I replaced my engine and now I have odd vibrations in the car when I drive it...
Asked by Andrew
Just had a replacement engine put in my 2011 Holden Colorado. It has about 124.000km on the clock and I have a wobble in the car. The gear stick, wheel and bull-bar all wobble when I back off the revs. This was also present when I had the old engine block but now I think it’s worse. Any advice?
Answered by CarsGuide
12 Apr 2022Vibrations through a car at varying speeds or throttle position can be an indication of wheel imbalance, poor wheel alignment, worn suspension parts, a damaged tyre, bent wheel rim, a driveshaft or CV joint problem, engine misfire, gearbox of differential issue, over-tight brake, worn brake drum or rotor and perhaps a million other things.
If the problem is worse since the new engine was fitted, I’d be looking at things like engine mounts which can wear and even fail, leading to a vibration or wobble throughout the whole car.
But if the bull-bar is wobbling in sympathy, don’t rule out a loose bolt(s) in the bull-bar mounts which are allowing it to flop about and send a shiver through the rest of the car. Even a blob of mud stuck in the inside of a wheel rim can be enough to imbalance that wheel and produce the same effect when the particular harmonics of slowing down enter the equation.
You could start with the engine mounts and work your way backwards along the driveline, looking for worn couplings, U-bolts and universal joints. If you have a Go-Pro camera, maybe mounting that under the car and reviewing the footage afterward might give you a clue as to what’s causing the wobble. Having the wheels and tyres balanced would be another relatively inexpensive way of ruling out one possibility.
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