Hey I was hoping you guys could help me out with something. I was away in london for four months and my car was left at home. It just had its 30k maintenance done before I left except for the radiator, still have to do that. My dad and brother drove the car once a week or so to keep it going. When I got back a few days ago I noticed a vibration around the pedals and the floor. it is not too violent or alarming, but it definitely was not there before.

The tech at the dealership here in wisconsin said it was probably a "Stuck Valve." Unlikely that it would be a motor mount given the car only has 31k on it. I need to drive 850 miles to DC on thursday though, and I'm hoping that this won't turn a small inconvenience into a huge problem. I can't wait around for repairs until I get back to DC.

Do you have any ideas what it could be? Thanks!

I don't have any suspension mods that would cause this. Nor do I have any other mods that should cause this.

 

is the vibration constant?

if it's only when braking it could be a warped rotor... if it's constant it could be a vacuum leak, a loose wheel... it could be lots of things.

start small... check the torque on the lugnuts on the wheels.

 

A bit more descriptive would help.

Does it shake? Does it rattle?
Is it at idle? Low Rpm? High Rpm?
When accelerating? When slowing down?
When slowing down on compression? When slowing down with brakes?

A bit more info will help us pinpoint the problem.
Right of the bat I'd say the heat shield above the cat is rattling.

 

Ah man I can't believe I forgot to put in that info. haha, that's what happens when I'm jetlagged and driving to wisconsin the day after getting back.

The vibration, as far as I can feel, only occurs at idle. It comes and goes, but is usually present. I haven't tried it out with the AC on. When the car is in motion it drives smooth but slow, as usual. i just got an alignment as well. maybe the beginning of a suspension issue? or that sticking valve?

there is no noise with it, just the rattle of the console etc. just a mild vibration, especially where my shoes can feel the pedals and the floor

 

bump

Does anyone else have vibration? what should I check for?

 

Turn off the subs in the trunk! LOL

Good luck with the troubleshooting!

 

haha right now I'm kinda glad I don't have them yet for just this reason. my roommate wouldn't be able to tell if he was running with four flats with the insane sound system he has. of course, i'm a bit jealous, and trying to feel better about my convulsing car. it's definitely getting worse as I'm half way through the 850 miles home tonight. At this rate I'll know what it is soon!

It's funny though. It only occurs at idle (i'm manual). when I rev in neutral it goes away until it drops back to 600 rpms. then it comes and goes, sometimes not there and sometimes quite violently. I'm worried that if and when it makes it to mitsu they blame it on my sri

 

I think id question your brother!!!!!! Maybe your brother's foot gained alittle weight when you were gone!?

 

Man I thought the SAME exact thing. I interrogated him maliciously for a few hours when I got back, but he held strong. that little B****** will never give in. Oh well, I still haven't tried giving a piece of my mind to the local dealership; I'm sure they will be super helpful. This is the same dealership that voided this guy's warranty over a turbo timer in his evo, and it was his only mod

 

not to be stealin from your question...but same question....

my car vibrates when im goin thru a turn...it seems like the steering wheel just wiggles on turns,

any ideas?

 

mtags: I modified my front motor mount over the winter to be a solid urethane'd one. When the car is idling, and the RPMs drop down to 600 or so like you were saying... if I have my hand on the steering wheel, it turns into a blur! The lancer engine seems to produce A LOT of vibration at those RPMs. Therefore, I'd suggest inspecting your motor mounts. If you haven't modified them, I'm thinking that one of them may be after dry-rotting, or failing in some way. If it wasn't there when you went on your trip, and it was there when you got back... it's possible that your brother may have given the car a hard launch or something which just finished off a mount which was already on the way out.

So... as i say, the symptoms you described sound EXACTLY like what it is to have a solid front engine mount. I hope that a faulty mount is all it is. Keep us updated!

 

Thanks! That's what I was looking for. I'm heading to the dealership tomorrow, and hopefully they will resolve the problem. If it is a motor mount, I'll tell them to leave it, cause now I have an excuse to upgrade! As long as I don't get any static about strut bars and sri and what not, tomorrow should be a relief

 

How was your trip to the dealership? Let us know how it all went afterwards..

 

unfortunately I still have not gotten to the dealership. I've been way too busy, and the problem isn't getting worse so I haven't been motivated. Sometime this week though, it's going in.

The guy at the dealership in wisconsin said it may be a "stuck valve." Could someone please explain what exactly that is and what the symptoms may be? I don't really care about the motor mount, but if it is something inside the engine, gotta fix that asap.

Thanks for all the help!

 

+1 for checking the engine mount.

johnd651 - check your tires