A faulty throttle body making your car slow

The throttle body is responsible for sucking in sufficient amounts of air which mixes with fuel in the combustion chamber. The fuel and air mixture should balance perfectly in order to provide sufficient power for acceleration. That’s why a faulty throttle body is the main reason why a powerful engine becomes slower than usual. Car maintenance is a way to avoid such inconveniences.

Some powerful cars with large engine CC sizes usually have more than one throttle body. This helps them accelerate at a faster rate than the other cars. Further, the throttle body has a throttle position sensor which is usually mounted on the throttle body.

This sensor communicates with the accelerator and the fuel injector. The purpose of the throttle position sensor is to monitor the angle of the throttle body valve. Afterwards, it communicates with the engine control module ECM whether the car can accelerate some more. This extra acceleration happens by taking in more air through the throttle body valve. If the valve’s angle isn’t widely open then extra acceleration won’t be possible.

Further, the throttle position sensor communicates with the fuel injector. When the driver presses the accelerator, the throttle position sensor assesses the angle of the throttle valve. Afterwards, it communicates to the fuel injector concerning the amount of fuel to inject from the fuel tank. This fuel ratio is supposed to match the air ratio that goes in through the throttle valve.

Signs of a faulty throttle body.

A faulty throttle body is the weakness of the vehicle’s engine power. There are a number of things that can cause the throttle body to become faulty. But there are ways for you to know if the throttle body is faulty. The following are some of the things you will observe if the throttle body is faulty.

1. Rough engine idling.

When the car engine starts, there is usually a normal vibration and uniform sound it produces. If the vehicle is shaking excessively while producing abnormal sounds, it could be because of a faulty throttle body. Sometimes the engine’s vibrations may not be as a result of the throttle body. Instead the car could be shaking when idle because of loose engine mounts or a faulty spark plug.

2. Check engine light.

The on board computer will communicate to the driver when the throttle body is faulty. Most onboard computers will show the check engine light. But there are others that usually display the reduced engine power warning light. The check engine Warning light also comes up when something is wrong with the vital engine sensors.

3. Engine misfires.

When your engine is experiencing misfires the cause could be the throttle body or a faulty spark plug. The engine relies on the throttle position sensor to exchange data with the fuel injector to achieve a perfect fuel and air mixture. If this mixture isn’t balanced the engine will end up misfiring.

4. Poor fuel mileage.

The throttle body is very important when it comes to preventing excessive fuel consumption. This is due to the fact the throttle body sensor exchanges data between the accelerator and the fuel injector. When the driver presses the accelerator, this data goes from the throttle position sensor to the fuel injector. Then the fuel injector releases the right amount of fuel into the combustion chamber.

However, this won’t happen when the throttle position sensor is faulty. The fuel and air mixture ratio won’t be balanced. Hence causing the fuel not to be burnt completely. This could have negative effects on vital engine parts.

5. Low acceleration.

When the throttle body is faulty, the amounts of air going into the engine is quite low. That means that when the driver presses the accelerator, the car will take some time to respond. A faulty throttle body will not allow the fuel and air mixture ratio to balance for the purpose of acceleration. That’s why the car will appear really slow.