My Honda Shakes, But My Speed or Engine Revs Don't Seem To Effect It - What's The Fix?

Hondas are engineered to be fuel-efficient and offer a smooth driving experience. They are not designed to shake and vibrate, so if they do, there is a problem somewhere that needs to be addressed, or you will have additional problems from excessive wear. As we have already covered a variety of issues as they relate to speed, idle, RPMs, etc. - sometimes vibrations happen randomly, so here' the rundown on that.

Random Vibrations and Noises

These noises or vibrations are related to nothing in particular. These types of problems cannot be pinned to one of the above actions. You will get all types of clunks and rattles when you start from a dead stop, drive over rough roads or brake during cornering if you have loose ball joints, spring mounts, shock absorbers, control arm bushings, stabilizer bars, or a poorly hung exhaust system.

If your tie rod, steering rack mount or idler arm is bad, you will get loose steering. Give your vehicle’s steering and suspension a good inspection by lifting it up into the air and looking for loose parts. Do not forget to check the trunk for loose items like a spare tire or other tools that may cause rattles and clunks. In order to rule out the exhaust system, start your Honda and put it up on a lift. This will allow you to examine the system while it is running.

Possible Suspension Vibrations

In order to diagnose the vibration or noise accurately, you must be able to determine when it happens. In order to do this, you need to make a note of factors like driving conditions, speed of the vehicle, is it a noise or a vibration, where is it located on the car and can you feel it in the seat, steering wheel or both.

Once you have an idea of what you are looking for, take the vehicle back out and test drive it while trying to duplicate the circumstances where you first noticed the vibration. If you can recreate the problem, you will have a better idea of what causes it and how to fix it.

If the vibration starts at a certain speed, it can mean that the problem is in the wheels, driveline or the suspension. There is a long list of potential reasons why you might have this vibration, so you need to do other checks in order to make your conclusion.

To Wrap It Up

To conclude our series on Honda vibrations, here's the basic rundown:

• When the vibration or noise happens only during acceleration or when you are coasting, the problem is likely in the chassis or driveline.
• When the vibration or noise is related to the RPMs of the engine, it is safe to say that you should look in the engine compartment for the problem.
• When the vibration or noise is random, it may mean that you have a loose or broken part that is making noise when you drive.

As you have learned from this series, there are a wide range of problems that cause your Honda to vibrate, and in order to determine the cause, you must first do a little troubleshooting. You may need to seek additional help from your local dealership. If you do go to your dealership, the more information that you can give them, the quicker they will be able to diagnose and correct your problem.