Ok, so I'm not really an expert on cars, but I'm starting to get into repairing stuff. I was wondering if anyone can help me with this.

My 1996 Honda Accord vibrates (alot) when I'm idling at a stop sign. Does anyone know what is the cause of this and if it can be fixed (pictures would be great).

Also, I'm looking to put in a Injen short ram cold air intake system, what are the chances of the short intake hydro-locking?

Thanks in advance.

 

Do you have an auto or manual?

Vibrating can be a number of things. Does the whole car vibrate or do you feel vibrations coming from your steering wheel?

There is no short ram cold air intake system. Its either a short ram or cold air intake. There is almost no chance in the short ram from hydrolocking since the filter is situated int he engine bay. Only way a short ram would hydrolock is if the engine were submerged in water which I don't think you would be driving the car at that point. As for the cold air intake (CAI) there is more chance of hydrolock since the filter is situated in the fenderwell in front of the wheel. Just watch out for big puddles when driving.

 

im assuming the vibrating stops when you give it gas and let it idle around 1krpm instead of ~700?

i have the same issue, and ive narrowed it down to

-vacuum leak
-clogged EGR ports

also, the rear motor mount is shot, so that doesnt help to dampen the vibrations

 

It's a auto transmission, and the whole car shakes when idle but stops when I apply the gas. It might be the vacuum leak, but I also might suspect the idle air control valve is busted.

How would I check for the vacuum leak or the clogged EGR ports?

 

You could have a bad plug or plug wire. With the engine running, pull a wire off. If nothing happens, you found the culprit.

To check the idle air control valve -- unplug the electrical connection. If the idle get a little better, you found the problem. Cleaning the valve inside quite often helps.

For a vacuum leak, check all the (thin) hoses and connections.

To check for an air leak by the intake manifold area, direct some (unlit) propane gas from a torch at likely spots -- by gaskets, etc. If the running engine speeds up, there is your air leak. You will need a new gasket.

Other likely causes -- throttle position sensor (unplug to test) or MAP sensor -- pull off the vacuum line to test.

You could probably use a repair manual, like Haynes, if you don't have one.

Good luck.