When you press the gas pedal of your car, you expect it to move by picking up speed.
But when you don’t get the desired response, it means your car has some issue with the
emission or fuel system. This may happen due to various reasons which we are going to
discuss shortly in this article.
If you are car is not accelerating properly, you should get it fixed immediately. This kind
of problem is not to be ignored as it can be dangerous for you, especially when merging
onto the highway, going up a hill, or at intersections.
5 Reasons Why Your Car Is Not Accelerating
Fixing the problem becomes much easier when you know what causes it. Your vehicle
can get acceleration problems due to various reasons. But some of the main reasons
may include:
1. Faulty or clogged Mass Air Flow Sensor
The mass airflow sensor is found attached to the inlet air cleaner. The main function of
this component is to measure the air mass that is flowing through the air inlet. If you
have a faulty or clogged mass airflow sensor, it could send wrong information to the
engine ECU. One of the main signs that your mass airflow sensor is malfunctioning is
that your vehicle won’t accelerate properly. You should get it fixed at the earliest.
2. Clogged fuel filter
Another possible reason could be a clogged fuel filter. This prevents the vehicle from
accelerating the way it should. When the fuel filter gets dirty or clogged, the engine is
unable to receive the required amount of fuel. As a result, your car won’t accelerate no
matter how hard you try. In this case, you need to replace the clogged fuel filter with a
new one.
3. TPS not working properly
TPS is short for the throttle position sensor. The main function of this system is to
detect the opening angle of the throttle valve which is controlled by the accelerator
pedal. The data is then sent to the engine ECU by the TPS. Now if the TPU system of your
vehicle doesn’t work properly, you won’t be able to control the engine speed by the
accelerator pedal. In this case, the speed of the engine will decrease or increase without
you pressing any pedals.
4. Faulty oxygen sensor
All vehicles come with an oxygen sensor, a device that is used to monitor the emissions
of a vehicle. Based on the exhaust emission, it analyses the air-fuel ratio. In other words,
your car needs sufficient fuel for the fuel to burn properly in the cylinders. This allows
your car to run smoothly and you can accelerate it as per your wish. The oxygen sensor
sends information to the computer unit of the engine. If the sensor starts to malfunction,
the engine will have no data for the air-fuel ratio. This can result in a fuel-rich mixture
which can ultimately lead to slow acceleration even when the acceleration is fully
pressed down.
5. Other mechanical problems
There are a lot of moving parts in the combustion engine that may fail or break. For
instance, a misaligned chain or timing belt can cause the engine valves to open at the
wrong times. If the timing belt is loose, the timing will be incorrect. Even a slipping
clutch can cause gearbox issues. This can increase the engine speed, while the ground
speed remains the same. In both cases, your car will fail to accelerate properly.
If you are facing any of these issues with your vehicle, you should take it to a mechanic
immediately. This is a serious issue that needs to be fixed at the earliest.