Why might my car be doing this?
 

Hi all,

I now have a little more clarity on something by boxster does:

Background/Description:

2001 box, 38K miles, tiptronic trans. Currently in upstate NY
When I try to start the car in the morning (lately), the car engine will make a strange sound. It will vibrate and shake the slightly car back and forth - maybe a few times a second. This is clearly unnatural and problematic. What I have determined is that if I start the car and leave it in neutral, this will not happen. If I put it into reverse (or drive) it will do some shaking. The temperature is somewhat cold (40 degrees?) and I have not observed this on a hot day. What might be a cause and its severity in you opinion?


Second question:

This seems a little odd to me and I was wondering if any of you have experienced this - if I just start my car and drive it around (not warmed up) and run it at 1.5K RPM or less (especially in 3rd+ gear), I heard a slight "dragging sound". It seems to be something rubbing or causing friction and seems to come from somewhere behind the driver side (maybe near/in the engine's compartment). I do not hear this sound when the engine is fully warmed up, even if it gets run at a very low RPM in gear. Anybody experience this?


Thanks! :)

If the problem is affected by the transmission, then that's probably what the problem is. Maybe the torque converter, I don't have a lot of experience with automatic transmissions. Could be a matter of changing your tranny oil.

-David