I've only had my TSX for like 6 months now and i love it, but just recently i've noticed a rather violent shaking when i first start it from being out in the cold all day at work. I've never owned a 4 cylinder vehicle so i'm not sure if thats just normal or not. Just wondering if any of you notice the steeringwheel shake at lower rpm's in the cold? If i put it in either park or neutral its fine, but drive and reverse are affected. I noticed it the most driving down the parking structure slowly when i leave work.

Should i be concerned or is this normal for colder weather? It completely goes away once the engine temp gets about 1/3 of the way up the dial.

As a new-ish owner i'm curious what other things might happen that i could be warned about as well.

The reason i was worried is because i used to own a 97' lumina which was a POS and it never had the shakes.. so i think it odd that my $32k car does. A friend said its a 4 cylinder and its normal but i thought i'd ask the pros

 

I have the "cold shakes" as well on my '04. Scared the crap out of me the first couple times it happened, then I eventually got used to it. Like you said, it goes away after it warms up.

My car also takes a few extra seconds to start when it's cold out. It's done this since I first got it, so I know it's not just an old battery. At my next oil change, I'll probably be replacing the battery with the OE replacement one, which is 500 cca instead of the weak 410 on the OEM battery. Hopefully that will help out some.

Other than that, no issues for me.

 

I'm not an expert, but I owned a 4-cyl car (89 Celica) in Omaha and Dayton Ohio where it would get no-kidding cold, and never really experienced what you describe. I have not owned my TSX through a winter yet, and maybe you'll get other owners saying it's normal. At face value, that seems worthy of further investigation - like looking at an oil better suited to cold, or even confirm with a dealer it's normal.

 

I used to get it all the time when i had my 04. i dont experience it with my 08 tho.

 

I do need to get the oil changed soon so i'll ask them when i take it in.. i just wanted to be aware before i walked in there. Thanks.

 

Let us know what they say....I'm curious to know if it's normal or not since mine does it too.

 

Strange, I'v never noticed it in my '06. May take an extra turn of the starter when its cold, but no shaking.

 

really nothing, just that the leather is so dang cold!

 

looking foward to my first winter with it.

 

Thank GOD for heated seats!!

I already used mine this season....Friday night coming home from a night out around midnight, it was down to 45 degrees. My butt was cold, so....

 

As for me, it makes my TSX faster.

 

My 05 tsx doesnt run quite as smooth when first started and cold, but every 4 cyl ive had has shaken when its not warmed up ( 93 accord, 98 integra, 01 mirage). Even in hot weather, the first minute is not as smooth as after its warmed up. Also, i always let the car warm up till it idles at about 1100 rpm before going anywhere and drive gingerly for the first few minutes. After 5 minutes, it is much smoother than any of the above cars. The only thing I really notice is the car runs great when its cold! Particularly cool DRY weather ( its humid here in Baton Rouge) helps considerably.

 

Any "significant" loss in fuel economy? Or does the TSX hold up well and only decrease 10-15% from summer mpg?

 

I'll have had my '04 6MT for four years as of next week, so my fifth New England winter with it is coming up. Through four winters, it's never done anything like the OP described. The car has run every bit as well in the winter as it has during the rest of the year. Fuel economy seems to dip in the winter, but only very slightly -- by no more than 1 mpg.

 

I havent seen any decrease yet.. i go from 34mpg to 30mpg on any average tank of gas and i drive "not gingerly" usually.

I noticed today it was shaking for about 5 minutes then it was smooth as a baby's ass after that. I did notice that my change oil light came on the other day finally and when i looked at my sticker i'm like 2000 over when they said to go back.. which should i go off of? Is the car generally right or is that a bad indicator?

 

Mine has the "cold shakes" but I only experience it when idling in gear. Idiling out of gear, or at any RPM above standard idle while under load and the vibration disappears. It also disappears as soon as the engine is warm (which doesn't seem to take very long).

It's no different than the vibration at idle under load (in gear) when the A/C compressor is engaged.

This'll be my second winter, and so far I haven't noticed any gas mileage changes between the seasons.

 

exactly what i see. I also noticed having the heat on causes some shakes too, not just the AC

 

This is because when most climate control functions are used, the A/C compressor is cycled.