My Car Switches Off While Braking. Now What?
Nobody likes to deal with car troubles, but the fact of the matter is that dealing with them while owning a car is pretty much inevitable, especially if you are leaning towards longer term ownership. While some problems are bigger than others, if your car is starting to malfunction and switching off sporadically when you hit the brakes, it’s pretty much a sign to stop and to get it to a shop right away. There are multiple reasons why this could be happening, so let’s explore some of the more common ones today, which may give you a bit of insight and some questions to ask the technician when taking a look at the problem.
What is Happening When My Car Cuts Out When I Brake?
What’s essentially happening. is that the engine starts to cut out during two possible instances: when pressure is applied to the brake, or when the car comes to a complete stop. Thee doesn’t seem to be a similar problem when the car is travelling at a higher speed. This is the kind of situation that requires immediate attention when you happens, and if not possible for you to drive your car directly to a technician, for a thorough inspection, it’s worth pulling over and organising for the car to be towed, not only for road safety, but to avoid any further damage to the vehicle.
Restricted EGR Valve
A likely explanation here, is a restricted EGR valve. If this valve is under any sort of strain, it is likely to cause your car to act very erratically, stall, idle or even sputter a bit. This is not as complicated to resolve, and tends to be one of the first things that get checked when the car is being assessed for the first time.
Transmission Issues
Depending on if your car has a manual or automatic transmission, it can either be a problem with the clutch (manual cars), or with the torque converter (automatic transmission). If the latter, for example is no longer working, or if there is a low fluid level in the transmission, the transmitter fails to do what it is supposed to and the car shuts down. This happens particularly at low speeds.
Check the Fuel Pump
A fuel pump – simply enough – transfers petrol in the tank to the engine. It is important that the pump operates at a consistent pressure level, as at a lower level, the stream of fuel to the engine can be erratic and unpredictable. At low speeds, it kills the engine immediately. Fuel injectors are important because they spray a measured amount of fuel that is ignited by a spark plug at exactly the right time, the help start the vehicle. If the car has been standing still for a long time, these might have become clogged or dirty, causing a problem right away, so it’s worth looking at too.
What To Do To Resolve The Problem
As mentioned, it’s important to get your car to a workshop immediately, to avoid any further damage or to place your or others’ safety at risk. If you’re in the Johannesburg area, look no further than Safety Brake & Clutch. Give them a call as soon as it happens. They’ll provide a full assessment (which will in all likelihood involve a test drive to get a clear picture of the problem), are willing to talk you through the entire process, and are known for offering very competitive market related prices. Here’s to hoping your problem is resolved quickly, and that you can get back on the road sooner rather than later.