Check engine light on and car shaking?

Question

This morning I go out to my car and it chose to act out on me. 2000 Daewoo Nubira.

As soon as I turned it on, it started shaking and almost like it was bouncing. The check engine light also came on too. I put it in reverse to see if that may work, but it still was shaking. I then put it in drive and gave a little gas, no result, so I put it back in park and now have no idea what to do.

It does seem to be coming from the engine area. Also, there is no way I could afford to go to a mechanic right now.

I did try driving it (not too far though) and it still does shake when driving.

The light is a constatant, no blinking. My husband checked for a hissing and he says there is none.

The guy at AutoZone said it should be alright to drive in, but with any problem I get so nervous and I am not sure about whether or not it is alright to drive even the three miles to AutoZone.

Answer 1

Is the "Check Engine" light on, or is it flashing?
If it is flashing, and the shaking you describe both indicate a misfire in the engine.
If you have the ability, or have a friend that can, check the spark plugs for fouling. It might be a good idea to replace them, as well as wires and the rest of the ignition tune-up.
If the light is jut on and not flashing, there could be a vacuum leak.
With the parking brake set, the engine idling and the hood open, listen closely for a pronounced "hiss". If you can locate it, secure the loose or missing hose or repair whatever is the cause.
That is just about the limit of what you can do without some pretty expensive equipment.
If you can SAFELY drive the car, try to get to a discount auto parts store (e.g. AutoZone) and ask for them to retrieve the codes stored in the computer.
Keep in mind that these codes identify a diagnostic failure in a circuit or system monitored by the computer, and do not NECESSARILY represent a failure of a particular component.

Good Luck

Answer 2

You will have to get the car to where someone can pull the code for the system malfunction. You can try disconnecting the battery ground for ten seconds and resetting the computer. That may allow you to drive it somewhere for service.

Answer 3

it sounds like you have a misfire, maybe a spark plug a coil problem that is why the engine light has come on.
you will need to take it to a garage to get the light turned off after the problem has been fixed

Answer 4

The quickest responce to your problem is take it to Auto-zone have them put there tester on and check the codes and that will probably tell you where the problem lies.

Good luck.

Answer 5

give it to the mechanic and they can diagnose the problem for you. sounds like a pipe/exhausted pipe problem, but could be the engine emisson problem too

Answer 6

Is it driveable? If so, does it continue to shake while being driven?