Spark Plugs Cause Under Boost and Hesitation? How To Fix It? [Explained]

Hesitation is when your engine misfires, stumbles or lacks power when you accelerate or step on the throttle. So, the answer is yes, it is possible for spark plugs to cause under boost and hesitation . It depends on the specific vehicle, but in most cases, your vehicle can experience these symptoms if one or more of the spark plugs are worn out, broken, or faulty. An aged plug that’s still in working order can also contribute to these problems.

The reason for this is that a faulty spark plug will happen to disrupt the ignition firing sequence. This in turn can cause a delay in the fuel combustion process, which leads to hesitation and poor engine power.

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What are the symptoms of faulty spark plugs?

The symptoms are all over the place because there are several possibilities that can cause the problems mentioned above. That’s why you should identify first which type of problem your car is having. Once this has been established, you’ll know what part to look for and replace if necessary. Here are some of the symptoms that can indicate you have faulty spark plugs in your car:

  1. Engine RPM is limited despite full throttle, poor acceleration and engine power, especially at mid to high RPM.
  2. Rough idling or misfiring while cruising or accelerating.
  3. Excessive black smoke emitted from the exhaust pipe (black smoke means unburnt fuel is being ejected into the environment as a byproduct of the engine’s combustion method).
  4. Loss of engine power during uphill climbs.

Can old spark plugs make car sluggish?

Yes, your engine could feel sluggish and doesn’t respond to driver inputs. Some people think that spark plugs don’t affect their car’s performance at all, but it’s not true: Imagine having a heavy load in your car’s trunk while driving up a steep incline. If one of the spark plugs isn’t working properly, you’ll see that it affects your car’s performance – uphill climbs are strenuous enough without having to deal with an engine that doesn’t respond well.

Can spark plugs cause turbo lag?

Yes, if the spark plugs are not working properly, they can cause turbo lag. If you have faulty or worn-out spark plugs in your car, chances are that the engine has developed a misfire condition. As mentioned above, this can affect your traction control system and be one of the primary causes of turbo lag because the ECU will think there’s a loss of engine power and will command the turbocharger to reduce boost pressure.

Can bad spark plugs cause rough acceleration?

Yes, a worn-out or faulty spark plug can cause rough acceleration because the engine isn’t firing on all cylinders. The spark plugs will ignite the fuel inside the combustion chamber at different times – this is what causes your car to misfire and skip a beat.

In other words, if one of your spark plugs is toast, it can reduce engine power and cause the acceleration to be rough. This is because when a cylinder doesn’t fire up at all, it means that there will be no compression whatsoever inside the combustion chamber – there won’t be any explosion therefore your car’s engine can only push so much power from one cylinder alone.

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