[rcmcg2]

I have a 2014 XT with approximately 6000 miles on it and have noticed that the engine often shakes/wobbles when idling. It happens quite frequently and seems to happen more when the AC is on.

I realize that it is common for the boxer engine to do this when starting cold but this has been happening when the engine is warmed up or has been running for a long time as well.

I did find a TSB referring to rough idling but am not sure if it would be this issue. Has anyone else experienced this? It just doesn't seem like a warmed up engine should shake enough to feel it.

TSB:

Service Bulletin No.: TSB-11-130-13R
Component(s): ENGINENHTSA ID Number: 10052498
All Products Associated with this Service Bulletin
Vehicle MakeModelModel Year(s)
SUBARUBRZ2013SUBARUFORESTER2011-2014SUBARUIMPREZA2012-2013SUBARULEGACY2013SUBARUOUTBACK2013SUBARUXV CROSSTREK2013
Details
0 Associated Documents
Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
SUMMARY:
SUBARU: SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY STARTING, ROUGH IDLE, CAM POSITION OR MISFIRE DTCS. THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE INSPECTION AND REPAIR *JS

 

[Sweaty]

rough idle may be a sign of missfire... from my experience with my older nissan that had a bad coil pack connection. the engine should run smoothe, especially when revs are up past 1500ish. try going back to the exhaust and see if you can feel or hear a pause in the exhaust pulses. if there is a slight pause and its not continuous, missfire could be your issue. take it in under warranty and see what they say

 

[rcmcg2]

rough idle may be a sign of missfire... from my experience with my older nissan that had a bad coil pack connection. the engine should run smoothe, especially when revs are up past 1500ish. try going back to the exhaust and see if you can feel or hear a pause in the exhaust pulses. if there is a slight pause and its not continuous, missfire could be your issue. take it in under warranty and see what they say

Above 1k RPM, the engine sounds and feels smooth. It is only when it is idling below 1k RPM that the engine occasionally shakes and feels rough.

 

[valvestem]

Are you observing the engine in the engine bay shaking and wobbling, or do you feel it in the car? I think a misfire would light up the CEL on your dash.

 

[adc]

I have an NA engine but IO would be unhapppy with any engine nit running smoothly at any RPM.
Dealer time IMHO

 

[blueboy]

I have an NA engine but IO would be unhapppy with any engine nit running smoothly at any RPM.
Dealer time IMHO

I noticed it too.
I'll wait and see if it gets any worse.

 

[Sweaty]

oh, if it happens mostly when the AC is on, it could be a bad AC clutch. it may be causeing excessive drag on the belts, thus the crank. the car wasn't tuned to fix excessive drag from the belts.

make sure its idling at about 750 rpm. too low an rpm and it will shutter.

i wouldn't worry too much if its light wobbles. my 06 wrx used to tobble a bit at idle, but it pulled hard when i wanted it to.

 

[Jscott]

If it really idles super rough, like it feels like it may stall, check out my post also called idle problem or something like that. Turned out to be a failed oil distribution valve for camshafts... I just updated that post so it will be near the top of the thread list..

 

[Loscaldazar]

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f88/idle-problem-j-scott-217106/

 

[The Sage]

I do get a little vibration on idle, especially when cold.

 

[white_xti]

Hi Guys!

New subscriber here. Im happy with my 2014 xt, so far. Had it for almost a month now and also noticed the vibration / rumbling on cold starts, which I think is fine. But even after running it between errands. I still sometimes get the vibration at idle.

Now, I read on the manual that using low octane rate fuel dips the performance a bit while increasing consumption and engine vibration. What I do not understand is premium fuel here in the Philippines starts at 95 octane rate (we also have 100 octane). Which is actually higher than recommended (91 or 92). Dealer also told me to get 95.

I will report back after the holidays when i get the chance to use 91 or 100 octane.

 

[APatel]

I recently bought a 2015 XT Touring and I did have the problem earlier last month. I always fill up with 93 octane from Shell (Vpower) because it was recommended for turbo performance.

I live in Chicago so the weather can be random. I found that when the temperature had dipped a bit, colder or rained and I didn't allow the car enough time to warm up and drove the shaking would occur after coming to a stop from a high speed. Often going to work in the morning I rush on the highway and when getting off the ramp I would stop at a light and the car would just slightly shake not heavily but a light shake. I took it to the dealership and described the problem. They were unsuccessful trying to replicate the problem and just asked to ensure the car has time to warm up before cruising. Since then the weather has gotten colder here and I just remote start and give the car 5-6 min to warm up and I have not had the "shakes" since.

It's weird because the car is not cold when it shakes, and allowing that time to warm up prior to driving was the key to not having this issue.

I hope this helps! If you find out the problem is something else please post.

Thanks,