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Vibrations when at Idle

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City
San Antonio
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TX
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What I Drive
2019 Fiesta S Sedan
#1
Hello all,

I have a 2019 Fiesta 1.6 NA 5-speed Manual and has 91,000 miles.I've done Oil changes every 5,000 miles and done proper maintenance IAW the owners manual.

Has anyone experienced a vibrations in the steering wheel and drivers seat at start up and idle???? It goes away when I turn off the AC. I assume it's the AC clutch putting more load on the motor. Has anyone changed just the AC compressor clutch? Any experience trouble shooting this would be helpful. Thank you!
 
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Canada
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2011 Fiesta SE
#2
You could be experiencing vibrations due to the lower engine mount wearing out. It is a common issue with this platform. The mount is located low behind the engine. Here is a video...YouTube video
Other mounts should be scrutinized as well as they can also cause issues, but the lower mount is most common.
The radiator cooling fan spins at a high speed, it is also requested by the PCM when AC is activated. If the fan motor is failing or the fan is unbalanced, vibrations are amplified due to its high speed. Verify the radiator cooling fan is not the issue.
Also, Start up and low load idle are times when ignition issues can manifest causing vibrations. However at your mileage and past maintenance, this is just a suggestion to consider.
Good luck!
 
OP
rmart2019FiestaS
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2019 Fiesta S Sedan
Thread Starter #3
Thank you! I'll give those a check.
 

Handy Andy

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#4
Also might need to have you look into the throttle body bore - remove the snorkel and see if there's debris plugging the bore on the throttle (presence of a dark sludge ring of oil and soot around the plate) - the "idle vibration" can be from both a bad mount absorbing the shifted load and passing into the car - and/or the throttle body itself needs some cleaning to help with the adjustment changes it needs to make at idle to handle the AC being on and still keep the engine idle set correctly - if it can not move the plate easily - it can make the engine seem to sag or shake at idle because the throttle can't make that small adjustment to trim the idle when the AC is on.

This also occurs on really hot days when fuel boiling is possible - the injectors work, but the fuel itself vaporizes too quickly before it makes it to the cylinder - it weakens the charge (Usually from too much Ethanol) - this usually goes away after some start/run/stop drive cycles to fix fuel trims. But if it's been really hot, that and a plugged air filter or a vacuum leak (cracks in the line or unseated or loosely fitted hose) in one of the hoses or the fittings can be a tell tale sign it needs a little more TLC.

IF this occurs all the time and more and more noise, then follow @SyntheticAtmosphere suggestion and look into replacing motor mounts - as to which one? That requires a visual observation as someone needs turn the AC on and Off - and you see which one of those mounts moves the most and may be the one failing causing that shake - press (carefully - hot moving parts are nearby!) on the motor by that mount and see if that shake stops - then the mount it's (your pressure applied) is the closest to - usually means that mount needs replacement. IF you replace one and helps - it also means you'll be replacing others pretty soon - might need to make a day of it to fix this and replace all those mounts.

Loose or broken mounts can also affect your steering by causing torque steer - your having to correct the drift during acceleration and deceleration gets worse with time.

Some use a block of wood to support the oil pan and lift it up slightly and gently with a floor jack to see if the shake can be eased - it can also help change the noise the running motor makes and you can find the bad mount by the rattle it makes from the floating you put the motor in at rest - makes the shake more noticeable on the bad mount.

Don't just look for "band mounts" but loose hardware and broken clips - like a bad clip on the fan shroud or loose cable ties.
 
Last edited:
OP
rmart2019FiestaS
Messages
10
Likes
2
City
San Antonio
State
TX
Country
United States
What I Drive
2019 Fiesta S Sedan
Thread Starter #5
Also might need to have you look into the throttle body bore - remove the snorkel and see if there's debris plugging the bore on the throttle (presence of a dark sludge ring of oil and soot around the plate) - the "idle vibration" can be from both a bad mount absorbing the shifted load and passing into the car - and/or the throttle body itself needs some cleaning to help with the adjustment changes it needs to make at idle to handle the AC being on and still keep the engine idle set correctly - if it can not move the plate easily - it can make the engine seem to sag or shake at idle because the throttle can't make that small adjustment to trim the idle when the AC is on.

This also occurs on really hot days when fuel boiling is possible - the injectors work, but the fuel itself vaporizes too quickly before it makes it to the cylinder - it weakens the charge (Usually from too much Ethanol) - this usually goes away after some start/run/stop drive cycles to fix fuel trims. But if it's been really hot, that and a plugged air filter or a vacuum leak (cracks in the line or unseated or loosely fitted hose) in one of the hoses or the fittings can be a tell tale sign it needs a little more TLC.

IF this occurs all the time and more and more noise, then follow @SyntheticAtmosphere suggestion and look into replacing motor mounts - as to which one? That requires a visual observation as someone needs turn the AC on and Off - and you see which one of those mounts moves the most and may be the one failing causing that shake - press (carefully - hot moving parts are nearby!) on the motor by that mount and see if that shake stops - then the mount it's (your pressure applied) is the closest to - usually means that mount needs replacement. IF you replace one and helps - it also means you'll be replacing others pretty soon - might need to make a day of it to fix this and replace all those mounts.

Loose or broken mounts can also affect your steering by causing torque steer - your having to correct the drift during acceleration and deceleration gets worse with time.

Some use a block of wood to support the oil pan and lift it up slightly and gently with a floor jack to see if the shake can be eased - it can also help change the noise the running motor makes and you can find the bad mount by the rattle it makes from the floating you put the motor in at rest - makes the shake more noticeable on the bad mount.

Don't just look for "band mounts" but loose hardware and broken clips - like a bad clip on the fan shroud or loose cable ties.

Thank you for the suggestion! I'm really trying to take care of my ol girl. She's been good to me and I love this thing. I'll inspect it in a week or so.
 


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