What would cause my car to accelerate slowly when I press down on the gas?
Assuming that’s the only abnormal symptom and that the symptom appeared suddenly instead of gradually dropping acceleration over a long time, and assuming that there are no other obvious problems like oil leaks or unusual smoke from the exhaust, it’s most likely your engine not operating properly.Keep in mind the 3 things your engine needs in each of the cylinders to work:airfuelsparkSo, I would troubleshoot in this order (easiest/cheapest fix first).check air intake and make sure there are no obstructions.While you’re there check that your air filter is clean.Check your engine, transmission and differential oil levels. Top them up if necessary. Change them if they’re dirty or due for a change.Check all fuses.Check that fuel filter is clean.Check that spark plugs are working. (there are tutorials on the web on how to do this). if there’s a fault, it could be the plugs, cables, dirty distributor, faulty ignition coil.Check fuel pumps are working and the in-tank fuel filters are clean.Check fuel injectors are working.Check throttle body is clean, unobstructed and the butterfly flap is moving smoothly and freely.**NOTE** In the past, whenever I’ve encountered this problem it’s always been a faulty spark plug. one cylinder was not firing and hence the loss of power.If it’s not any of the above, and you have an EFI engine, it could be the maf sensor or the engine management computer or software. These can be much more expensive to fix and need specialist tools.
What are some symptoms of a bad idle air control sensor?
Idle air control valves open to allow more air to "leak" into the intake, raising the engine rpms, or close when not needed. When your AC compressor kicks in or power steering is activated as you suddenly turn the steering wheel, the sudden drag on the drive belt will bog down the engine. These systems send a signal to the engine computer telling it they are active and it then signals the IAC valve to open, which increases the engine speed. Without this occurring, the engine could struggle, or die. The IAC valve can cause weird idle issues, mess with throttle functionality or cause the car to die. Sometimes they fail, get stuck or just get all carboned up. Sometimes people have success at cleaning them, but generally it is best to replace them when bad. Idle issues and even problems with the IAC valve may not be due to the IAC valve being bad itself. An idle issue does not mean the IAC valve is bad. It is best to pay close attention to how the vehicle is acting, and then communicate that clearly and as completely as possible to your mechanic. Intermittent problems can be very hard to diagnose. Details will help. Knowing more about the vehicle in question and its symptoms (in detail) will also help in understanding more about what it is doing.
What would make a Kia Rio shake and shudder and engine light come on?
Last night I was driving home from work and as I pressed the accelerator to start up a hill, the car began shuddering and shaking and the check engine light began blinking. I pulled over immediately and cut it off. I checked all the fluids and they were okay, although the oil looked really dark (but I'm due for an oil change). I restarted it to move it to a safer location and it started right up. As I drove, it would do the shuddering and shaking thing for about 30 seconds and I would have less power, then it would even out and drive totally normally for about 30 seconds, then go back to shaking and shuddering. As I drove, the engine light also switched from blinking to staying on steady. I parked it at a friend's house for the night but I have to deal with it today. Any thoughts?
What are some symptoms of too much transmission fluid?
Excess transmission fluid will cause foaming in any transmission. Foam does not flow like oil, reducing cooling and lubrication. It also implodes on compression between gears or in the hydraulics of automatic transmissions, causing severe damage (pitting).In an automatic transmission, you will have higher temperatures and poor shifting, as it depends on solid hydraulic pressure, not spongy foam to move the clutches and bands.Automatic transmissions with dip sticks should be measured with the engine running, and consider the operating temperature. Note here how the heat affects the measurement. It should not be filled to the top when cold, or checked not running.If it does not have a dipstick, it is measured with the plugs on the side, depending on specific instructions per brand of car.Manual transmissions normally don't have dipsticks (some do). They are checked from a plug on the side of the transmission, and the level should normally be at the level of the plug, not above.
Every time I turn on the AC, my engine dies. Why is this?
Cars are complex so not easily diagnosed on line. I can offer an idea or two.AC puts an additional, heavy load on the engine.. Nature of the beast.SoEither your Engine is running badly, barely producing power to sustain itself.The additional load is breaking the camals back - so to speakOr your AC is overcharged with gas imparting a burden / power demand on the engine beyond its design parameters. NOTE. Modern cars have AC gas pressure sensors that will stop this problem before it occurs.Once again, too many variables to give a straight definitive answer.
Is it okay to drive your car without thermostats?
If you take out the thermostat then the coolant will just flow 100% by the water pump. Assuming that your system is properly sized so that cutting off flow with the thermostat will result in the proper operating temperature being met then running without a thermostat will always result in a lower than intended operating temperature.Here are some things that will happen:Your engine will run cooler than the desired temperature most all of the time andit will pollute more since it is tuned to run at the designed temperatureYour heater will take longer to become effective since the coolant is used to warm the heater core heat exchanger so you may, on cold days take longer to warm the cabin andmore importantly, it will take much longer to defrost the windshield using the defroster function.Probably it won’t hurt short term to the car engine itself, I don’t think. But in the long term operating it significantly below the designed temperature could have a number of effects, perhaps on lube viscosity, various carbon buildups that lead to other engine performance problems and possibly permanent damage.I once had a mechanic shop replace the thermostat and flush the coolant. When I get it back the car took forever to warm up the heater and get the engine to the temperature. I eventually took off the thermostat housing and found he had placed it about half way off and clamped it down with the housing out of position- it didn’t leak but the gap on one side pretty much made it free flowing.
Can a clogged catalytic converter unclog itself?
Well, it can happen that they will de-clog on their own, but usually need a helping hand. If it is utterly blocked, then dismantling and manually cleaning is the only solution.If the ceramic material inside is melted, then change it.Most modern Cats are stuffed with a ceramic honeycomb structure, unlike the older ones that had complex filters with platinum wool amongst other stuff inside them.One of the reasons they get clogged is people lugging around in fifth gear making lots of soot which clogs the honeycomb.A faulty EGR valve (gas recirculation) will do the trick as well.Faulty injection, allowing to much fuel to come through the exhaust can cause the honeycomb to melt when it starts burning the fuel... (replacement)But you can clear a blocked (not 100% blocked) converter by getting it hot enough to make it finish what it is supposed to do.The garages here in France have a naughty technique, they hoist the car up on lift with the motor going flat out, and stand underneath it holding a fire extuinguisher, just in case it sets fire to the car, or any flames from the now burning soot comes blasting out of the rear.It is a dangerous technique in my opinion, and not good for the engine, but it works. I don't suppose it works everytime either.So if you have a CAT that is partially blocked because you mooch around in fifth gear or have bad driving habits, you could try driving the vehicle hard enough to heat the CAT as it should be, where usually it can clear itself.So , if it is soot build up, there is hope for you, to unclog it without taking it off the vehicle and or changing it, if it is hard blocked with mineral deposits, unlikely. If it is melted, its got to be changed.
Can I still drive my car with a heated oxygen sensor?
Oxygen sensors in general are normally located before and/or after the catalytic converter. P0136 is a generic code for types of trouble with oxygen sensors on “Bank One” of an exhaust system (FYI, if you have true dual exhaust Bank One will be driver side). The code that you are receiving is more of an indicator of dirty or bad oxygen sensors. As oxygen sensors are installed directly into the exhaust pipe, normally somewhat near the engine. Point being, they are always what I would consider very “heated”.As with any check engine light it should never be ignored or driven any further than necessary. But to answer your question, if your vehicle will start and stay running, it is drivable. If your light has not been on for the past several months, ie. just came on within the past few days, you should be fine. Oxygen sensors can cause the vehicle to run extremely sluggish/rough and/or stall. As well as no run/start at all.If you do replace your oxygen sensors it would be wise to also replace your EGR valve as well as the PCV valve as these can potentially cause very similar problems (not to mention these are normally more inexpensive & easy to replace items that will help the vehicle run better & more efficiently).Average PCV Valve, less than $5.00. EGR normally $30.00 or so. But be advised that part prices can differ greatly from normal auto parts stores to online pricing. I just put a new EGR on my 2001 Chevy Silverado and local parts store pricing ranged from about $115 to $145. I purchased it online for $35.34 with shipping. You will find oxygen sensor pricing to probably be skewed about the same (I am not the biggest fan of ordering parts online but am forced to because of the dramatic cost differences).Good luck and I hope this helps you!