I have a 98 ford escort zx2. Ever since I bought it, it's had this problem. It's constantly vibrating and at times it will shake. It's really bad when the car is first started, but generally, the more you drive it, the better it gets. It's really bad when idling, you can feel it in the steering wheel and even through your seats. I can see the front of my hood vibrate while idling as well. Sometimes when I first start it and let it warm up, you can see my steering wheel shake up and down. Also, when you put it into gears, you can really feel a difference in the vibrations. It gets noticeably worse. When you put it in park or neutral it doesn't completely stop vibrating but it calms down quite a bit.

I took it to a mechanic and he pretty much gave me a bs answer. He told me it was because it's a 4 cylinder and these cars are known to vibrate. I believe he checked my motor mounts but I'm not 100% sure. What else could this be? It's so annoying, it doesn't die or anything.

 

There are so many questions that need to be answered before any worthwhile suggestion can be offered.
How many miles are on the speedometer?
What recent work , if any, was done?
Has the check engine light come on at any time?
About how long ago were the spark plugs replaced and by whom?
To just throw out possibilities would not be wise because we do not know any history and that is very important.
How long approx have you owned the car and did it always run like it is running now?
Has the engine ever overheated?

 

I have had this car for about 4 months, and yes it has always been like this. I recently took it to a mechanic who did about $1000 worth of repairs. He changed my mass air flow, i had a leaking radiator so he replaced that, something with my exhaust and also I guess all my hoses and wires were all sorts of messed up.

He told me my transmission was replaced at some point.

It's at 121,000 miles right now.

The check engine light was on when I bought it but he said it was for a vehicle speed sensor, and he said he changed that and the light was off after that.

I don't know about spark plugs, I am thinking about taking it back to another mechanic. I would think he would have looked at the spark plugs because it's so basic, but I'm not sure. I know little about cars otherwise I would do it myself.

It has never overheated while I've had it but it was in the shop for most of the time because neither mechanic was sure exactly what was wrong with it.

 

We aren't going to try to make a "mechanic" out of you, but I believe we can help you learn a little mechanical knowledge that should allow you to ask some pointed questions when you take it in for repairs.
Did you take it to the repair facility for reasons other than a good recommendation ?
There are lots of hard working guys out there, the problem is finding one that not only works hard, but knows what he is doing.
There are many things that can cause an engine to run rough and vibrate excessively.
Some of which could be, poor signals to the vehicle's computer which controls a lot of how the engine runs. Other things like lack of proper maintenance or no maintenance at all. Were you able to have the vehicle checked out before you purchased it?
If you would like to increase your background knowledge of your vehicle , you might start with reading some of the owner's manual. If you don't have it available you may be able to download it at www.fleetford.com . Just knowing what should be done and how often can save you a lot of trouble and problems up the road. Some of those models were damaged when overheated and required a considerable outlay of money to correct what was damaged, that is why I inquired if it had ever been overheated.

 

I honestly didn't check it out the best. Which is my fault and why I'm in the situation that I'm in, but I put in a lot of money. So I'm trying to fix this or figure out what it could be why it would be doing this. The vibration is just so annoying and irritating while driving and idling at a stop sign.

And are you saying that my model specifically had problems with overheating?

 

No, but if it was overheated it could have done some damage.

 

I just bought a 1998 Ford Escort SE Wagon with 92,000 miles. My car is doing the same thing. When you are at a stop sign or traffic light the car shakes. You can actually see the steering wheel vibrating. A friend of mine had a friend of hers die who was 93 years old. Anytime the car needed something done he took it to the dealer to be repaired. However, he got sick and was sick for about 14 months before dying. I bought the car from his estate. Unfortunately his daughter threw away the maintenance records.


I love the car except for the shaking. Can anybody guess what might be the problem ? The car doesn't seem to be missing and starts right up every time.

 

Something I overlooked with the last post and that was a possibly leaking intake manifold gasket. I suggest that because as the engine warms up and parts expand the idle condition improves.There are a few simple tests that can be performed to confirm that. The tests need to be done when the engine is cold because as it warms up the problem lessens.

 

Hanky thanks for your response. I hope to work on it in the next couple of weeks and will let you know what I found.

 

I had a buddy who had a 99 ZX2 and it did the exact same thing. Back then we worked as tech's in Sears and we had a senior guy look at it, he found some major vacuum issues and fixed them. The car ran much better after that so you may want to check your hoses, they may be rotted and leaking.