Owner of a 1991 Honda Accord Ex that has developed a worrisome issue: it has started to vibrate excessively when it is stationary. If the car is in Park (it has an automatic transmission) it sounds and feels fine, but when its in Drive and I'm stopped at a light, the car shakes pretty noticeably. There are no other noticeable issues or noises that accompany this problem. My folks and my friends have told me not to worry about it; its an old car and thats what they do sometimes. But given the car's age, and the fact that the issue has developed pretty quickly. I'm worried that this may be a symptom of a major issue with the engine or transmission and that I'm courting a major breakdown (just in time for winter, ******* yay). So any ideas of what it could be? Or am I just paranoid?

 

Does the problem subside noticeably in neutral?

 

Is the idle correct? Also, how do motor mounts look?

 

Yes it does. The car sounds normal when its in neutral, and in reverse. Its only when its in drive that the problem manifests.

 

The car was actually in the shop recently, and they did discover that one of the motor mounts was broken and replaced it. I haven't checked the others.

 

Now that I've had some time to think, I'm starting to think maybe the car might not be idling correctly (as the engine mounts where checked and repaired the last time it was in the shop). How expensive of a repair to you all think this might be? What impact would this have on the long term health of the car?

 

When in gear and warmed up, what is the idle RPM?

 

Also was there any vibrations before you had work done at that shop ?

 

Between 1000 and 1100. Recently, when the car is warmed up, the problem disappears completely. Maybe it is just an old car quirk brought on by cold weather?

 

No, there wasn't.