Your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine has a series of hoses that transport the vacuum pressure created in the combustion chamber throughout the engine. This vacuum pressure is used to power various engine components. The vacuum hoses put up with a lot of pressure. Consequently, they can crack and leak. Here are signs that you have a vacuum leak in the engine.
Decreased Performance
One of the first things you will notice is that your engine’s performance will decrease. Unfortunately, the performance will struggle and lag. You will hear and feel the engine sputtering and misfiring. This is a sign that the engine is filled with air. The excess air is coming from the vacuum leak.
High and Erratic RPMs
You will also see strange things on the tachometer. The needle will dance up and down and register high most of the time. The reason why is that the vacuum pressure increases the engine’s RPMs. Consequently, they will be high and erratic while you are driving your automobile.
Decreased Fuel Economy
Naturally, these two things can create a problem with your vehicle’s fuel economy. You cannot get good gas mileage if your engine is running inefficiently. As such, you will find yourself driving to the service station to refill the tank more often than you normally do.
Malfunctioning Components
As we mentioned in the introduction to this blog post, the vacuum pressure is used to power components. For example, if you start to have problems with your vehicle’s power steering, the leaking vacuum pressure is creating a problem with the power steering pump.
Strange Engine Noises
In some cases, the engine will start to make strange noises when it has a vacuum leak. For example, you may hear hissing noises in the engine or squealing sounds. You may also hear the sound of suction in the engine. These noises come directly from the leaking vacuum hoses.
Check Engine Warning
Finally, the engine control module will turn on the check engine light because of all of the problems discussed above. Your engine is not running efficiently and components such as the power steering pump or malfunctioning. Consequently, the module will turn on the check engine warning.
We are here to help, so call us today. We would be happy to schedule an appointment that works with your schedule so we can inspect your engine to locate the vacuum leak. Once we determined which hose is leaking, we will replace it.