BlogsMaintenance

What Are the Engine Performance Issues Associated With Vacuum Leaks?

If your car, truck, or C/SUV has a vacuum leak in the engine, the engine will suffer from performance issues that make it difficult to drive your automobile. Depending on how severe the vacuum leak is, it could render your engine useless until such time as you get the leak repaired. Accurate Auto is going to list the engine performance issues associated with vacuum leaks below. This can help you compare the symptoms your automobile is experiencing with the information provided in this blog.

Acceleration Loss

When your car is leaking vacuum pressure, this adds excess air into the engine and creates an imbalance in the air and fuel mixture that is used to generate engine combustion. The excess air will cause your vehicle’s acceleration to sputter or refuse to respond when you try to pick up speed. This is because the lean fuel mixture is starving the engine of fuel, and it is struggling to produce power.

Power Loss

This also causes power loss in the engine while you are driving. You may notice that your engine sputters or shakes, and if the power loss is severe enough, your engine may stall. If the power loss is minor, you may only notice rough idling. This, too, is caused by the fuel starvation that is going on inside the engine because there is too much air leaking out of the vacuum hoses.

Unusually High RPMs

This air leak can also cause the RPMs to spike and reduce quickly. If the vacuum leak is steady, your RPMs will be unusually high. Keep an eye on your vehicle’s tachometer to see where your RPMs are at, and if they are registering higher than normal, you probably have a vacuum leak in the engine that is causing this problem.

Check Engine Light

The check engine light will also come on because of the imbalance in the air and fuel mixture. Sensors will alert the engine control module that the air and fuel are off, and this, combined with the power loss, acceleration trouble, and high RPMs will cause the engine control module to turn on the check engine light to let you know that the engine is not running as it should be.

Accurate Auto has the best auto garages in Oregon. Call the shop that is closest to you. We’ve got an auto service shop in Lake Oswego, Hillsboro, and Beaverton, and any of our certified and experienced mechanics can find your vehicle’s vacuum leak and fix it.

Photo by Kriangx1234 from Getty Images via Canva Pro
keyboard_arrow_up

Accessibility Toolbar