What are the symptoms of a broken intake manifold?
2 Answers
The symptoms of a broken intake manifold include air leakage, reduced gas pressure, weakened intake capacity, decreased engine power, insufficient air intake, and increased carbon deposits. Normally, the engine's air intake is fixed. When the intake manifold leaks, it causes insufficient air intake, preventing the perfect mixture of fuel and air, leading to insufficient engine power. As a result, the vehicle may experience weak acceleration during driving. The intake manifold is located between the throttle valve and the engine intake valve. It is called a manifold because after air enters the throttle valve, it passes through the manifold buffer system, and the air flow path diverges here.
Once, my car was shaking like an old washing machine at idle, and acceleration was sluggish with a noticeable lack of power. Fuel consumption also kept climbing, requiring several more refueling stops per month. Starting the engine became particularly difficult, with the check engine light constantly glowing yellow. A friend used a stethoscope and detected a hissing sound of air leakage—it turned out the intake manifold had cracked, allowing air to escape and disrupting the air-fuel mixture. The entire driving experience was awful, costing both money and commuting time. Only after timely repairs did the car stabilize, feeling almost like new again. I’ve since learned never to ignore such minor symptoms. Regular engine bay inspections are crucial to prevent severe air leaks from causing bigger issues, like piston wear or excessive emissions—truly a case of 'penny wise, pound foolish.'
