A combustion engine creates vacuum. The beauty of this is that your automobile’s engine reroutes that vacuum and uses it to power other things. A vacuum leak can cause engine problems, and Lucas Auto Care can determine if the problems you are experiencing can be attributed to a vacuum leak. Here are four signs that your vehicle has a vacuum leak.
1. Sporadic Idling
A vacuum leak introduces excess air into the engine, and this directly affects how your engine runs. One of the primary signs of a vacuum leak is sporadic idling. You might notice that your engine is idling fast while you are at a stop, particularly if your tachometer is bouncing up and down or resting at a setting that is too high. The sporadic idling is being caused by too much air in the engine.
2. Engine Hesitation
Your engine trouble will not be limited to your idling if you have a leak. You may also begin to experience your engine sputtering when you start it, drive it, and sit at an idle. Again, this is because you have too much air in the engine that creates an imbalance in the air and fuel mixture. Your engine doesn’t have enough gas in the mix, and it will hesitate, sputter, and stall as a result.
3. Vacuum Sounds
If you park your automobile in a safe space and listen to the engine, you might hear sucking sounds that sound a lot like a vacuum cleaner if you have a vacuum leak. Sometimes a leak can also make hissing or squealing sounds. With the parking brake set, pop your hood with the motor running. You may be able to see a vacuum leak from one of the vacuum hoses.
4 Check Engine Warning
Finally, because the vacuum system does not have a warning light of its own, your automobile’s engine control unit will turn on the check engine light to alert you of the vacuum leak. One reason why this light is on is that there is too much air in the engine as we discussed above. This throws off the engine’s combustion and results in a check engine warning from the engine control unit.
Call or stop by Lucas Auto Care in Cypress, TX, if you suspect that your vehicle has a leak. We’ll inspect the engine for the leak and if we find one, we can fix it for you.
