What Would Cause an Engine to Lose Power?

What would cause an engine to lose power? Well, several reasons would cause an engine to lose power like the fault on the ignition system, fuel system, or clogged catalytic converter.

Possible cause of an engine to lose power

Clogged catalytic converter

If the top speed of your car is significantly 15 miles less than it was before, the problem is a clogged catalytic converter.

The purpose of the catalytic converter to clean the unburned gasses that pass through in the exhaust system, if the catalytic converter is clogged the exhaust gasses will not freely pass and will be restricted through the catalytic converter, now the faster the car the harder it is for the unburned gasses to get past the catalytic converter all the way to the tailpipe and back pressure to the engine happens that causes the engine to lose power. The harder the accelerator pedal is pressed the more back pressure in the engine, therefore, the car will not reach the top speed.

Bad spark plug or spark plug wires

If the engine runs roughly especially during idle, then the problem is related to the fuel system specifically a bad spark plug or spark plug wires. If the spark plug or spark plug wires are bad there will be no spark in the combustion chamber and the engine will misfire.

Clogged fuel injector

If the above condition is not met then the possible problem is the fuel system specifically the injector. The purpose of the fuel injector is to provide the engine enough amount of fuel, if the engine does not have enough fuel it will lack power. If the fuel injector is clogged or partially clogged not enough fuel will go inside the engine and the engine will be starved of fuel.

Engine weak compression

Another cause of the engine's lack of power is when the engine is weak on compression, usually, this is because the engine valves or rings are worn out. To check if the engine has weak compression the engine must be subjected to a compression test.

What to do?

Bring the car to the repair shop depending on your initial diagnosis asks the mechanic to check the car if the problem is a clogged catalytic converter then replace it with the new one. If the problem is the spark plug or spark plug wire, replacing these parts will improve the engine performance.

If the problem is the clogged fuel injectors avoid using low octane gasoline, first is to try to fill your car with super gasoline usually 98 octanes and above because super gasoline has additives that automatically clean residue off the injectors. After filling with super gasoline a few times you will notice an improved power from the engine. If there is no improvement then that’s the time to bring the car to the repair shop and asks the mechanic to clean the injectors.

Can You Put 91 Octane Gasoline In Any Car?
Not all cars can use 91 octane gasoline. Most of the cars produced for the market today use high-octane gasoline. If you are not sure about what gasoline octane rating to use for your car, check out your car user manual it indicates what type of fuel to be used for your car.

Read more: Can You Put 91 Octane Gasoline In Any Car?

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