Why is my Subaru vibrating?

greenagate99

Okay, my car has been doing this for a while now, but recently it seems like it has gotten worse (now also vibrates in drive). I recorded a brief video of it, in which you can hear the vibrating but can't really see the steering wheel and outside mirror vibrating. My car has around 96,500 miles on it (1999 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCq_05jD3_M&feature=youtu.be

Any ideas? Is it the motor mounts?

Mr_Shiftright

Well the first thing I'd check on the somewhat notorious 2.5L engine is the engine compression---these engines are known to have bad head gaskets, which could result in the engine running poorly. It's good to get that possible cause out of the way.

For rough running at idle, there could be many other reasons---when was the last tune-up? Also a vacuum leak could mess up the air/fuel mixture and cause a rough idle. And yes, motor mounts, but chances are you'd notice that while you were driving or shifting from drive to reverse. You could also have a part of the exhaust system touching the body and vibrating that way.

It needs to be looked at.

greenagate99

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well the first thing I'd check on the somewhat notorious 2.5L engine is the engine compression---these engines are known to have bad head gaskets, which could result in the engine running poorly. It's good to get that possible cause out of the way.

For rough running at idle, there could be many other reasons---when was the last tune-up? Also a vacuum leak could mess up the air/fuel mixture and cause a rough idle. And yes, motor mounts, but chances are you'd notice that while you were driving or shifting from drive to reverse. You could also have a part of the exhaust system touching the body and vibrating that way.

It needs to be looked at.

Mine's the 2.2L engine, does that make a difference?
Last tune up? I'm not sure. Oil was changed a couple months ago, and that's about it. The CV joint/boot was replaced either last year or the year before. Can this wait a few months or is this something that should be taken care of now? I can get a new(er used car) once I get a job after college.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh yes, the 2.2L is a fair bit surdier---but still, you have to remove the spark plugs to check them anyway for a tune-up, so you might as well put a compression tester in there---especially if you've noticed some lag in acceleration going up hills or on freeway on ramps.

As long the vibration isn't severe, and you don't hear any unusual noises while driving, and if the car's performance hasn't suddenly dropped off, then you can probably let it go for a while, sure.

My only concern about letting it go is that if there's a misfire in the engine, or low compression, eventually that's going to turn on your Check Engine Light...if you see that go on, then you should take it in.

greenagate99

Mr_Shiftright said:

Oh yes, the 2.2L is a fair bit surdier---but still, you have to remove the spark plugs to check them anyway for a tune-up, so you might as well put a compression tester in there---especially if you've noticed some lag in acceleration going up hills or on freeway on ramps.

As long the vibration isn't severe, and you don't hear any unusual noises while driving, and if the car's performance hasn't suddenly dropped off, then you can probably let it go for a while, sure.

My only concern about letting it go is that if there's a misfire in the engine, or low compression, eventually that's going to turn on your Check Engine Light...if you see that go on, then you should take it in.

We've ignored my "Check Engine" light for the past two or three years. Every time we took it in for something, they'd replace a part and the light would turn off. But, when the car was driven on the interstate, the light would reappear.

I think the spark plugs were replaced four years ago, if I remember correctly. I remember one of my uncles pointing that out to me.

Mr_Shiftright

Well you might find out what code is related to that CEL--it could give you a hint as to what's going on with the car. If you ever see the CEL light blinking, you have to stop the car btw.

greenagate99

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well you might find out what code is related to that CEL--it could give you a hint as to what's going on with the car. If you ever see the CEL light blinking, you have to stop the car btw.

It doesn't blink, it's just constantly on.

cmhj2000

greenagate99 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well you might find out what code is related to that CEL--it could give you a hint as to what's going on with the car. If you ever see the CEL light blinking, you have to stop the car btw.

It doesn't blink, it's just constantly on.

still need the code!