What Causes Car Shaking and Engine Malfunction Light to Illuminate?
3 Answers
The reasons for car shaking and engine malfunction light illumination are: 1. Poor combustion of the engine's air-fuel mixture; 2. Substandard fuel quality; 3. Malfunctioning spark plugs, high-voltage wires, or ignition coils; 4. Internal short circuit in the fuel pump, causing abnormal low-pressure fuel supply; 5. Air leakage in the engine intake system; 6. Dirty throttle body or excessive carbon buildup in the fuel injectors; 7. Aging engine components. Solutions for car shaking and engine malfunction light illumination include: 1. Inspecting the working condition of spark plugs, high-voltage wires, and ignition coils; 2. Cleaning engine carbon deposits, throttle body, replacing gaskets and spark plugs; 3. Visiting a 4S shop to check fuel supply pressure and the condition of the intake pressure sensor.
My old buddy had the same issue last month - the car was shaking like it had a muscle spasm, with the engine light glowing yellow on the dashboard. Scared the heck out of me, so I rushed to my trusted repair shop. The mechanic hooked up the diagnostic scanner and found out the ignition coil on cylinder 4 was toast. Actually, this is a pretty common problem - things like spark plug erosion, ignition coil leakage, or clogged fuel injectors can all cause engine misfires. In my case, it was severe injector clogging from long-term use of cheap gas that triggered the shaking. If you also notice power loss and skyrocketing fuel consumption, it's highly likely there's an issue with the air-fuel mixture.
When encountering this situation, I usually check three things first: whether the spark plugs have carbon deposits or burns, if the ignition coil plug is loose, and if the fuel injector is clogged with deposits. I remember a case where a customer's car had cylinder misfires and shaking, and it turned out to be a drifting reading from the mass airflow sensor, causing the ECU to miscalculate the fuel mixture. Actually, when the engine light comes on, it’s telling you that the computer has detected abnormal combustion, which could be due to ignition issues, air intake leaks, or sensor failures. If you also notice black smoke from the exhaust or a sputtering sound, it’s likely a fuel delivery problem. Continuing to drive under these conditions can damage the catalytic converter, so it’s best to immediately read the trouble codes to confirm the issue.
