Yes, a vacuum leak can affect the engine performance of your import. It can also affect your components, such as the power steering pump. Vacuum pressure is created in the combustion chamber as a part of engine combustion. It is routed throughout the engine using vacuum hoses. This pressure is used to power components and accessories. Car Doctors Auto Repair indicates that if one of these vacuum hoses starts to leak, your components may fail and you may notice one or more of the following signs.
Check Engine Light
One of the first things that will happen is your vehicle’s check engine light will come on. This occurs because the vacuum pressure increases the amount of air found in your engine and combustion chamber. When this happens, system sensors report error codes to your vehicle’s main computer chip. The computer chip reads these error codes and, if it can’t fix the problem, it turns on the check engine light. The light will stay on until you get the vacuum leaks fixed.
Engine Performance Lag
Your engine will also suffer performance issues including lagging and stuttering. You will notice the lagging in particular when you press down on the accelerator to pick up speed. Unfortunately, what is happening underneath the hood is that you have too much air in the combustion chamber and, consequently, your import is being fuel-starved. You will continue to have engine performance problems as long as the vacuum pressure is leaking out of the hoses.
High or Sporadic RPMs
If you are experiencing the two symptoms listed above, look at your tachometer. If the needle is registering unusually high or bouncing up and down, this points to a vacuum leak. The vacuum pressure leaks out of the hoses usually in spurts. When this happens, the tachometer needle bounces up because the excess pressure increases your vehicle’s RPMs. In some cases, a steady leak will cause the RPMs to run high consistently.
Hissing/Suction Sounds
Finally, you may be able to hear your engine vacuum leak if you listen closely enough. The vacuum leak can make a hissing sound or a squealing noise. It can also make a suction noise. These sounds are coming from the leaking vacuum hose. Unfortunately, you will continue to hear the noises until you have the leaking hose replaced.
We can do that here at Car Doctors Auto Repair in Athens, GA. Schedule an appointment today for your import if you suspect that the engine has a leaking vacuum hose.
