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I have a 2015 Honda Mobilio with a manual transmission. I have had this car for 6 months and have not experienced any problems until yesterday morning. When I start my car, the engine shakes badly. The shaking was strong enough to surprise me and knock a few items off my dashboard. That was the first time I've started a car with that much shaking.

I just had my oil changed a couple of weeks ago with a semi-synthetic and it was doing fine.

I gave the car a couple of revs in neutral and turned it off, the car was shaking again on start but 50% lesser in intensity. I had the car on until it reached idle revs and turned it off. This time, starting it again was seamless and smooth. So I ignored it for that day, but this morning, the same thing happened again! Now I am worried.

Is there anything I can check?

Do you think I should visit my car manufacturer's shop?

Is this related to the gas I am putting in it?

I usually fill-up with 95ron fuel.

Could this have something to do with the oil from the recent oil change?

Could this have something to do with intense rain and humidity? It's the rainy season where I live.

Any input on this?

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  • What kind of car is it? Make/model/engine/mileage. Commented Jun 27, 2016 at 0:34
  • Check your oil level.
    – tlhIngan
    Commented Jun 27, 2016 at 0:37
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 I have a Honda Mobilio 2015 Commented Jun 27, 2016 at 1:11
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    Did you use a different type of fuel like shell Vpower or something recently?
    – Shobin P
    Commented Jun 27, 2016 at 8:09
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    There is a very very good chance that the change in fuel might have caused the shurreding switch back to V-Power and let us knoe
    – Shobin P
    Commented Jun 28, 2016 at 10:02

1 Answer 1

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If I had to guess this sounds like a four cylinder engine, with one or even two cylinder's misfiring. Best guess is a problem with either a spark plug wires, or an ignition module. I'm looking at high resolution photos of your engine compartment and its not clear on what type of ignition system you have. Generally there are two types of systems. One has a single ignition module, and then large diameter wires that lead to each individual spark plug. Another design has small wires leading to small seperate ignition modules placed right over the spark plug. My guess is you have the single ignition module with seperate wires, and one of those wires has an intermittent short to the the engine block. When that shorts out, one cylinder isn't running correctly, and the engine will be very rough. Unfortunately all of your ignition wiring is hidden on the back side of the engine, under the black plastic cover (between the engine and the dash panel sheet metal.)

Do note, this issue could be something as easy as a spark plug wire not securely attached to a spark plug.

One easy test (if you can see all the wires) is to run the car in a dark parking lot at night (obviously in neutral, with parking brake securely fastened.) With hood open just look for evidence of little blue sparks anywhere around those wires. NOTE: Do not put your hands or any part of your body in the dark engine compartment. There are a lot of moving parts and that's just dangerous. (I caught my hand in an alternator fan at night Thwack, and it still hurts to think about it.) Please be safe!

One thing about ignition faults.. they don't always set a code. I've seen codes set in cars with coil on plug systems, but I've also seen vehicles with single ignition module, with visible shorts to the spark plug wiring that do not set a fault code at all.

Note: there is one other thing that can cause rough engine idle. If there is an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) or Vacuum controlled device that gets stuck open that could adversely affect engine idle. Generally those defects will set an fault code.

Were I in your shoes, I'd start with a test of all the engine fault codes. Then I'd inspect the ignition wiring for signs of decay (or shorting out.) Often you can see carbon marks where the wires short out on metal parts. (That inspection is done engine OFF- Safety first!) Let us know what you find.

One comment: With a car that new, isn't your manufacturer's warranty still in effect? With your description, this issue should definitely be covered under warranty.

Edit: You've mentioned this issue is only observed when the car is first started in the morning. If it was forty years ago, I'd be looking hard at the automatic choke on the carburetor but not with a new car like yours. You've got fuel injection and control mechanisms to monitor engine temperature and adjust air fuel mixture. It's possible a temp sensor is bad, but that will definitely set a code. I doubt it, but it's possible. Again, first step here is to read the stored fault codes.

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  • Thanks for the answer Zippit! I was thinking this was a misfire too, but I don't know what's causing it. (I only know basic) but here's one hint, it only happens in the morning. Do you have any ideas why? Also, I don't have any device for extracting fault codes, do you have any recommendations for purchasing online? This is through OBD2 right? Commented Jun 27, 2016 at 4:49
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    @JomarSevillejo I'm not clear on what Honda is using on your car. I would assume OBD2, but I'm not positive. Do you see a connection like this underneath your steering wheel? Also, is your car still under warranty? You don't want to start removing parts to look further if you've got a warranty. (If you do, you possibly risk the dealer refusing to do the warranty work.) Let the dealer fix this first.
    – zipzit
    Commented Jun 27, 2016 at 4:54
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    I don't know why the problem would be worse in the morning. The only difference there is things are cold. As for OnBoard Diagnostics 2 code readers, they are available online, including Ebay.
    – zipzit
    Commented Jun 27, 2016 at 5:05
  • Alright zipit! Thanks! I gues what I'll do for now is the edit in your answer. On the process of purchasing an OBD2 device. OBDLink Commented Jun 27, 2016 at 23:50

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