The Most Common Reasons for Engine Stalling

25 Jul, 18

If you drive a luxury vehicle, chances are you greatly value your car’s performance. In order to uphold the high standards of brands such as Audi, BMW, MINI, Mercedes, Porsche, or Volkswagen an effort to keep up with consistent maintenance is essential. One common issue that vehicles commonly encounter when ongoing maintenance isn’t kept up is engine stalling; however, engine staling could also be due to a design or engineering deficit inherent to the type of vehicle you drive, such as a faulty part in a specific model, or it could be due to individual driving habits and conditions.

Whatever the case, it’s important to know a little bit of basic information about engine stalling, because it can be severely damaging to your engine components the longer it goes unaddressed. Furthermore, it’s inconvenient, unreliable, and dangerous to drive a vehicle that frequently stalls. In this article, we’ll go over what exactly engine stalling is, the common causes of engine stalling, and how you can prevent the issue from occurring in your own vehicle.

What happens when the engine stalls?

Engine stalling is a pretty basic concept that can be attributed to any number of factors going wrong. Engine stalling simply means that the engine abruptly stops turning. Engine stalling is often jarring to drivers, as it usually occurs suddenly and “out of the blue.” Depending on the type of car you drive, engine stalling may be somewhat expected. For instance, if you drive a car with a manual transmission the car may occasionally stall if the clutch is used improperly. Engine stalling can be highly dangerous, especially when driving on city streets; getting caught in the middle of a busy intersection is nerve-wracking and unsafe.

What are the most common causes of engine stalling?

As we mentioned before, engine stalling can occur due to any number of issues occurring with your vehicle. There are several common causes of engine stalling that all drivers should know about, as it is a testament to the importance of ongoing maintenance and routine inspections. Usually engine stalling occurs when there is an issue with one of the following areas:

• Electrical components – problems with malfunctioning control modules, fuses, wiring, or sensors can cause the engine to stall without proper power and communication with other modules throughout the car.
• Transmission – besides improper gear shifting and clutch control, the torque converter can also fail or lose pressure leading to stalling.
• Air intake system – your engine needs the right fuel to air ratio to combust and ignite correctly, and without enough air the engine will stall.
• Fuel system – similar to air intake issues, if the engine doesn’t receive enough fuel it can cause the engine to stall. Both too much air or too much fuel are conditions ripe for engine stalling.
• Engine timing – it is common for engine stalling to occur due to an improperly aligned or failing timing chain or timing belt. In newer cars, the variable valve timing systems are common causes for engine stalling.

How you can prevent engine stalling

The best way to prevent engine stalling is to hire an automotive specialist with the knowledge and skill of a trained expert in the particular type of car you drive. Staying on top of your car’s suggested maintenance schedule is a great way to ensure that the various components of your vehicle remain in optimal condition for years to come. Engine stalling is a problematic issue for drivers of many different types of vehicles, and it must be addressed immediately to avoid further engine damage or other issues from arising.

The automotive experts here at Santa Barbara Autowerks, located in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA, always take a preventive approach to automotive care. Our clients have relied and counted on our services for years, and it is our mission to uphold our commitment to our community to offer specialized care for luxury, import cars at an affordable price. Engine stalling can be dangerous, and our clients’ safety is always our number one priority. If you drive a MINI, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, VW, or Audi and have recently experienced engine stalling, please call us right away to restore your vehicle to its optimal performance level and ensure the issue never happens again.