You rely on your car for several things in your life, including your responsibilities. These are just some of the reasons why a stalling car can be so frustrating. The following are 3 simple reasons why your car may be stalling, and they are relatively cheap to fix.

1. Could It Be Your PCV Valve?

The PCV valve is a small valve usually located on the right side of your engine or behind the throttle body. This valve helps your engine recycle unused gases and re-burn them for power. This mechanism can fail and clog up, which causes back-pressure to your exhaust system. The back-pressure and the unbalanced fuel-to-air mixture can lead to stalls.

The following are other signs related to a bad PCV valve:

  • The excess pressure may cause over-consumption of engine oil because the oil is not being used properly.
  • You may notice engine oil leaks, which could be due to the excess engine oil in your system.
  • There could be engine oil deposits in your air filter, which can affect your car's performance.
  • The pressure your PCV valve is causing may cause you to use too much gasoline. So, keep an eye on your gasoline.

Talk to your auto care specialist if you notice any of the aforementioned symptoms.

2. Your IAC Valve?

Proper combustion, which gives your engine power, is achieved by a very specific mixture of air and fuel. Your IAC valve helps control the amount of air that goes into your engine and communicates this to your vehicle's computer. You may have little to no air if your IAC valve fails, which may eventually stall your engine while you are at idle speeds.

The following are other signs to look for:

  • You may experience unsteadiness or low RPM's at idle speeds. Remember that regular idle speed is 1000 RPM's.
  • There may be jerky deceleration when you try to slow down and stop.
  • You might feel a hesitation when you try to accelerate after a stop.
  • Check your exhaust pipe for black smoke because a bad IAC valve will cause you to use more gasoline than necessary.
  • The check engine light might turn on, too.
  • Turn on your AC, and see if that causes your vehicle to stall. Chances are your IAC valve is bad if your vehicle does stall.

Talk to your mechanic about any of these symptoms to help you resolve the issue.

3. Could It Be Your TPS Sensor?

The TPS sensor is there to send specific voltage and signals between your vehicle's computer and the throttle system. This small sensor—that sits over your throttle body and resembles a hexagon—can fail and send the wrong information to your computer. The incorrect information can stall your car at any time.

The following are other symptoms related to a bad TPS sensor:

  • You might have a jerky driving experience.
  • Your idling speed will go over the normal speed from time to time.
  • There may be a sudden and dangerous increase in speed as you drive.
  • The engine light might turn on.
  • Fuel economy might suffer because the engine might overuse gasoline.
  • Changing your gears might become slightly difficult. You might feel delays or jerks when you do change gears.

Talk to your auto care specialist about this issue or any other collection of symptoms you are feeling along with your stalling car. This list should help narrow down some of possibilities, which means your mechanic (like those at Foothill Service) will not need to spend too much time diagnosing your vehicle.

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