.I recommend getting a scan tool and checking the codes which are causing the MIL to light/flash and I also strongly recommend NOT driving the vehicle until the problem is fixed. If you continue to drive the vehicle as is, you will exacerbate the problem. Dumping unburned fuel into the exhaust due to a misfire will overheat and kill your catalytic converter. A more serious problem like a bent valve can eventually cause you to crater your engine (i.e.: completely destroy the engine).
Why does my car jerk slightly when shifting into reverse?
all automatics do this. Regardless of gear the magnitude, the jerk is a function of drivetrain and suspension slop, clutch pressure and condition, clutch engagement setting, transmission fluid properties, idle speed.If the jerk is extreme and changes engine RPM by more than 100RPM, you certainly have a problem. beware, it’s easy to get either ripped off or spend heavily. Start by checking idle speed, then inspecting/changing fluid, then inspecting suspension. then check the transmission and drivetrain for slop, wear, damage, starting at a driveshaft shop.Your low mileage car could suffer from the hands of an abusive and jerky driver, a driver who spent long hours shearing transmission fluid stopped in traffic, or a transmission defect.Without mechanical service, you can reduce the jerk by not stepping on the brake as you change gears, and shifting to neutral every time you must idle for more than 20 seconds.