01 S60 - Could a misfire cause constant shaking? Bad coil Topic is solved

jaxon175 · Post by **jaxon175** » 21 Oct 2016, 22:26

Got a good deal on a 2001 S60 non-turbo with vibration issues. 125K on it. Only driven about 10 miles since the shaking began, so I don't think any serious damage has been done.

Anway, the car shakes very noticeably upon start up, idle, and throughout acceleration. Gets better at high RPM, but still noticeable. Gonna rule out alignment and CV joints because of the idle. I know the list of possible causes is extensive, though before taking it to a dealer I'm going to try my hand at it at my shop - agricultural mechanic

The CEL is on - checking codes tomorrow. I'm thinking motor mounts, leak somewhere, or coils/plugs. Am I on the right track? I am leaning towards coil failure. I wouldn't think that the CEL would come on for bad mounts or a leak. But what do I know? Maybe it does.

The severity of the vibrations is what concerns me. I would think that the misfire would have to be on multiple cylinders to cause the kind of shaking present.

Any suggestions?

Post by **abscate** » 22 Oct 2016, 12:42

One coil not firing will shake and bake pretty bad. At high rpm, it isn't getting any better, you just feel it less - thanks to the flywheel.

It will probably code for one of the cylinders misfiring like P030x but pull the plugs and coils and inspect everything too.

You can swap a coil and see if the code moved - its a good party game for kids - find the bad coil..followed by pin the vacuum leak on the EVAP canister

jaxon175 · Post by **jaxon175** » 06 Nov 2016, 21:15

Just a quick update for any future viewers with this issue.

Turned out to be a dead coil on cylinder 3. Replaced that coil and all plugs. Runs great!

Thanks for the help!

Post by **abscate** » 06 Nov 2016, 23:12

Outstanding, Red Team.

Wait for coils to go on sale and buy another for next time