If you drive a high-mileage automobile, it isn’t uncommon for one of the vacuum hoses to develop a leak. This pressure loss adds air into your vehicle’s engine and also causes accessories and components to malfunction. This is just one sign that your engine has a vacuum leak. ER Auto Care lists five other signs of a vacuum leak below.
1. Abnormally High RPMs
The vacuum will flow out of the leaking hose oftentimes in spurts. This will cause your engine to rev higher. If you keep an eye on your tachometer and see that the needle is much higher than normal, it’s likely your automobile has a vacuum leak. The tachometer’s needle may also go up and down and up and down because, again, the vacuum that is leaking out of the hose is coming out of it in spurts.
2. Hissing or Sucking Sounds
You can usually hear an engine vacuum leak. Smaller leaks tend to make hissing sounds while larger leaks tend to sound like the suction that comes from a household vacuum hose. You may be able to see which vacuum hose is leaking by listening carefully for either the hissing or sucking sounds. If you can’t find the leak, don’t worry. We can.
3. Acceleration Loss
Because there is excess air in the engine, your vehicle’s acceleration will suffer. You may notice that the acceleration lags when you press down on the accelerator to start from a stop or to pick up speed. This can be frustrating, especially if you need to get going. When the engine has too much air in it, the amount of fuel in the engine is reduced and your acceleration performance suffers.
4. Engine Performance Loss
The same is true for your engine performance. Even if you aren’t experiencing any acceleration lag, you may find that your engine begins to stutter the faster you go. In severe cases, your engine may even stall even though it is idling higher than normal. This strongly suggests that the engine is fuel-starved and this condition can be caused by a vacuum leak.
5. Warning Light
Finally, if your check engine light comes on, you may have a vacuum leak. Usually, you will experience some of the other signs of a vacuum leak listed above in addition to the check engine light warning.
ER Auto Care has the best auto shop in Plain City, OH, and the best auto shop in Columbus, OH. Call us today to set up an appointment for an engine inspection. If you have a vacuum leak, we will find it.
