If your car’s engine sputters, pull over in an isolated place and shut it down immediately. Allow 15-30 minutes of cooling time before opening up the hood and starting it back up.
An obstruction in either your fuel filter or injectors may restrict flow, altering air-fuel ratio and making spark plugs ineffective in lighting up fuel when fired up. This causes spark plugs not to ignite properly when fired up.
1. Dirty Fuel Injectors
There are various fuel injector issues that could contribute to an engine sputter. Leaks, clogs or improper delivery prevent fuel injectors from spraying air-fuel mixture into the combustion chamber, leading to inefficient burn that saps power and economy from your engine. A clogged filter or fuel pump unable to deliver sufficient amounts are other potential causes of this issue.
An improper mass airflow sensor can misguide fuel injectors into providing too much or too little fuel to your engine, creating an imbalanced air-to-fuel ratio and misfiring spark plugs. A bouncing or dancing tachometer needle may indicate leaky or clogged injectors supplying an inappropriate amount of fuel to your engine, leading to misfireing and misfiring spark plugs resulting in misfiring spark plugs firing at irregular intervals or misfireing altogether.
2. Clogged Fuel Filter
Filters that become clogged up restrict proper fuel flow to your engine, leading to diminished performance when driving and often manifests itself through sputtering when you accelerate or climb hills. This can be particularly distressing in cases of sudden acceleration or hill climbing.
Like a blocked straw, your fuel filter restricts the flow of energy-producing fuel into your car’s engine. A faulty fuel pump may also contribute to this issue by failing to pressurize adequate amounts into supply lines; injectors could also become problematic if not maintained regularly and cleaned appropriately.
A poorly functioning mass airflow sensor can adversely impact the performance of your engine by sending inaccurate information to its fuel injection system. Leaks in intake manifold gaskets or vacuum hoses may introduce extra air into combustion chambers and altering air/fuel ratio. If your sputtering engine could be due to any of these issues, come visit us in our auto shop for professional service and advice.
3. Clogged Mass Airflow Sensor
Your car relies on ignition system parts and fuel system parts working together in harmony to maintain proper combustion of air-fuel mixture, otherwise your engine could stall and even experience sputtering issues. When these systems don’t function as intended, your car could run rough resulting in unreliability and possible sputtering issues.
The mass airflow sensor (or MAF) measures how much air enters your car’s combustion chamber and relays this information to your engine control module. If this sensor becomes dirty, however, it could send inaccurate data back and allow too much air into the combustion chamber, creating lean fuel-to-air mixtures and potentially leading to sputtering.
Signs that your MAF sensor has gone bad may include longer cranking times when starting up your vehicle, hesitation or jerking when accelerating, and black soot or smoke emanating from its tailpipe. In some instances, cracked vacuum hoses or gaskets may also contribute to malfunction. Our service techs can inspect your mass airflow sensor and replace it if necessary.
4. Dirty Spark Plugs
Your car’s spark plugs play an integral part of the combustion process, creating the spark which ignites fuel-oxygen mixture to power your engine. They are located within its cylinder head, roughly finger sized. Over time they may become dirty or oil-fouled; carbon buildup may prevent proper firing while oil fouling causes its porcelain tip to develop a shiny black look preventing proper performance of a spark plug.
Many problems can cause your spark plugs to misfire, including worn-out ignition system components, clogged or damaged fuel injectors and exhaust system obstructions. A failing mass airflow sensor could send incorrect data resulting in an imbalanced air-to-fuel ratio which results in sputtering. Finally, vacuum leaks between spark plug wires and ignition coils prevent proper cylinder firing resulting in an engine that feels slow when accelerating, with noticeable sputtering when acceleration takes place.
5. Malfunctioning Oxygen Sensor
An improper oxygen sensor can severely compromise how your engine burns fuel, sending incorrect data about air-fuel mixture that makes for too rich or lean of an atmosphere, leading to inefficient combustion that reduces gas mileage and increases emissions that could eventually result in failed smog tests. This inefficiency could potentially have serious ramifications for vehicle performance as it reduces mileage and emissions levels which ultimately can result in failed smog tests and could affect future emissions tests as well.
Oxygen sensors are essential components of your car’s exhaust and emissions system. Placed within its exhaust, this sensor measures the level of oxygen present in its fumes before sending signals to your Powertrain Control Module to adjust air-fuel ratio and thus ensure proper combustion, enhanced fuel economy and reduced emissions for passing smog checks.
Whenever there’s something amiss with an oxygen sensor, a Check Engine light may come on along with excess smoke or odors from the exhaust system. Replacing it usually only requires using tools such as wrenches or oxygen sensor sockets with wrenches on each end, ratchets, penetrating oil and penetrating paste for this task.
6. Failing Catalytic Converter
Catalytic converters are intended to last the lifetime of their respective cars, yet there may be circumstances that cause it to clog or be damaged prematurely. A common trigger is when oxygen and air-fuel ratio sensors detect an inappropriate fuel mixture condition (too rich or lean).
Unburnt gasoline entering the exhaust system can overheat a ceramic honeycomb catalyst and cause it to disintegrate, or misfiring can lead to soot deposits accumulating within its pores, leading to its eventual collapse. Another factor might be improper engine spark plugs or mass airflow sensors leading to misfiring which causes carbon and soot deposits within catalytic converter pores resulting in their breakdown.
Carbon and soot buildup in your catalytic converter’s pores could force your vehicle to work harder when getting up to speed, decreasing fuel economy and power while possibly emitting an unpleasant odor in the cabin. If this occurs, expect to notice greater fuel economy as well as reduced performance from your ride.
