Engine troubleshooting: How an engine vacuum gauge works

Bernshtam
2 min readJan 4, 2022
Image source: onallcylinders.com

Gene Bernshtam believes that car owners should know a thing or two about how engines work and tell when something is wrong. This blog explains how an engine vacuum gauge works.

A car engine vacuum gauge’s purpose is to measure the pressure of the atmosphere in your engine’s intake manifold. This is done with an automotive vacuum gauge using its powerful suction cup to suck air from the intake manifold when you start your car. You can usually find access just below and to the side of your windshield underhood on most modern cars.

This helps you determine whether your car is getting enough air so it can automatically adjust the fuel-air mixture to balance, notes Gene Bernshtam. This is particularly important when tuning an engine, but even if you are looking for ways to save gas, it helps determine whether you have a vacuum leak in your intake manifold that would prevent optimum engine performance.

Image source: wikihow.com

By reading your engine’s vacuum pressure with a digital automotive vacuum gauge, you will be able to see how efficient your car is running and determine if something needs attention or replacement, including spark plugs.

If your car’s check engine light is on, this gauge can tell if there is a vacuum leak or another failure somewhere in the system that would cause a misread or completely prevent reading from being taken at all. This saves you a lot of time and energy because it will help you identify what problem to address first, and it saves you the expense of having a mechanic diagnose your car for you.

Gene Bernshtam shares his knowledge about car maintenance and performance enhancement. He is an award-winning car restoration expert. For more interesting blogs, please visit this page.

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