What Causes Engine Hesitation and Lack of Power When Accelerating?
1 Answers
Engine hesitation and lack of power during acceleration may be caused by prolonged neglect of maintenance for components such as the engine throttle, fuel injectors, spark plugs, and catalytic converter. Additionally, issues with the clutch or transmission, including gear programming settings or internal contamination and impurities, could also be responsible. Below are the specific causes: Clutch-related causes: Primarily, car hesitation is mainly caused by the engine and clutch. Therefore, the lack of power during acceleration is closely related to the engine, as ignition, air intake, and fuel injectors collectively determine fuel combustion, which is the source of the engine's power. Thus, the lack of power naturally relates to these systems—ignition, air intake, and fuel injectors. Transmission-related causes: The sensation of hesitation during acceleration is mostly due to the transmission's response speed being insufficiently fast, where the upshift speed cannot keep up with the throttle input. Hence, the hesitation occurs precisely at the moment of gear shifting. Furthermore, apart from the aforementioned reasons, car owners should also check if there is any contamination or impurities inside the transmission causing uneven heat dissipation.
