5 Component Damage That Can Cause a Car Engine Less Powerful

Have you ever felt that your car suddenly doesn't have power? Or maybe the car's fuel consumption is more extravagant than usual? This can happen because of the accumulation of carbon deposits from the combustion residue that accumulates in the engine combustion chamber. Then why can there be a buildup of carbon in the combustion chamber?

Carbon Buildup in the Combustion Chamber of a Car Engine:

The cause of underpowered cars is due to the buildup of carbon in the combustion chamber of the car engine. So, why did this happen? Carbon buildup in the combustion chamber of a car engine can occur due to incomplete combustion. The reason is the use of fuel that is not suitable or of poor quality. Dust and oil or oil vapor also have a role in the accumulation of crust that comes from the intake suction. The two components enter then settle and make the combustion chamber dirty. In addition, the amount of paraffin and sulfur elements that enter the combustion chamber is also the cause of the build-up of scale. The build-up of carbon crust will make the combustion chamber narrower, which will result in an increased compression ratio so that the engine is unresponsive or the car is underpowered due to the build-up of scale.

Car Compression Leak:

Underpowered engines can also be caused by the compression pressure of the car that has weakened. Compression pressure is very influential on the performance of a car, because the air pressure in the combustion chamber will make gasoline easier to burn. So, if there is a problem with the compression pressure of the car, the gasoline will be difficult to burn and cause the car to be underpowered. The main characteristics of a car whose engine compression pressure is already weak are the car is difficult to start in the morning, the  power  or engine power is reduced, some cars emit white smoke from the exhaust, the engine oil often runs out and the last is the engine sound that tends to be rough.

Components That Cause the Car to be Less Powerful:

In general, a weakened compression pressure is caused by a compression leak in the car engine. Due to weak compression, there is a buildup of carbon crust in the engine compartment and further worsens the performance of your car engine. Compression leaks can occur anywhere and usually the engine compression weakens due to a gap or gap in the combustion chamber towards the outside. Over time and the use of some engine components will weaken. Therefore, a gap arises in several components of the car engine. What are the components that are prone to gaps that cause the car engine to be less powerful, let's see below.

Car Engine Piston Rings:

The first component that causes an underpowered car engine is piston ring wear. The outside of the piston rings will continue to rub against the cylinder walls when the engine is started. This continuous friction will cause very little friction. But over time it will become large and the effect will be felt within 5 years or more if you don't change the oil regularly. Therefore, to reduce friction, never forget to change the car engine oil.

Car Engine Cylinder Block:

In addition to piston ring components, worn cylinder block components can also cause a car to be underpowered. The cylinder block is the path of movement of the piston rings which will wear out more if the lubrication in the component is not enough. In general, the cylinder block has more strength than the piston rings but it is possible for the cylinder block to wear out faster than imagined. The cause of the wear of the cylinder block to cause the engine to be powerless is the lack of lubrication in that part. Basically engine oil that will prevent friction between the piston rings and the cylinder block. If the oil is not enough, then the wear of these two components will also occur more quickly and thus make the car less powerful.

Leaking Valve:

Another cause of underpowered cars is a leak in the valve or valve. The valve or valve serves as the entrance of material (air and gasoline) from the intake, and as the exit of exhaust gases from the engine to the exhaust. Currently, many car engines use a double valve (DOHC) system, which means that in one cylinder there are two intake valves and two exhaust valves. This DOHC system will further facilitate the entry and exit of materials to the engine, but if there is an improper valve clearance adjustment it will lower the engine compression pressure or make the car less powerful.

Cylinder Head Packing/Gasket:

Another cause of underpowered cars is packing components or gaskets that are torn or aged. The cylinder head packing or gasket functions to close the cylinder block components with the cylinder head which are both made of metal. Without a gasket, there will be a compression leak at this joint. So gaskets or packing play an important role to prevent compression leakage on the lower cylinder block with the upper cylinder block.

Spark Plug Seal:

Another cause of an underpowered car engine is a cracked or torn spark plug seal component. The spark plug seal will generally be replaced with every spark plug replacement, this seal is already in the package with the spark plug (attached to the spark plug thread) so if you replace the car's spark plug, the spark plug seal will automatically be replaced. However, if you replace the spark plugs with other spark plugs that do not match the size recommendations, of course the spark plugs will not work optimally so the car engine becomes powerless.

How to Clean Carbon Buildup in Engine Compartment:

If you feel the car engine is underpowered, immediately take the car to the nearest repair shop or your subscription repair shop. At the workshop, the mechanic will perform a compression test for the car's engine using a special tool to make sure that your car's compression is in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. If the result turns out that the compression of your car's engine is weak, then it would be better for you to ask the mechanic to find out where this compression leak occurred. If it turns out that the test results show that there is a very thick buildup of carbon in the engine combustion chamber, don't be discouraged.