Your automobile has a series of vacuum hoses that help relieve the pressure caused by engine combustion and to expel the exhaust properly. The vacuum hoses also transfer the energy created by the vacuum pressure to accessories and components to power them. Over time, these vacuum hoses can get clogged or spring leaks. Mike’s Auto Service & Repair lists signs that you have bad or leaking vacuum hoses below.
Your Engine Isn’t Running Smoothly
If crucial vacuum pressure is escaping through a leaking vacuum hose or the engine exhaust isn’t being funneled properly, your engine performance will suffer. Most of the time, the engine will idle roughly, and you’ll see an inconsistency in the RPMs on the dashboard’s gauge. This is because some of the power generated by vacuum pressure is lost through the leaking hose, which means your engine is struggling to maintain its power.
Your Engine Suffers From Power Loss
The vacuum leak will also cause your car, truck, or UV’s engine to lose power or refuse to start. Vacuum pressure is monitored by a sensor inside the engine’s combustion chamber. If the pressure is too high because the leaking hoses can’t remove enough pressure from the chamber, your engine will cut the power. This is a safety mechanism designed to kill the engine when the pressure gets high enough to damage the head gasket and cylinders.
Your Engine Starts to Backfire
Backfiring is scary and unpredictable. Usually, misfiring spark plugs cause an engine to backfire, but the problem can also occur if you have a vacuum leak. The same reason why your engine will turn itself off and refuse to restart is also why your vehicle will backfire; the vacuum leak is creating too much pressure in the combustion chamber. The pressure must be relieved somehow and in some cases, it will do so in the form of a backfire.
Your Check Engine Light Turns On
Your vehicle’s engine has what’s called an Engine Control Unit or ECU. This unit has sensors throughout the engine to tell it if something is going wrong. The vacuum hose sensor monitors vacuum pressure, and it will send a warning to the ECU if the pressure increases above or drops below normal levels. To alert you of the problem, the ECU will turn on the check engine light to encourage you to stop driving your car and have the problem fixed.
Mike’s Auto Service & Repair in West Springfield, MA, can replace your bad or leaking vacuum hoses, so give us a call today to set up an appointment.
