Signs My Mercedes’ Engine has a Leaking Vacuum Hose

Your Mercedes-Benz has a series of hoses that transport vacuum pressure produced in the combustion chamber to various components to power them. Peak Euro advises that one or more of the hoses may start to leak over time because they succumb to the vacuum pressure inside of them. If your Mercedes ends up with a vacuum leak, you will experience one or more of the following problems.

Check Engine Warning

One of the first things that might happen is the engine control unit will turn on the check engine light. As the vacuum pressure is released into the engine, it fills the Mercedes’ engine with air. Unfortunately, this can affect the engine’s performance and cause system sensors to report error codes. Once the engine control unit receives an error code, it will turn on the check engine light.

Performance Trouble

As we just mentioned, once there is too much air in your Mercedes’ engine, you are going to experience performance problems. Specifically, the engine will struggle to produce power when you need to accelerate and when you are driving at higher speeds. This is because you now have a lean fuel mixture in the combustion chamber due to the leaking vacuum hose.

Reduced Gas Mileage

Naturally, as the engine struggles to produce power, it will burn through more gasoline or diesel fuel. Consequently, the vacuum leak will indirectly cause a reduction in the gas mileage that you get out of your Mercedes-Benz.

High/Sporadic RPMs

The vacuum leak is also going to affect the engine’s RPMs. In fact, you can see the vacuum leak if you keep an eye on your tachometer needle. When the vacuum pressure escapes from the leaking hose, the needle will shoot upward because the engine’s RPMs will increase.

Component Malfunction

As we mentioned above, the vacuum pressure is used to power components. For example, if your Mercedes has hydraulic power steering, the power steering pump may receive its power from the vacuum pressure. As a result, you may start to have problems steering your Mercedes. Fixing the vacuum leak by replacing the hose will restore the steering pump’s functionality.

Vacuum Suction Noises

Finally, you hear strange suction noises in the engine of your Mercedes-Benz, you have a leaking vacuum hose. Another sound that a leaking vacuum hose will make is hissing.

Call Peak Euro in Bend, OR, today if you suspect that you have a vacuum leak in the engine of your Mercedes-Benz.