car shakes when sitting still, in Drive...but great otherwise...

[oanju123]

my auto accord only has 50k miles on it...which i bought 2nd hand about 2wks ago...

when the car is in Park or Neutral, i can barely hear the engine, there are no vibrations and the engine seem to be running at 800 rpms....when driving, the car is very smooth and quiet....

now, when i come to a stop, still in Drive, i feel vibrations in the steering wheel and i can hear the engine a bit more....also when the a/c is on the vibrations are a bit stronger....

not sure if this is normal or not.... it's not heavy vibrations but very noticeable...

i know this is pretty vague, but what are the first things that i could check without having to bring it in to a mechanic...any parts that i might need to replace? i've read some posts about replacing air filters, adjusting the throttle (?) so the car runs at 500rpms instead of 800-1000rpms, tightening engine mounts, etc...

thanks...

ps oil change/filter done 100mi ago and was told car had a full tune-up about 8,000mi ago....

[aero]

My brothers 91 se has the same problem, I never got around to diagnosing it, but hopefully someone knows the solution

[N9netwoAccord]

check the motor mounts

[oanju123]

hmm.....i'm still searching the forums but nothing specific to this....

yes, hopefully someone has some suggestions or solution....

i find myself sliding the car into neutral when i'm at a light, just so i don't have to feel the vibrations....



but........if it were motor mounts, wouldn't the vibrations be constant? in park, while driving, etc...

[accordztech]

dude listen, front motor mount most likely...go look doesnt hurt

[lowoctane]

its the motor mounts, its typical with our cars...mine are shot and it shakes crazy, and worse when the air is on lol, only while in drive.

[aero]

Dang, in that case, guess i shoulda kept my extra front mount. I'll check his car whenever. Would buying the motor mount insert help much, or just make it still vibrate? I've got it on my car, but didnt really notice anything.

[oanju123]

gonna check motor mounts now.... thanks all.....

another quick question.....

if i need to replace them, do i have to buy stock accord motor amounts or can i pick up any motor mounts that fit in my car?

any recommendations?

[JaK FRoSTWhiTE]

Probable causes:

- The upper bushing in the torque rod is cracked or torn.
This applies to both Manual and Auto Trannys.

- It could also be the vacuum controlled Rear Engine mount
which could be defective.

You can get the Front Engine mount from Honda.
It's best buying it new, then getting it from a Junkyard.
All Automatics 90-93 are the same.
The part number is:50830-SM4-A81

[TonK]

Nice thread!

same problems here.

[oanju123]

hmmm....ok....i feel like a retard here....

but WHERE are the front engine mounts? can somone post a pic?

and how do you tell if they are bad? these things, bend, tear, etc?

how do test you if you need to replace the fronts engine mounts?

[oanju123]

uhm..pic here....

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/tech/0311scc_hybrid/

but where are they exactly?

[Dirty Harry]

Mounts are VERY easy to find. Just pop the hood and look. If you tried any harder you'd be banging your head on it.

Also, even with good mounts, sometimes auto cars vibrate when in gear and stopped... even moreso when there's more accessory belt load such as your A/C compressor. It's not a problem unless your mounts are really fucked and you have metal-on-metal going on (which I doubt, your car is pretty young). Engine rpms are supposed to raise when greater parasitic load occurs, but it doesn't always happen perfectly. I've noticed in some cars that with the headlights on, A/C running, etc... it'll idle at about 500 rpm or so which will cause these small vibrations. It's a 4 cylinder engine, if it idles that low IT IS going to vibrate. People fucking complain about this all the time thinking it's an issue and it's really nothing.

Like I said, if your mounts aren't fucking wrecked, don't worry about it.

[deckeda]

Could just be old rubber. Your car has low miles but old rubber. Rubber gets stiff when it gets old.

My front mount is nearly new but had no effect on helping the stoplight vibration. I'm guessing my rear is either worn or just stiff from age. Who knows --- maybe my vacuum controller is wonky. Either way it isn't a priority for me, given its location.

As far as the side mounts, unless I ever see visible damage I'm not replacing them, even if doing so might help a little. Like the Doctor says, don't sweat it.

[oanju123]

damn....bro took my car...... *bum* can't check it out yet....

what do front and/or rear mounts cost in parts? in labor?

"if" i need to have them replaced.....