Car Struggling To Accelerate And Burning Smell

You ran late for an important meeting, but your car suddenly struggled to accelerate. There is also a burning smell that fills the whole place.

You do not know what to do, and you missed the meeting because of this. It could have been a simple problem, but you could not fix it anyway.

This article enlightens you on precisely what to do next time.

It is vital to know that the difficulty in your car’s acceleration with an associated burning smell while continually pressing your gas pedal is not a typical sign that you should overlook.

The hesitation in your car acceleration and the burning smell from your car could result from several dysfunctions, and all you need might be an effortless step.

Before You Panic!

If your car struggles to accelerate, you should consider trying to debug the straightforward problems you can solve without calling your auto mechanic.

One of the most straightforward solutions is to check if your parking brake is engaged.

It often happens that automobile drivers make the mistake of leaving the parking brake on, causing slow acceleration while trying to move the vehicle.

You may also have to do a quick check on your fuel gauge. When there is not enough fuel, your car will struggle to accelerate and eventually stop.

Therefore, before you start to fret over your car struggling to accelerate, ensure you check if the hand brake is not engaged and you have enough fuel to propel your vehicle.

Why Does Your Car Struggle While There Is Also A Burning Smell?

Dirty Air Filter

The air filters in vehicles purify the air that comes into the engine.

The engine of the car can be likened to the heart of humans; as the human heart powers the activities of humans, the engine powers the activities of a vehicle.

If the air that goes into the engine is dirty, it affects the engine, and your car struggles to accelerate.

The air filter gets blocked with specks of dirt like dust, oil, and sand that stays on its surface and later penetrates it.

Specks of dirt in the air filter prevent the engine from getting the clean air to function adequately.

The air filter should be replaced if dirty or unblocked if it is blocked.

Timing Belt Fault

The air filter directly impacts the engine, so is the timing belt. A slight mishap in the functioning of the timing belt directly affects the vehicle’s engine.

You would not want something as minor and essential as the timing belt to cause damage to your car engine.

You are strongly advised to change the timing belt at intervals as recommended by the car’s manufacturer so that your car will not struggle to accelerate.

After replacement, if the timing belt is placed inappropriately, the car can struggle to accelerate, and there could be a burning smell.

You can avoid it by ensuring that you employ the service of a qualified and capable automobile technician.

Fuel Filter Malfunction

The engine oil can contain specks of dirt that could cause your car to struggle to accelerate if not adequately filtered by the fuel filter.

The fuel filter carries out the task of preventing debris like paint flakes and rust from gaining access into the car engine.

A bad fuel pump and fuel ejector accompany the malfunction of the fuel filter.

If fuel is clogged with debris, they cause impediments in the fuel flow; thus, the amount of oil needed to run the engine smoothly will not be supplied.

If the car engine sputters when you want to accelerate, it is a sign of fuel filter malfunction.

An excellent performance check and replacement of dirty filters are great solutions to fuel filter malfunction.

Faulty Mass Airflow Sensor

You notice that your car suddenly jerks during acceleration, inhibiting your fast speed movement resulting from faulty mass airflow.

What mass airflow sensor does in your vehicle calculates the amount of air entering your car engine.

A faulty mass airflow sensor does not ascertain the precise amount of air that goes into the engine, thus causing a miscalculation.

It, in turn, causes additional wearing out of the engine. The solution to the mass airflow sensor problem is simply cleaning the wires.

It is advisable to have your auto mechanic get a proper reading from the mass airflow sensor from time to time and to check your car for any damage constantly.

It will prevent your car from struggling to accelerate.

Oxygen Sensor Malfunction

The internal combustion engine produces exhaust gases such as carbon oxides.

The oxygen sensor monitors the oxygen level in the exhaust gases and helps know if the engine is burning fuel in excess or if the fuel is too little.

A bad oxygen sensor affects the entire combustion process, causing the engine not to run steadily.

When you step on the gas pedal, your car will struggle to accelerate, or there might be no acceleration.

A total replacement of the oxygen sensor prevents the engine from total damage, saving extra cost thereby.

Burning Smell Signifies A Particular Problem

It is a great thing to have the ability to sniff out an abnormal smell and a more significant thing to recognize what precisely the malfunction is based on that particular smell.

It could be a slight issue or one that needs immediate attention.

Problems could range from overheating your vehicle to the clutch problem, driving belt issue, electric short circuit, or the coolant in your Air conditioning circuit getting burnt.

Asides from the fact that these burning smells might indicate a malfunction in your car, it is also risky for your health as you inhale them.

These odors vary, and each smell is attached to a peculiar malfunction of a part of the vehicle.

The Smell Of Burning Rubber

When your car smells like burning rubber, it might indicate that your engine has been running for a long while and why your car struggles to accelerate.

It may require you to stop the vehicle and let your engine do some self-cooling.

If the smell persists after that, troubleshooting the cause of this will save your engine from further breakdown.

You might need the services of your auto mechanic to do this.

Burning Clutch Smell

Your car clutch often develops a fault in slow traffic. Burning Clutch indicates that your clutch disk is undergoing some wear and tear.

A temporary remedy to the burning Clutch problem when you’re in traffic is to ensure that you only place your foot on the clutch pedal when you need the clutch in motion.

However, to avoid a complete clutch burnout, take your car to your auto mechanic afterward to have your clutch fixed. It will also prevent your car from struggling to accelerate.

Faulty Driving Belt

I understand you might almost yell in surprise the moment you saw this. Yes!

A faulty driving belt affects several car accessories like the alternator, air pump, power steering pump, air conditioning compressor, etc.

The car’s driving belt fails when it starts to slack, its failure results in frequent overheating in your car, releasing a burning smell.

Frequent belt checks can save your car from struggling to accelerate and if you’re already stranded, call on a trusted auto repair expert to fix it.

Car Struggling To Accelerate And Burning Smell – Conclusion

This article pointed out that sluggish car acceleration and burning smell that comes from your car mostly take tolls on the durability of your car’s engine.

It is, therefore, essential to know that your car is not only made up of its in-built components but also what you feed it.

An excellent car maintenance practice will positively affect its efficiency to enjoy your car optimally. A careful person owns a great car!