A vacuum leak in your engine can be a real pain. Your vehicle relies on vacuum pressure for power and engine performance. If you have a vacuum leak, you’ll notice signs of it in the form of the problems listed below. Usually, a vacuum leak is caused by a hole or disconnection of one of the vacuum hoses. This isn’t too hard to fix, so don’t panic. Willoughby Hills Auto Repair can repair your vacuum leak and restore your engine to its efficient and powerful performance.
Vacuum Leaks Can Make Your Idle Rough and Sporadic
You probably already know this, but bear with us. Your engine relies on air and gasoline or diesel fuel to create combustion that powers it to run. A vacuum leak introduces excess air into the engine, and this throws off the balance of the air and fuel. One problem that occurs because of this is a rough idle that is also sporadic. When you are sitting at an idle, check your tachometer to see if the RPMs are too high.
Vacuum Leaks Cause Engine Performance Issues
As we said above, vacuum leaks cause engine performance issues. Specifically, because there is too much air and not enough fuel in the engine, your engine may stall, stutter, or lag in acceleration when you press down on the accelerator. This is because the engine is fuel-starved, which means it doesn’t have enough fuel. In severe cases, you may not be able to get your car started, but this is rare.
Vacuum Leaks Sound Like Household Vacuum Hoses
You may also hear strange sounds coming from your engine such as hissing, squealing, or sucking like that of your household vacuum hose. The isn’t that much of a difference between engine vacuum and a household vacuum. Consequently, if you have a hole in one of your vacuum hoses or it has become disconnected, the sound will mimic that of the sucking you hear from a shop vac or your home’s vac.
Vacuum Leaks Turn on the Check Engine Light
Finally, all of the above trigger sensors to report to your vehicle’s engine control unit that there’s a problem in the engine. Because a vacuum leak doesn’t have a specific dashboard warning light, the engine control unit will turn on your check engine light because it wants you to know that there is a problem in your vehicle’s engine. The light will stay on until the vacuum leak is fixed.
Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills, OH, can inspect your engine to see if you have any vacuum leaks. If you do, we can fix them. Call us today.