why does my car start shaking when i turn it on? It feels like its lacking gas but im on a full tank.?

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cris626

I took the car to a mechanic and he changed the fuel filter since it was clogged. It Fixed the problem for 2 days then it started shaking again.. I took it back and he switched out the hoses on the engine. The car ran great until now its the same problem. When im stopped it shakes horribly. Please Help.

Answer
Doesn't make sense that the fuel filter caused the shaking at "idle"...
If it did, you would have also had a severe loss of power at road speeds...
I would look elsewhere for your problem.. Its Not the fuel filter...
A vacuum leak could cause the shaking at idle, and then seem fine while moving...... Hard to say for certain with the limited info you provided..

What's the best way for a person who isn't a car mechanic to become good at working on cars?

xtremelyeu

I noticed that there are many people who work on their own cars to save money on labor and avoid being over-charged for parts by mechanics. I'm really interested in cars and I would like to be able to do repair work on my own car. However, I don't know how. Currently, I own a 2003 Jetta GL 2.0 and the only things I know how to do are how to change the engine oil and check tire pressure. I would really love to learn how to do more advanced stuff, like diagnosing parasitic electrical drains, changing timing belts, replacing suspension parts, etc. I have done a bit of poking around on some forums, but I'm not going to lie, some of the more technical stuff seems daunting to me. I realize that learning is a long process and I won't learn those things overnight. But what would be a good place to start? Should I start by reading some general maintenance manuals? If so, which ones would you recommend? I already downloaded a copy of the Bentley Repair manual for my Jetta (which is considered to be the best repair manual for VW by most people). It's about 2000 pages long and lists all of the specifics for my vehicle. Should I just skip over any general repair books and start reading that manual? Or do you have any other recommendations for getting good at cars. I don't have any people in my family who have this type of knowledge, so I can't ask them to teach me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Answer
First off, great idea on the Bentley manual, they are the best for VW and the cheaper ones (Haynes and Chiltons) have a lot of incorrect info. Also, since you have a VW, there is a huge enthusiast following for VW's and the forum sites for them are the best I've ever seen, VWvortex.com and TDIclub.com are my favorites. Even though you don't have a TDI, there is a lot of non engine stuff on TDIclub site. There are hundreds of well written write ups with photos and even how to videos on both those sites.
Next, I would say get yourself a decent tool set, and doesn't have to be top of the line. Harbor freight has a lifetime guarantee on their hand tools and are a lot cheaper than other tools. Make sure your set has basic wrenches and sockets both sae and metric, as well as pliers and the other basics. You can buy specialty tools as needed. Then just start working on your car. If you don't feel comfortable with the more in depth jobs then study more before trying it and ask a friend with more experience to help. I spent a week watching and re-watching over an hour of how-to videos online before I felt confident enough to open my injection pump and change the seals.
I started out just like you, air pressure and oil changes and I've never had any formal training. So just stick with it, and trust me... there will be jobs that you learn are best left to pros, and others that you can get done in half the time it takes them. You just have to try and figure it out.

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