Car shaking violently when in gear

Minderbinder

I have an automatic primera that has started to shake violently when in drive or reverse. don't really notice it until stopped and if i'm in park it doesn't really shake. any ideas what that could be and how much it'll cost to fix?

shietpilot

Bad engine / transmission mounts?

savagethegoat

Scared ?

bear1

Are you listening to Taylor Swift?

bear1

Could be a number of things, are all the cylinders firing? If petrol were the spark plugs replaced?

punisher5112

How much mileage.

Gearboxes are terrible in the primera and almera.

Had one went at 69kmiles

Minderbinder

shietpilot wrote: »

Bad engine / transmission mounts?

Transmission was the top answer when I researched online. It could be that alright. There's also an oil light that came on yesterday that seems to be linked to it.

bear1 wrote: »

Could be a number of things, are all the cylinders firing? If petrol were the spark plugs replaced?

I called into a mechanic who I don't really trust and he said it's probably spark plugs or some coil thing. But actually by the time I arrived there the shaking had calmed down/stopped. It tends to only shake for a few minutes after turning on the ignition but that time is getting longer every day.

punisher5112 wrote: »

How much mileage.

Gearboxes are terrible in the primera and almera.

Had one went at 69kmiles

There's 118,000kms. I've done about 10,000 since I bought it last year. Passed the NCT in April :pac:

shietpilot

Minderbinder wrote: »

Transmission was the top answer when I researched online. It could be that alright. There's also an oil light that came on yesterday that seems to be linked to it.



I called into a mechanic who I don't really trust and he said it's probably spark plugs or some coil thing. But actually by the time I arrived there the shaking had calmed down/stopped. It tends to only shake for a few minutes after turning on the ignition but that time is getting longer every day.



There's 118,000kms. I've done about 10,000 since I bought it last year. Passed the NCT in April :pac:

If a car shakes in drive/reverse but not in neutral, it's nothing to do with the spark plugs, coil packs or even the engine for that matter.

My bet is on the engine or transmission mounts because when you put it into drive/reverse the engine is applying some pressure onto the transmission which stops the car from rolling backwards and maybe makes it creep slowly forward if your foot is not on the brake (this is on an automatic).

During this moment the engine revs are different than they would be if the engine was in neutral/park which is probably causing vibration because of a bad engine or transmission mount.

It could also be the transmission itself, but I'm no expert on auto boxes.

If the problem was with spark plugs or ignition coils the problem would persist in neutral/park. The vibration only lasts when the engine is cold because the engine most likely runs at a higher RPM and the revs drop when it warms up, which means the engine is no longer in the rev range where most vibration would occur due to bad mounts.

Minderbinder

shietpilot wrote: »

If a car shakes in drive/reverse but not in neutral, it's nothing to do with the spark plugs, coil packs or even the engine for that matter.

My bet is on the engine or transmission mounts because when you put it into drive/reverse the engine is applying some pressure onto the transmission which stops the car from rolling backwards and maybe makes it creep slowly forward if your foot is not on the brake (this is on an automatic).

During this moment the engine revs are different than they would be if the engine was in neutral/park which is probably causing vibration because of a bad engine or transmission mount.

It could also be the transmission itself, but I'm no expert on auto boxes.

If the problem was with spark plugs or ignition coils the problem would persist in neutral/park. The vibration only lasts when the engine is cold because the engine most likely runs at a higher RPM and the revs drop when it warms up, which means the engine is no longer in the rev range where most vibration would occur due to bad mounts.

Cheers that makes sense. Assuming it's the transmission would I be able to tell from the colour of the fluid? Do you have any idea of the cost to fix it?

shietpilot

Minderbinder wrote: »

Cheers that makes sense. Assuming it's the transmission would I be able to tell from the colour of the fluid? Do you have any idea of the cost to fix it?

I don't think the colour of the fluid will tell you much. I would bring it to a mechanic first, get him to raise the car in the air and then you can have a look at all the mounts and their condition.

Minderbinder

shietpilot wrote: »

I don't think the colour of the fluid will tell you much. I would bring it to a mechanic first, get him to raise the car in the air and then you can have a look at all the mounts and their condition.

I have brought the car to a certain mechanic twice since January for a service and to change a wishbone, break pads and tie rod ends. Should they not have noticed this impending problem?

shietpilot

Minderbinder wrote: »

I have brought the car to a certain mechanic twice since January for a service and to change a wishbone, break pads and tie rod ends. Should they not have noticed this impending problem?

Not necessarily. I don't think anyone changes the mounts until they cause problems

cletus

Minderbinder wrote: »

Cheers that makes sense. Assuming it's the transmission would I be able to tell from the colour of the fluid? Do you have any idea of the cost to fix it?

Just to clarify, sheitpilot is talking about the rubber bushings/mounts that sit between the transmission and the car frame, as opposed to the transmission itself