Car Shakes When Starting (Possible Causes & Solutions)
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably dealing with the issue of your car shaking when starting. Or it could be that your car shakes on startup and then runs fine. So, what could have caused this issue?
Your car shaking when starting is mostly linked to engine problems such as lack of enough spark or air, faulty spark plugs, dirty filters, faulty fuel injectors, etc. Other potential causes for the shaking include bad motor mounts, wheel imbalance, brake issues, or even cold weather.
The following guide will give you more insights and ideas on why your car shakes when you start it. Plus, we’ll share with you all the possible fixes you should consider to help you solve the problem for good.
What does it mean if your car shakes when you start it?
A car that shakes when you start it signals that it has some issues that you need to resolve. This problem isn’t uncommon and many car owners have experienced it at some point.
Below, we have outlined all the possible causes of this shaking issue…
Engine problems
An engine-related issue is one of the primary causes of your car shaking when trembling.
For instance, the engine may not get enough spark or air-fuel mixture. You should check that your spark plugs are in good condition or need to be replaced. You should also ensure the plug wiring is properly connected.
Another engine issue that may cause shaking is the air and fuel filters. If they’re dirty or clogged, you should replace them to see if the problem goes away.
Brake issues
If you haven’t serviced your car brake system for a long time, it could be another reason your car is shaking when started.
One likely brake issue is warped rotors. When this shiny and round silver component starts losing its shape over time due to wear and tear, it flattens and causes a lot of shaking in your cat at startup as well as when driving.
Having your brakes regularly checked and maintained can help prevent this issue in the first place.
Bad motor mounts
Motor mounts help hold your engine in place. They help secure your engine to the car chassis and their appearance varies depending on their shape, size, and strength.
The mounts are usually made using rubber and metal. The rubber part helps absorb and dampen engine vibrations while the metal part caters to the structural integrity that holds everything in place.
Unfortunately, these mount materials do wear with time. And when they do, they can’t perform their duties anymore, and this may explain the reason for your car shaking.
Unbalanced wheels
If your car wheels are unbalanced, they could be another reason your car shakes when starting.
Driving on bad roads at high speeds may cause a bent on your wheels. But balancing can help correct this issue to some extent.
Also, if mud and clay get stuck on your wheel balancing weights can easily offset the wheels’ balance, which then leads to car vibrations.
Visually inspect your wheels for any mud stuck to them and have them cleaned as a way of eliminating the shaking-when-starting problem.
How do you fix your car shaking when starting?
Car shaking when starting is always a sign of something not right. That’s why you should act as soon as possible to fix the issue before it causes further damage to your car components.
But the process of fixing starts by finding out what’s causing the shaking. Troubleshooting will be easy for you if you focus on the key areas we have mentioned above.
These include checking if the brakes are warped, have imbalanced wheels, broken or worn motor mounts, or have engine-related problems such as spark plugs and wiring.
Note that diagnosing your car to find the exact culprit causing the shaking can be difficult.
So, it’s always advisable to consult an experienced mechanic to help with the diagnosis and figure out what’s causing your car to shake when turned on.
Why does my car shake when I start it in the morning?
If your case involves your car shaking when you start it in the morning, you may also be curious to know why it happens and how you can fix it.
This issue could be due to normal issues such as cold engine which tends to do higher RPMs. When the engine is cold, the oil and coolant temperatures may drop up to room temperature. This can result in high friction.
When you start your engine in the morning, the high friction makes it hard for your engine to produce the same amount of power as with a high coolant temperature, causing instability which you feel as vibration and shaking.
According to this auto mechanic with 13 years of experience, some likely culprits for your car shaking when you start it in the morning include dirty or faulty fuel injectors and low fuel pressure.
The low fuel pressure makes the injectors deliver less fuel than it’s needed for your car to run smoothly and shaking is likely to occur as a result.
A motor that’s out of tune may also be behind this issue. Such a motor will shake and rough until it warms up. Parking your car overnight means it will have fully cooled down by morning and the shaking will occur until it warms up again.
Try tuning up your motor with items such as clean injectors, new spark plugs, plug wires, etc.
It could also be an issue with your spark plugs. Moisture may have found its way into the coil and shorted it. But as your engine warms, this moisture will evaporate and the shorting goes away, making your spark plugs regain their proper functioning.
Overall, the engine shaking in the morning when you start your car could be caused by a myriad of things. It’s a good idea to get a certified mechanic to inspect your car and determine the cause and the best solution for this problem.
What if your car shakes when starting and then stops when car warms up?
Your car may also shake when starting then stop when the car warms up or when you start driving.
A list of things could be behind this problem including bad motor mounts, loose engine parts, worn spark plugs, worn suspension components, dirty fuel injectors, loose body parts, and wheel balance or alignment issues.
A dying battery or failing starter could also be behind the shaking when you start your car.
Using this list of potential causes for shaking, you should be able to troubleshoot your car for what’s ailing it and hopefully find the culprit behind the shaking.
If you can’t do it on your own, get a professional auto mechanic to diagnose and fix the problem for you.
Why your car shakes when starting and turning off?
In some cases, your engine may shake when you start it, and then it dies off. In this case, you may panic as you may not know what has caused your car to quit.
This situation may be a sign that your car engine doesn’t get enough fuel due to the cold start. You may want to look into the cold start injector as well as the Thermo time sensor which helps regulate how long the injector squirts.
You should also check the over-voltage protection circuit. If it gets faulty, it means your cold start circuity gets no power.
We advise you to get a mechanic to diagnose why your car dies after starting and shaking, find the culprit, and replace any faulty parts.
Why your car shakes when starting and check engine light is on?
If your car is shaking on startup and the check engine light is on, then that’s definitely a sign that your engine has a problem.
It could be one or more engine components are problematic, forcing your vehicle computer to throw an error code.
A blinking check engine light usually indicates an engine misfire. The most likely reasons for the CEL to illuminate and the car to shake at the same time include bad spark plugs, a faulty ignition coil, or a failing engine sensor.
it is a good idea to stop operating your car further with the CEL flashing or if your car is shaking as you may be dealing with a critical engine fault that only gets worse the more you continue driving.
Have a good mechanic check your car for any faults. You can also use a code scanner to pull the error code that caused the check engine light to come on and get a clue where the problem could be.
If your car shakes when starting, it could be a sign of a problem with the engine, ignition system, or spark plugs. However, this issue could also be associated with other common problems, such as car shakes when decelerating or after a tire rotation. To learn more about these potential causes and what you can do to fix them, check out our articles on car shakes when decelerating and car shakes after tire rotation. These articles provide helpful tips and insights on how to troubleshoot and solve these issues, so you can ensure the comfort and reliability of your vehicle and prevent any potential damages.Related Questions:
If your car vibrates after starting it and putting it in drive, you may want to check if it has bad motor mounts or engine problems such as bad spark plugs. If these areas are alright, check whether the brake rotors are warped and the wheels are balanced.
It’s abnormal for your car to shake even for a few seconds after starting it. Shaking is often a sign of something wrong with your car (it could be serious or less serious). Therefore, it’s important to have a diagnosis done by a professional mechanic before you drive your car any further to help prevent further problems or even accidents.
Final Verdict
Your car is engineered to run smoothly when you start. So if it shakes, it means something is wrong and needs to be fixed. The most likely reasons why your car shakes when starting include bad motor mounts, brake problems, engine-related issues, dirty or clogged fuel filters, faulty fuel injectors, or unbalanced wheels.
In the above guide, we have discussed why the shaking occurs in your car when you start and how you can fix it. Follow the tips in this guide to help easily find the culprit and fix the problem. You can also get a mechanic to diagnose your car and fix the faulty parts so that your car starts running smoothly again.
