10 reasons why your engine will stall when accelerating
When your engine stalls, you feel helpless. When you press the gas pedal to accelerate, you feel like the engine has lost power for a second or two. Instead of speeding up, you actually slow down when you press the gas pedal. During this time, your vehicle may even stall completely.
The 10 Most Common Reasons Why Your Car Hesitants When Accelerating or Driving
You need to find out the cause and fix the problem as soon as possible. To help you determine what’s causing your engine to stall, here are the most common causes:
1) Faulty Throttle Position Sensor
The throttle position sensor monitors the position of the throttle valve and relays this information to the engine control unit. This helps maintain the correct air-fuel mixture while driving. If this sensor is defective, the Engine Control Unit will not be able to balance the correct mixture. Replacing the TPS is the only solution.
2) Vacuum Leak
This will cause engine sluggishness, most noticeable at low speeds. Repair or replace the hose that is causing the leak.
3) Fuel System Failure
When one of the components in the fuel system is no longer working properly like: problems with the fuel injectors, fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator etc., the engine is not getting the proper amount of fuel it needs to burn. This causes the engine to run sluggish, choppy or hesitant.
4) Ignition System Failure
When there is a problem with the ignition system. B. Spark plugs, rotor or cables causing the engine to lose power at irregular times. This causes a lag when accelerating.
5) Dirty injectors
A good fuel injector cleaner is often a great, cost-effective solution that will restore proper fuel flow from your injectors. If that doesn’t solve the problem, you may need to have them professionally cleaned or replace them with new injectors.
6) Faulty oxygen sensor
The oxygen sensor is responsible for calculating the amount of unburned oxygen in the exhaust system. The engine control unit uses this information to determine if too much or too little oxygen is ignited in the chamber. If the oxygen sensor is not working properly, you will not get the correct mixture.
7) Faulty Mass Air Flow Sensor
When outside air enters the engine as part of the combustion process, the Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF) measures the amount of that air. This helps the engine control module determine the correct amount of fuel to inject into the chamber.
8) Faulty Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor
The Engine Control Module utilizes the MAP sensor to determine the engine load, which determines when fuel is injected into the chamber. If the MAP sensor is not working, the Engine Control Module does not know how much fuel to inject to deal with a given engine load.
9) Faulty Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve
The exhaust gas recirculation valve or EGR valve can become damaged and develop a leak. This is known to cause engine lag and must be addressed. 10) Bad Fuel
Hesitation is where the problems begin. If you notice your engine hesitating when accelerating from a stop, consider it a warning sign.