Q: Car running rough and trying to stall

asked by on January 21, 2016

My car is idling rough and acting like it wants to stall. It will take off sputtering when I press the gas pedal. I also hear a squeak from one of the pulleys.

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Hi. The idle air control valve needs replacing because it sounds like the idling is rough on your vehicle. Also, if you have a pulley starting to seize up, which include the idler pulley and the tensioner pulley, they may be lugging the engine down and making your car idle roughly. A mechanic, like one from YourMechanic, would be able to diagnose the problems for you. If a basic tune-up is needed, it should be done to make sure the problem is not a simple fix and to ensure the engine runs better overall.

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