Why does my car momentarily lose power after shifting gears?
You've asked several questions here...and also given some information that may have an impact on the answers you might get. You mention that the clutch is about to "go". If this is the case, it is typically manifested by "clutch slip" which is when you press the accelerator and the engine speeds up, but the car doesn't go any faster..i.e. the clutch is "slipping" against the flywheel/pressure plate without transferring the increased rpm of the engine to the transmission. If the clutch is indeed slipping, then this phenomenon is most noticeable right after you change gears, because your putting more demands on the engine (i.e. accelerating) and attempting to put more torque from the engine into the transmission (via the clutch) which causes it to slip more than it might in steady-state driving at a constant speed. If you are experiencing a slipping clutch you most likely need to replace it and afterward the car should accelerate smoothly and there will be a synchronicity between engine speed and car speed.Now, if your clutch is NOT slipping and your experiencing a perceived loss of power after shifting gears, it may just be that the engine rpm are dropping off too far before you reengage the clutch and resume acceleration. If this is the case, you may be taking too much time between disengaging the clutch (by pressing the clutch pedal) and re-engaging it (by lifting off the clutch pedal) When shifting gears, the clutch pedal should be pressed and released fairly quickly as part of a smooth, movement synchronized with moving the shift lever from one gear to the next. If you are pausing in the middle of the shift, or taking too long to reengage the clutch, the engine rpm will fall and the engine will be making less power than it was at the higher rpm level it was when you initiated your gear change. The idea is to keep the engine in a range of rpm that produces enough power to smoothly take up the level of acceleration you're trying to achieve while changing up through the gears.
Why does a car lose power and can't climb a hill?
Spark plugs, brakes, exhaust, tyres, gearbox, clutch, auto transmission, throttle linkage, fuel pressure, fuel injectors, air filter, carburetor, radiator, valves, compression are some of the reasons.To eliminate the brakes. Leave it in neutral with the handbrake off and just push the car forward. Do not do this standing in front of the car at the top of a steep hill or on the edge of a cliff.Spark Plugs, valves. Listen to the engine exhaust with the car in neutral. If it sounds off-beat and irregular it may have a speak plug out or a valve not holding compression. Do not put your ear by the exhaust while your friend who is off his head is controlling the accelerator.Clutch. Put the car in gear with all the family in it and drive up a hill. If the engine revs and the car does not go forward the clutch or auto transmission may be slipping. Caution. Make sure the handbrake works before doing this.Fuel. Make sure the engine is receiving fuel. Rather than pull off a fuel hose whilst smoking a cigarette ask a mechanic to check fuel pressure.Unless it is a spark plug out it would be better to ask a mechanic to check it.
Car engines lose power and acceleration when the AC is turned on. Is there any way or hack at all to get around this?
Actually its been proven that the power required to overcome the additional aero drag from open windows on your car at speeds over 50 mph exceeds the power consumed by the AC but gained back by the aerodynamic streamlining of having the windows closed.Furthermore, air conditioners only use about 10–15 HP.If you are cruising on the highway, you engine power used will be greatly reduced by straight, level steady speeds and be in the 20–30 HP range.Modern cars typically have peak horsepower of 150 to 300 and more horsepower for acceleration and passing and climbing, but you should have plenty of HP to spare to run the airconditioner in normal driving without slowing the car.
Why does the steering wheel lock up while driving?
What Causes the Steering Wheel to Lock Up? | eHow Losing control of your car's steering is a terrifying experience, one that can lead to a crash with horrific consequences. If this happens to you, then you must try to bring your vehicle to a stop at once and determine the cause of steering wheel lock-up before you drive your car again. There are a number of reasons why your car's steering has suddenly locked up including:Key MechanismNot every steering wheel problem occurs when you have the transmission engaged and are heading down the road. Sometimes, drivers report that their steering wheel stays locked even after inserting the key into the ignition. When that happens, the car probably cannot be started let alone driven. More than likely the key assembly has worn out and needs to be replaced. However, before calling your auto mechanic, try to move the wheels to the left and to the right as sometimes the steering column "catches," a problem that can be resolved if you jiggle the wheel.Lock PinGeneral Motors issued a pair of recalls for the C5 Chevrolet Corvette (1997-2004 models) due to problems with locked steering. In addition to being locked while starting, owners complained that in some cases their cars could be driven but with no control of steering. This problem is due to a lock pin that fails to withdraw fully, allowing contact between the pin and lock plate. Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) website (see Resources) for information about recalls #04006B and #04006C or call your Chevrolet dealer.ConclusionWhile the three causes mentioned here are among the top reasons why a steering wheel may lock up, there could be other reasons. Contact an auto mechanic for assistance, or if you are handy with repairs, consult a Haynes or Chilton repair manual (or anything similar) for guidance.
Why did my car shake and the check engine light flash while stopped at a light?
What you experienced was almost certainly a misfire event and the cause may be recorded as a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) in the engine controller’s memory. Most failures that are significant enough to cause MIL illumination will record a trouble code and its environmental/ data information from the moment, even if the MIL is no longer lit. Onboard Diagnostics work constantly to keep the MIL off, looking for a reason to turn the CE light out if the condition hasn’t been seen again recently, eventually even erasing trouble codes if all’s good. I can only speculate on the nature of your event, but a thorough scan to retrieve codes and freeze frame data of the moment will often shed some light on the situation.Misfires come in many flavors, ranging from slight loss of performance in a single cylinder, to one or more holes being completely dead. Your description of shake at an idle implies a power imbalance, which usually involves complete loss of performance, but just one hole.Barring an at-home scanner being available, rolling the ignition key from LOCK to RUN three times, then leaving it in the RUN position at the end will initiate the customer code-read feature, spilling any matured codes stored in the PCM through the instrument cluster’s odometer window. All codes will be four digits in length, beginning with the letter P, such as P0123. DTC information can be found at OBD2-OBDII Engine Light Trouble Codes Definitions, Description and Repair Information online.One-trip failures - those that have not quite matured - will not be displayed in this feature, but will show up on a high-end scanner if present.If only a single cylinder misfire code is retrieved, pull the coil and spark plug to inspect for signs of flashover - black marks on the upper spark plug insulator and inner coil boot that will not scratch off with a fingernail. Flashover is pretty common on coil-on-plug ignition systems and the cure is to replace both the boot and spark plug together. Worn plugs tend to incite this sort of situation as spark will always seek the path of least resistance.If your DTC list includes an injector control circuit code that matches the cylinder of misfire, chances are good that the injector is at fault. The injector may test as completely normal when cooler, but will go to an open circuit once heated, either naturally or with a heat gun.
Why is my car shaking and the check engine light flashing?
A shaking vehicle AND flashing MIL ("check engine light") sound like the vehicle is misfiring on at least one cylinder. As @Anna Nguyen, @Brendan Sinclair, @Antoun Nabhan and others have said, it could be an ignition related problem. It could also be fuel-related. If one or more fuel injectors are clogged or dead, that would also cause a misfire in the affected cylinder(s). These are relatively cheap/easy things to check and fix.Other causes (which could be more complicated and more expensive) to fix include contaminated fuel, a bent intake or exhaust valve, a broken valve spring, a damaged piston/connecting rod, and on and on.I recommend getting a scan tool and checking the codes which are causing the MIL to light/flash and I also strongly recommend NOT driving the vehicle until the problem is fixed. If you continue to drive the vehicle as is, you will exacerbate the problem. Dumping unburned fuel into the exhaust due to a misfire will overheat and kill your catalytic converter. A more serious problem like a bent valve can eventually cause you to crater your engine (i.e.: completely destroy the engine).
Does a faulty knock sensor affect engine performance?
Yes, it absolutely can.As someone else mentioned, the majority of failures are due to the lack of a signal. Performance is unaffected if there's no signal. However, OEMs can decide to force a "limp mode" condition to protect the engine which will be a significant and obvious reduction in power.If you have an over-active knock sensor then engine performance will be affected. For most vehicles, the reduction in power is probably going to be small. However, for high-performance engines, especially turbocharged or supercharged motors, the power loss will be more noticeable.If the knock sensor were to consistantly report knock then most modern ECUs react by pulling a large amount of ignition timing (5+ degrees of retard) which can reduce engine output by up to 25%.The ECU will also start to learn knock events. If the knock occurs several times at the same conditions (load) the modern ECU responds by applying a small reduction in timing at that point in the ignition trim table. This means that the engine's performance will degrade over time if the knock sensor continues to report false knock.You can reset the corrections by resetting the ECU. The easiest way to do that is to unplug the battery for a while. The ECU will then use the base ignition values, returning any lost engine power due to the learning. This is important to do when you replace a faulty knock-sensor.Also follow me on … Instagram — Come and Drive It (@comeanddriveit) Facebook — Come and Drive ItTwitter — Come and Drive It