If you've noticed a hesitation in your vehicle's engine, you may be wondering if there's something wrong with the transmission. However, a hesitation or stumble could be the sign of an occasionally misfiring cylinder. If you don't get it repaired, at some point, the cylinder may stop working completely. Here's what you need to know about cylinders and the signs and causes of a misfiring cylinder.
What happens inside a cylinder?
A cylinder is a part of the engine where combustion occurs. The combustion is what powers the vehicle. Vehicles may have four to twelve cylinders. Inside each cylinder is a spark plug. The sparks from the spark plugs ignite the air/fuel mixture to generate power. Spark plugs get voltage from ignition coils. The air/fuel mixture comes from fuel injectors. When there's no spark or not enough spark, or when the air/fuel mixture isn't right, the cylinder misfires.
What are the signs of a misfiring cylinder?
The Check Engine light will come on and flash while driving. The signs of a misfiring cylinder include sputtering and shaking while idling. When you give the vehicle gas, you will hear sputtering and you will notice a loss of power, particularly in vehicles with only four cylinders. Since the working cylinders will need to work harder to compensate for the misfiring cylinder, you will also notice a significant reduction in fuel economy since the engine will use more fuel. You will also notice a strong odor of fuel from your exhaust.
Is it safe to continue driving with a misfiring cylinder?
Unfortunately, it is not safe to continue driving a vehicle that has a misfiring cylinder. Doing so can easily damage the engine. You could lose complete power of your engine while driving, which could cause you to have an accident, especially if another cylinder starts misfiring as well. Also, unused fuel from your engine will get into your catalytic converter, which could cause it to catch fire.
What are the parts that may need to be replaced?
A mechanic can connect a code reader to your vehicle to tell which cylinder is misfiring. You can also do this as a DIY project by buying a code reader from an auto parts store. The first thing to check is the spark plug. Next, the ignition coil that powers the spark plug, followed by the fuel injector. Sometimes, however, the culprit may be faulty vacuum lines that are connected to the intake manifold.
Talk to an auto repair service for more information.
Share3 December 2018
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