Several drivers might have at least once encountered this situation: Your car idles fine but dies when given gas.
Such an out-of-blue dilemma is surely not pleasant to handle. Let us tell you something: Once you know where it derives, how to deal with this acting-out of your car might not be any more bothersome.
Now, wait no longer but scroll down to grasp further insightful information!
Car Idles Fine But Dies When Given Gas – 10 Causes To Watch Out
Having a headache working through truck idles fine but dies when given gas?
If you are having trouble coping with the sudden cessation of your automobile, one of the common culprits below could be the one to blame:
- Broken airflow sensor
- A broken carburetor
- The air control valve malfunctioning
- Clogged air filter or fuel filter
- Bad Fuel Pump
- Throttle bore issue
- Exhaust gas recirculation
- Vacuum issues
- Faulty spark plug
- Bad gasket
Broken Airflow Sensor
My car starts but shuts off when I press the gas. Why? A damaged airflow sensor might be responsible for the issue.
This sensor is a device that gauges the volume of air entering the engine. The air filter is not far from it.
The airflow sensor will let you know whether your automobile can keep the balance between the air and gas levels.
Without it, your engine can hardly run smoothly but catches some abrupt freezes instead.
Do not yet worry anyway since you may always receive the signals in advance via the check engine light if the sensor is malfunctioning or not operating at all.
A Broken Carburetor
Although idling well, your automobile will be incapable of stalling decently if something clogs in the carburetor.
Imagine it this way: The carburetor is where fuel and air can combine to burn in the engine.
Without this component operating appropriately, it will prevent the engine from igniting gasoline, leading to your car malfunctioning.
There is little chance many of us shall think of our bad carburetor as the root of the problem.
It is because normally, when coming across such trouble, the gas pedal we press to increase the amount of gasoline our car needs to burn may be the only thing we relate to as the potential cause.
Fortunately, figuring out whether the carburetor is the culprit can be nothing burdensome, even if you do not know anything about your four-wheeler.
Just determine the location of your carburetor, then find out if it is blocked or dusty by taking it out of the engine, and finally, use a gentle brush and cloth to clean the inside.
See? There you go to have the problem solved!
The Air Control Valve Malfunctioning
Simply put, the idle control valve regulates how much air enters the engine, enabling the computer to keep the engine running at the correct speed.
By depressing the gas pedal, you get the throttle plates opened, allowing air to flow into the engine and trigger the responses required to move the automobile and raise its speed.
So, if the valve is excessively blocked or ultimately breaks, the automobile will have no other way but start stalling.
That is why uneven and harsh idling may inevitably result from a dirty or jammed idle control valve.
To address such an issue, learn more about how to clean the idle air control valve with us here!
Clogged Air Filter Or Fuel Filter
As its name refers, a fuel filter’s purpose is to purify the gasoline before it enters the engine.
It doesn’t matter how careful you are driving your car; the automotive air filter can and will eventually get blocked with dirt and debris, especially when left unchecked.
The next scene is your car’s engine running out of oxygen, making it an oxygen-starved automobile engine that likely shuts down at full power at any time.
Even worse, dirty fuel filters may cause the operator to idle poorly.
The question here comes: What should you do to resolve this kind of dilemma? There are several approaches you can try out!
But let us just tell you the easiest one: Use a torch or another source of light to illuminate the air filter. You likely have a blocked air filter if the light is not concrete enough or even faint away.
Once you know for sure that the air filter in question is defective, all that’s left to do is to change it out with a fresh one.
Faulty Fuel Pump
If your carbureted engine dies when given gas, there are many chances that it may have a defective fuel pump.
First, let’s find out the functionality of the fuel pump.
This auto component is in charge of transferring the provision of adequate fuel from the gas tank to the engine.
Without the fuel pump functioning properly, the engine may take in less gasoline than necessary.
Once that happens, performance issues are likely to appear at first, and eventually, the car won’t even start.
That is why replacing them must be an impending task for you to do on a regular basis so your engine can operate efficiently.
Otherwise, the engine’s performance and fuel efficiency may suffer significantly if you leave them still at the suggested intervals.
Throttle Bore Issue
The engine idles fine but dies with throttle bore is another worth-considering case.
The throttle bore is an automobile component that controls how much air the accelerator pedal supplies to the engine.
Similar to the air control valve, problems might arise after 70,000 miles due to the component being filthy.
When your car idles but dies with throttle body, the issue can be addressed without much hassle. All to do is merely either hand clean it yourself or have a professional fix it.
Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve
A diesel vehicle’s EGR valve regulates how much-combusted air gets sucked back in via the intake.
Because such exhaust air is hot and can disrupt the engine’s air-to-gas ratio balance, too much or too little of them can both leave an impact on your automobile operation.
Luckily, it is possible to prevent the EGR valve from going faulty using high-quality gasoline, keeping the valve clean, and performing routine check-ups.
Vacuum Issues
Imagine your vehicle’s engine as a big air pump. It is a must for fuel that has been compressed and burned combined with air that is pulled into the cylinders so the engine can function properly.
But how can the air get into the machine? The answer lies in a butterfly valve, in which the air can infiltrate, generating a vacuum to power several supplementary devices.
However, if there is a vacuum leak somewhere, it may result in engine misfiring or even a failure to start the automobile. Even the smallest one can affect how well an engine performs.
In most cases, a hissing noise and an illuminated “Check Engine” light will be present as signs for you to take the vacuum gauge leak as the main blame.
Faulty Spark Plug
Why does my car die when I give it gas? Another explanation for the shutting down of your automobile is perhaps the spark plug’s failure.
As such, this component will not be able to perform adequately if getting blistered from operating at an excessive temperature or becomes coated with debris like gasoline, carbon, or oil.
Such damaged or oil-fouled spark plugs can even leave more consequences than you might ever think.
Foremost among them, your engine can eventually shut off if the spark plugs are rusted or unclean because they won’t ignite the gasoline and air combination.
Bad Gasket
The engine will have to work harder to generate power if the head gasket fails or so-called the gasket is faulty.
Additionally, a burst head gasket might also result in coolant loss in your car, which can impair the engine cooling system and exacerbate the overheating issue.
Such over-diligent and scorching situations like that pose a true risk for your car to cease running while idling just fine after being given gas.
FAQs
How To Fix When A Car Dies After Filling Gas?
What to do if my car idles but dies when I give it gas? Sitting at the gas station and having difficulties starting your car may be frustrating and embarrassing.
Worrying no more since here we are coming up with a few actions that might be useful to you.
- Step 1: Retry to start the car. The first shot may not work out, but it doesn’t mean that the second one won’t!
- Step 2: Assess the battery connection by opening the hood. Try re-adhering to the connections if they are insecure.
- Step 3: Have a go pushing your vehicle away from the station and jump-start it if the battery is flat.
- Step 4: In any case, the need to reposition the car must not be neglected. Make sure you do not hinder the traffic if you sense that there may be more diagnostics to perform.
- Step 5: Get your automobile towed if you cannot discover any further revelation.
How about you have tried all of these instructions, but nothing appears to be figured out? If that’s the case, asking for help from an expert is the exact way to handle the issue effectively.
Bear this in mind: Don’t take on more than you can deal with since there may be a likelihood that you are running the danger of making things worse.
Why Does My Car Bog Down When Refilling Gas?
When a car dies when accelerating, either too much air is being sucked in, there isn’t adequate fuel, or the engine is misfiring.
There are several potential causes, but in order to narrow down the issue, you’ll need to take a close look at your engine.
To accomplish this, turn off the engine, don some old clothing and gloves, and check your body for anything that may get caught in a cooling fan component that decides to start working even if the engine is off.
Can Bad Gas Cause Idle Problems?
Yes, harsh idle can result from poor gas. Over time, gas degrades owing to moisture contamination, or contamination from other particles, such as rust from the gas tank’s inside.
Gas with water in it will not burn correctly, and particles like rust may clog the pump, filter, or injectors in the fuel system, all of which may make an engine idle erratically.
How about the old gas? Long-term gas storage results in the molecular separation of the gas from itself.
Its combustible molecules are no longer uniformly dispersed to allow for optimal burning, or they have evaporated altogether.
Conclusion
You must now understand the most frequent causes of why a car idles fine but dies when given gas, as well as how to resolve these problems.
Hopefully, this tutorial can assist you in identifying and resolving the precise issue that is causing the issue. Please leave a comment below if you have any other queries concerning this engine dying issue.