Q: Was driving on the expressway and my car started shaking, check engine light turned on, oil light turned on and off

asked by on January 03, 2017

Car started shaking on the expressway, check engine light turned on and oil light, the epc light turned on as well but now only check engine light is on. The car starts but as soon as you change the gear to drive,car starts shaking and a clanking noise can be heard? What's wrong with my car, it was missing some oil, I added 2 quarts and it's still shaking and making weird noises

My car has 85000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hello, thank you for writing in. Shaking and vibrating typically comes from a misfire, or poor engine performance. A lack of oil will absolutely contribute to these symptoms and amplify them, if not cause them to begin with. You want to turn your attention to the cause of the oil leak. If external (you can see the leaking oil), then you will want to trace the leak to the component which has failed. If the leak is internal (or the engine is consuming oil), the leak will be harder to find. It will also explain the poor engine performance due to excess oil in the combustion chamber. A head gasket is one of the main components that will fail and cause these issues. It is however not common for a vehicle this age to have these kinds of problems. You will also want to scan the computer, and see what codes are triggering your check engine light. These diagnostic tools will help you determine what system(s) is to blame for the malfunction. For more diagnostic help, contact our service department to schedule an appointment.

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