An engine vacuum leak can cause all kinds of engine performance issues. This is because the leaking vacuum hoses are releasing too much air into the engine and creating a lean fuel mixture condition that starves your automobile’s engine of gasoline or diesel fuel. Consequently, Journey Auto Repair warns that you will have engine performance trouble until such time as you get the vacuum leak fixed, which usually consists of replacing the leaking vacuum hose. Let’s talk about this further.
Acceleration Trouble
One thing that you might notice with a vacuum leak is a lack of response in your vehicle’s acceleration. You may press down on the accelerator, but your automobile will hesitate before it picks up speed, if it picks up speed at all. This is happening because the engine has too much air and not enough fuel, so picking up speed becomes troublesome without the right amount of fuel.
Engine Trouble
You’ll also notice problems with your engine. The engine will cut out, misfire, and sputter as it struggles to run with limited gasoline or diesel fuel. You might even stall if the condition is so bad that there isn’t enough fuel to keep the engine running when you’re sitting at an idle, for example. Again, when there is too much air in the engine, you’ll suffer from misfiring and hiccupping due to fuel starvation.
High RPMs
One way to see if you’ve got too much air flowing through your engine is to check your tachometer when you are stopped and idling. Sometimes, the vacuum pressure leaking out of the hoses will cause the RPMs to spurt upward, and your tachometer needle will reflect the higher RPM rate. You might also notice that the needle moves up and down continuously, which suggests vacuum leak air spurts.
Noticeable Vacuum Sounds
Finally, you might hear your engine’s vacuum leak. For example, if you park your automobile and leave the engine running – make sure to have the parking brake set so it doesn’t roll – you can pop the hood and listen for sucking sounds. You are listening to see if you can hear what sounds like the accessory hose on your household vacuum. You might even be able to see the hole in the vacuum hose.
We here at Journey Auto Repair in New Hope, MN, would be happy to inspect your car’s engine for a vacuum leak if you suspect you have one. Give us a call to schedule an appointment or stop by our shop today.