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  • DARCARS Kia of Temple Hills

Aug 19, 2022

One moment you’re driving peacefully, and the next, your car starts to jerk and vibrate. Popping or backfiring noises are coming from your exhaust. Your car may be experiencing engine misfiring. There are several different causes for this strange behavior, and all of them mean you need a Kia auto repair. As your Kia dealer in Temple Hills, MD, we can fix the problem for you.Getting Engine Service Temple Hills MD

3 Signs of Engine Misfiring That Mean You Need Auto Repair

Air/Fuel Problems

One of the main reasons for misfiring is a dirty air filter. The air filter is responsible for trapping dirt and other debris and preventing it from entering your engine. Over time, this filter will get clogged with dirt, which will severely restrict the amount of air reaching your engine. Your engine requires enormous amounts of air for combustion to occur, and without air, problems will develop.

A lack of air in the combustion chamber means that the air/fuel mix will be wrong. There will be too much fuel, which means much of the fuel will be wasted. This wasted fuel is dumped out of the engine into the exhaust. Some of the unburnt fuel will touch the hot exhaust on the way out, and this will cause popping or backfiring. The unburnt fuel will also coat the spark plugs in carbon which will cause them to misfire.

Electrical Problems

Your engine is monitored and controlled by the Power-train Control Module (PCM). This is one of several computers in your car, and it’s responsible for your engine and transmission. A host of sensors are connected to the PCM to monitor all the essential components in your engine and transmission. These sensors and the PCM all depend on power supplied to them by your alternator.

The PCM is also responsible for spark timing and fuel delivery. This system is very complex and depends on numerous wire connections and circuits. A failure in one or more of these circuits, for example, the timing of the spark plugs, or the amount of fuel transferred to the combustion chamber, can easily cause a misfire. Our technicians can test for electrical problems or damaged wiring and repair the problem.

Mechanical Problems

Wear and tear on engine components can also cause misfiring. One of the most common causes of this is a problem with one of the cylinders. When combustion takes place, each cylinder goes through a four-step movement. The top of the cylinder must close tightly, and the piston rises to compress the air/fuel mix.

If a mechanical failure prevents the top of a cylinder from closing completely, this will reduce the compression in that cylinder. This lack of compression will cause a misfire. A cylinder misfire can also cause a cylinder full of hot fuel to be dumped into the catalytic converter and cause serious damage to the converter.

Get a Professional Car Engine Inspection at Our Service Center

If you experience misfiring, call us at DARCARS Kia of Temple Hills and we’ll repair the problem. You can also book your appointment online, where you can easily choose a time to come see the certified Kia service experts at our dealership.