I own a 4cyl mystique with an ATX and when I come to a stop while the car is in drive my whole dashboard shakes uncontrollably. Is this normal? I have gotten in the habit of slipping my car into neutral whenever I come to a stoplight, Is this shifting in and out of drive to neutral ok for the transmission, or am I wearing something out?
Thanks
Shouldn't harm anything by shifting to Neutral. Sounds like you may need to tune up your engine and/or replace your motor mounts to get rid of the vibrations.
The shaking should not be happening with an I4. I do not see any reason why constantly going from drive to neutral would cause any more damage then shifting from park to drive. I do it often in heavy traffic.
Ya, the shaking would be a sign of the engine running poorly.
When was the last time it had plugs/wires/etc?
bad shaking would be engine probs/motor mounts... slight shaking could be because our idle rpms is too low i think... a chip can fix that... i think this is what was once said.
I shift into netural every time I stop
Mine will *only* vibrate badly when I have the A/C on. Other then that it idles very smoothly. I would suspect something else. There really needs to be more info before a good idea can be formed. We need to know if there are any mods yet, mileage, when its last major tuneup was, etc.
Should not be vibrating badly with the A/C on either. Our little Zetec's should be smooth as butter idling.
Should note I have 98+...maybe the pre-98 motor mounts (if different) just handle it differently so nothing is wrong?
Never had a problem idling.
this was discussed on the old forums. many owners of pre 98's with 4 cyl have a vibration when the ac is on, even me. also a vibration when it's off. had it checked by the best mechanic in town and said it's normal for a 4 cyl to vibrate.
when ac is on in 4 cyl engines, takeoff is slower too.
It's normal for any engine to vibrate. And it's normal for acceleration to be slower with the A/C on. But it does not sound normal to me if you can feel a noticable shake!
Originally posted by Ausgedient:
Our little Zetec's should be smooth as butter idling.
Well, not quite. For me, and I suspect most ATX zetecs, the idle rev in drive is just slow enough to make the steering wheel vibrate noticeably. Occasionally some bit of slightly loose plastic in my dash will rattle a bit.
My car is a completely stock 95 mystique with about 65,000 mi. I bought it used at 55,000 and it has always idled very rough. I have just done a complete tune-up on it replacing the plugs and wires, various filters, oil, tranny fluid, but the dash still shakes when idling in drive, even worse with the A/C on.
my steering wheel used to shake bad. then i got the brakes done and it stopped. perhaps you need brakes?
Warped rotors will cause the car to vibrate, but this vibration is happening when the car is already stopped. Good idea though.
What are you idling at, in drive/neutral?
mine was doing it when the car was stopped. i didnt have to shift to neutral though.
Brakes should only cause a vibration when the vehicle is stopping. One its stopped, the brakes aren't going to be rotating anymore so the vibration cause by, say, a warped rotor, will no longer be felt.
Originally posted by Paul Kienitz:
For me, and I suspect most ATX zetecs, the idle rev in drive is just slow enough to make the steering wheel vibrate noticeably. Occasionally some bit of slightly loose plastic in my dash will rattle a bit.
I get this vibration too, idling in Drive, especially of the A/C is on. I have noticed that if I use my left foot to hold the brake, and with my right foot, gently press the accelerator to increase the idle speed slightly the vibration goes away. In my case, at least the vibration seems to very clearly be a function of having the engine loaded down while at low idle speed.
I would like to impart my knowledge about shifting into neutral w/ the car in motion. Don't do it. Before buying my 1998 Mystique I had a Honda automatic. I treated the transmission like a manual and shifted into neutral all the time. After about 3 months my transmission began to leak automatic tranny fluid.
Also a 1999 Mystique shouldn't be running that bad. You should take the car to a shop and get that looked at.
mine has vibrated like that ever since the first day i got it (march '95)..so obviously its something out of the norm, but mine doesnt vibrate uncontrolably, at least it doesnt seem like that to me, just vibrations on the dash & wheel
Wierd, my car must be messed up? In drive/neutral/AC on/AC off/etc. I never get any strange shaking. I hopped in and set coins/plastic/bits/etc. in a bunch of places and nothing was really doing anything. I don't think my motor moves much though anyway. But most of you have pre-98's so I would expect a difference?
Hey, I also have this same problem with my 96 zetec w/ the atx, it bothers me greatly jsut cuz it shakes the whole dash and the seat that im sitting in, its weird cuz if u put it in park it stops shaking, motor runs smooth as ever unless stopped in drive when its warm w/ or w/o the ac on, anyway just thought i would add to this.
Peace
Alan
Must just be a difference in the pre-98/98+ motor mounts? I'm not lying, other than the noise, you cannot tell if my car is running or off when I'm in P/D/N. Maybe it has nothing to do with the motor and just how your interior is mounted?
i think its because zetecs have a low idle (600 or less)?
Originally posted by pimpin1320:
I would like to impart my knowledge about shifting into neutral w/ the car in motion. Don't do it. Before buying my 1998 Mystique I had a Honda automatic. I treated the transmission like a manual and shifted into neutral all the time. After about 3 months my transmission began to leak automatic tranny fluid.
Also a 1999 Mystique shouldn't be running that bad. You should take the car to a shop and get that looked at.
I do believe the reason your ATX blew on your Honda is because the transmission engaged the torque converter every time you switched from neutral to drive. This is VERY bad for the transmission! To confirm this, try revving your engine to say, 3000rpm, and shifting into drive. That loud "thud" sound is the sound of your torque converter ramming the engine. And several months of transmission life down the tubes. I'm not surprised at all that your ATX only lasted 3 months. If you switch from neutral to drive at a standstill, there should be no harm done.
THIS IS NORMAL!!!! for an older car both of my parents buicks do the same thing. it has nothing to do with the difference between the pre 98 and post 98 motor mounts. it has to do with age. if the car did it since it was new then you got a bad motor mount replace it and I bet it goes away.
Originally posted by Bob Blaylock:
Originally posted by Paul Kienitz:
For me, and I suspect most ATX zetecs, the idle rev in drive is just slow enough to make the steering wheel vibrate noticeably. Occasionally some bit of slightly loose plastic in my dash will rattle a bit.
I get this vibration too, idling in Drive, especially of the A/C is on. I have noticed that if I use my left foot to hold the brake, and with my right foot, gently press the accelerator to increase the idle speed slightly the vibration goes away. In my case, at least the vibration seems to very clearly be a function of having the engine loaded down while at low idle speed.
i drive big bucket and digger trucks and work. when they idle the rear view mirrors vibrate so bad you can't make out someone behind you giving you directions. i have also found that barely pressing the gas lowers the vibration considerably.