My 2000 Honda Civic vibrates When Engine Starts

[joy8997]

I currently own 2000 Honda Civic…A lot of time I start my car in the morning and after work, my car is vibrating about 10 or 15 seconds.

Topic

[hondaslave1342]

is the idle too low? also you say it shakes at 50-60..whats shaking=the steering wheel, because ive never owned a car that the engine shakes at highway speeds..what does it idle at?

[EricTheCarGuy]

I think your looking at 2 different problems, first the easy one is the vibration 50-60, that’s classic tire balance, I would have the tires balanced and then recheck for that. As for the idle issue I have my Honda idle speech ready to go, here it is.
There are a lot of things that can contribute to an idle issue, in fact in the end it may still be there to some degree because of the nature of that engine however here are some things to start with.First start with a good tune up, use NGK or Nippon Denso plugs, don’t change the wires if they are OE, if they aren’t OE you might consider NGK wires as they are very good and less expensive then OE. A quality cap and rotor should be good. A new air filter also helps.Don’t change the PCV valve, if you see an aftermarket PCV valve in there put a Honda in, believe it or not I’ve seen idle issues caused by aftermarket PCV valves, the OE’s last just about forever so you can easily justify the expense.Next a good valve adjustment, this goes a long way to smooth out the idle if done correctly, mess it up and things can get a lot worse though.While you have the valve cover off check the timing belt tension, if you feel a lot of slack this can cause the cam to ‘chunk’ as it spins causing a rough idle. If you think the belt has been on there for some time then you might consider changing it and resetting the tension properly, if it’s not ready for replacement you can reset the tension to take up the slack.DO NOT adjust the idle screw under any circumstances, it is set at the factory and that is the reason it was sealed in the first place. If you find that the seal has been broken and you have a low idle and you have done all of the above then you might turn the screw out a little to see if that helps the idle but only enough to try and bring it back to where it was before it was adjusted in the first place.Last clean the screen in the Idle Air Control valve, this can get clogged up with carbon over time and cause the flow through it to be restricted which can cause idle issues.If you still have a ‘rough’ idle after all of this THEN look to the engine mounts as you want to be sure the engine is running correctly before you go for those as the one in the back is a real pain to replace.

[hondaslave1342]

Quoted From EricTheCarGuy:

I think your looking at 2 different problems, first the easy one is the vibration 50-60, that’s classic tire balance, I would have the tires balanced and then recheck for that. As for the idle issue I have my Honda idle speech ready to go, here it is.
There are a lot of things that can contribute to an idle issue, in fact in the end it may still be there to some degree because of the nature of that engine however here are some things to start with.First start with a good tune up, use NGK or Nippon Denso plugs, don’t change the wires if they are OE, if they aren’t OE you might consider NGK wires as they are very good and less expensive then OE. A quality cap and rotor should be good. A new air filter also helps.Don’t change the PCV valve, if you see an aftermarket PCV valve in there put a Honda in, believe it or not I’ve seen idle issues caused by aftermarket PCV valves, the OE’s last just about forever so you can easily justify the expense.Next a good valve adjustment, this goes a long way to smooth out the idle if done correctly, mess it up and things can get a lot worse though.While you have the valve cover off check the timing belt tension, if you feel a lot of slack this can cause the cam to ‘chunk’ as it spins causing a rough idle. If you think the belt has been on there for some time then you might consider changing it and resetting the tension properly, if it’s not ready for replacement you can reset the tension to take up the slack.DO NOT adjust the idle screw under any circumstances, it is set at the factory and that is the reason it was sealed in the first place. If you find that the seal has been broken and you have a low idle and you have done all of the above then you might turn the screw out a little to see if that helps the idle but only enough to try and bring it back to where it was before it was adjusted in the first place.Last clean the screen in the Idle Air Control valve, this can get clogged up with carbon over time and cause the flow through it to be restricted which can cause idle issues.If you still have a ‘rough’ idle after all of this THEN look to the engine mounts as you want to be sure the engine is running correctly before you go for those as the one in the back is a real pain to replace.

well said

[dreamer2355]

Is the check engine light on?

Does it vibrate at idle or only when driving?

Did you check the condition of the motor and trans axle mounts?

[joy8997]

No, the check engine light is not on.

It vibrates idle when I starts engine. Also, it vibrates when I drive the speed of 50 to 60 MPH.

No, I didn’t check those yet…Can you please advise me how to check those? (I’m kind of beginner for DIY fix..)

Thanks.

[dreamer2355]

This is a video that Eric made that may help you. Its a good visual aid S:)

http://www.youtube.com/user/EricTheCarGuy#p/u/10/scFbb43fwqk

[rice400]

I agree, a good inspection of all the mounts is where I would begin my search. Also, maybe check all the hangers on the exhaust system which might be causing the shake… of course, i dont think you would really be able to feel that, probably just hear it…. Idk, just tossing out an idea.

[joy8997]

Thank you, so much!! Both of you guys.

[joy8997]

wow….Thank you all…I will go ahead replace spark plugs and see…..thank you for your help once again..

[dreamer2355]

I have actually learned alot about Honda’s in this forum! I love the diversity here C8-)

[Author]

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