Q: Check engine light comes on when accelerating hard in first gear
I recently brought the my first car a month ago. A couple of weeks ago, the check engine light came on, then went off again. When it came on a second time I took it back to the dealership who assured me the car is fine and it was just a fuel starvation issue. They seem to have turned the CEL off. 2 days later, as I accelerated hard in first gear, the light came back on. This is the second time in under a week this has happened and I am wondering if I should trust the dealership telling me it's nothing to worry about. I don't have a lot of money so should I just leave it? What could this be? Thank you for your help!
My car has 57000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.
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Hi Laura, welcome to YourMechanic and thanks for writing in. I’d be happy to help.
This could be potentially a faulty mass airflow sensor which is something that regulates air intake into the engine, and relays this info to the car’s computer which then adjusts fuel supply to match. If this is not working properly, this can cause a fuel starvation issue, however when this happens you will normally notice a slight hesitation in the accelerating power of the car.
If you would like further help, consider having an expert automotive technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to inspect the Check Engine Light for you, and make or suggest any repairs as needed. Our technician will have a scanner than can scan your car’s computer for any trouble codes that may be present.
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