When you hear engine sputtering, your engine isn’t getting what it needs. It’s also not performing the way that you expect it to and you can eventually even have damage to the engine that shortens its life. Young Automotive wants you to know why your car’s engine might be sputtering.
Dirty Fuel Injectors
Dirty or clogged fuel injectors aren’t able to aerosolize the fuel as it passes through into the combustion chamber. That might not seem like a big deal as long as the fuel gets into the engine, but this can easily cause big problems. The fuel needs to be a fine mist so that it can mix properly with the air that’s also headed into the engine. That, along with the spark, is what gives the engine the boom it needs to keep running.
Faulty Fuel Pump
The fuel pump is what literally moves fuel from the tank to the injectors and ultimately to the engine. If the fuel pump isn’t working properly, it’s not moving that vital component the way that it should. As a result, air and fuel mixtures will be off and it will cause your engine to sputter.
Clogged Fuel Filter
If you haven’t guessed by now, fuel issues of any type are likely to cause sputtering. The fuel filter is just another key piece in that system. When the fuel filter is clogged or isn’t working properly, it’s not able to keep debris and sludge out of the fuel it’s sending through to the rest of the fuel system. This can clog up your fuel injectors, make the pump sluggish, and in a worst-case scenario, let gunk into the engine.
Dying Spark Plugs
The third part of the air/fuel/spark mix is the spark. If your spark plugs, or even the wires that connect them, aren’t working properly or are failing then the spark isn’t doing all that it can do. Without a spark, again there’s no boom and that’s a big problem.
Failing Sensors
Your car has sensors throughout the engine and the exhaust system that help the ECM to adjust different settings, like the fuel to air mixture in the engine. If any of those sensors stop working properly, the onboard computer isn’t getting the information it needs to keep the engine running properly. That leads to sputtering and to other problems.
Engine sputter is a sign that you’ve got something wrong somewhere. Contact us today at Young Automotive in Sturgeon Bay, WI and we’ll be happy to diagnose the issue for you as quickly as possible.
