Unless you’ve overloaded your car, it shouldn’t struggle when you drive up hills. If it is struggling, this is a sign that you have a fuel problem in the engine. When the fuel mixture is lean, i.e., low on fuel, the engine will struggle to complete hard tasks such as driving up inclines or hauling things. Getz Automotive explains that aside from a check engine light warning, you may also notice the following things as explained by the cause of the problem.
Clogged Fuel Injectors
If your fuel injectors are clogged, the cylinders are not getting the inflow of gasoline or diesel fuel that they need. Signs of clogged fuel injectors include struggling to go up hills, a dead or sputtering engine, rough idling, sporadic RPMs, and vehicle acceleration lag. Usually, professionally cleaning the fuel injectors will restore their functionality and your engine’s performance.
Faulty Mass Airflow Sensor
The mass airflow or MAF sensor keeps a measurement of how much air flows into the engine. It relays this information to your vehicle’s main computer chip. A faulty MAF sensor will cause the chip to make incorrect adjustments to the air and fuel in the combustion chamber and you’ll end up with an engine that’s hard to start, frequent stalling, hesitation when going up hills, and jerky acceleration.
Malfunctioning Fuel Pump
If the fuel pump in your automobile is clogged or malfunctioning, you will end up with a lean fuel mixture in the combustion chamber and your vehicle will struggle to drive up hills. You will also notice that your engine is overheating even though the cooling system is working just fine, that the engine stalls quickly after it overheats, and that your acceleration and engine performance are lagging.
Other Fuel Delivery Problem
Finally, there could be another fuel delivery problem that is causing your engine to struggle as you drive up hills. For example, you may have a clog in the fuel system in the fuel filter or the fuel lines. You may have the wrong octane in the tank, or, if you purchased economy gasoline, the gasoline itself may be dirty and filled with sediment. Or, you may be running low on fuel.
Getz Automotive in Fuquay-Varina, NC, can get to the bottom of the reason why your vehicle struggles to go up hills. Call us today to schedule a service appointment. We will find the problem and fix it.