One of the most common things that will cause black vehicle exhaust alongside a check engine light warning is a dead oxygen sensor. Also called the O2 sensor, Getz Automotive advises that you may experience one or more of the following problems if your vehicle’s oxygen sensor is malfunctioning. If it is, we can replace it.
Black Vehicle Exhaust
The O2 sensor measures the amount of oxygen in your vehicle’s exhaust. It sends this information to the engine control unit so that it can make adjustments to the air and fuel in the combustion chamber. If the information that the O2 sensor sends is incorrect, the engine control unit may put too much gasoline in the combustion chamber and you will end up with black vehicle exhaust as a result of the burning excess fuel.
Check Engine Warning
As mentioned above, your check engine light will come on when the oxygen sensor goes bad. In fact, a faulty O2 sensor is one of the most common reasons why check engine lights come on. Generally, once the O2 sensor malfunctions, it will send an error code to the engine control unit and this will result in the check engine warning.
Fuel Efficiency Loss
If your engine is burning away too much fuel as discussed above, you will also notice a significant difference in your fuel economy. If you keep track of your gas mileage between fill-ups, you may notice that your vehicle isn’t getting the mileage it used to get. The more the oxygen sensor malfunctions, the bigger the hit on your gas mileage.
High Emission Levels
The more your engine burns away fuel, the higher your emission levels, which can equate to an emissions test failure. This is because the excess gas is introducing excess carbons in your vehicle’s exhaust. An emissions test measures how much carbon is in your vehicle’s exhaust. If there is too much carbon, your vehicle will fail the test.
Performance Problems
A faulty O2 sensor can also cause engine performance issues. For example, if there is too much air in the combustion chamber, your acceleration and engine performance will lag. If there is too much fuel in the combustion chamber, your engine will pick up speed sporadically without you telling it to do so.
Rotten Egg Odors
Finally, the excess fuel can clog your catalytic converter, and, as a consequence, you will smell burning sulfur. This odor mimics rotten eggs, and you will smell the odor in your vehicle’s exhaust and coming from the engine.
Getz Automotive in Fuquay-Varina, NC, can help. Call us today if your automobile has excess black exhaust and/or a check engine light warning.