Disc brakes causing the car to shake.

When you are driving and the car starts vibrating when you hit the brake pedal, your disc brakes might be the cause. There are other causes for the car to shake that have nothing to do with the disc brakes. The car shakes as a warning that something is wrong within the system.

If this warning isn’t taken seriously, there is the chance that you will cause further damage. If the damage is too much, you might need a towing service for the car. Though it is possible to drive further when the car is in such a condition. But this depends on the occasions during which the car vibrates. For example, does the car shake when idle, when you accelerate or when you hit the brakes. There are different causes of these varying occasions of car vibration.

Car shakes when you press the brake pedal.

This is usually a problem within the braking system. Sometimes the problem comes about due to poor brake maintenance by applying brake pad grease. The brakes are probably stuck in a position that causes them to grip the wheel even without pressing the brake pedal. The disc brakes are notorious for this issue. This is based on the disc brake assembly parts.

Disc brakes.

Their assembly parts consists of disc rotors, brake pads and calipers. When the driver presses the brake pedal, the calipers push the pads to press against the rotors which slows the car down. A common challenge is whereby the brake calipers stick at one position which holds the brake pads. Now if the calipers are stuck with the brake pads pressing the rotors, the car will be shaking when you press the brake pedal. This also happens when the car is using drum brakes.

Car shakes when idle.

When this happens, it’s because of something that is wrong with the engine. Though it is a common thing for the car’s engine to vibrate just a bit when you start the car. But when the shaking is accompanied by some sounds, it is not a normal occurrence. The following are areas that you need to check;

1. Engine mounts.

These are parts that hold the engine in its place under the car’s hood. They connect to the engine through bolts that are drilled into the engine and then they connect to the car’s body. If one of them is faulty, the engine’s vibrations will be felt immensely throughout the car’s body. Further, there will be funny sounds coming from the engine’s area. This shaking will only become worse when you take off and you accelerate.

2. Faulty spark plug.

The spark plug is responsible for igniting the air and fuel mixture when the ignition starts. Consequences of a faulty spark plug are not similar to a faulty ignition cylinder. When the ignition cylinder is faulty, your car won’t start and you will experience clicking sound but the engine won’t turn over.

Alternatively, it is possible to start the engine even if the car has a faulty spark plug. The only challenge is that the faulty spark plug will cause the engine to misfire. This misfire will lead to shaking of the engine when the car is idle.

3. Clogged fuel and air filters.

If these two filters are faulty, the car’s fuel and air mixture will not burn as it should. This issue will also cause the engine to experience a misfire. Hence causing the engine to shake immensely.

Car shakes when accelerating.

If the car is shaking during acceleration, the above reasons are not an exception. Meaning that they’re also capable of causing the car to shake when accelerating.

1. Worn out suspension system.

The car’s suspension system is responsible for offering a comfortable ride. The type of suspension system springs you have in your car play a key role in this comfort. If the suspension’s assembly parts are worn out, the car will be shaking during high speeds. This is because a worn out suspension system will not be able to handle the car’s weight.

2. Unbalanced wheels and tires.

Tire balancing is very important for the vehicle’s weight to be distributed throughout the set of wheels and tires. When the wheels and tires are unbalanced, the tires will start wearing out unevenly. Further, this will cause the weight to be carried by some wheels more than others and the car won’t be stable. So when you accelerate the car while in this condition, it will start shaking.