Q: Rough idling & engine light flashing

asked by on September 06, 2017

So, a few weeks ago my engine light started flashing....my car would idle rough when stopped at a red light, and it would take my car a little while to accelerate up the hill (that's usually when the engine light would start flashing). WELL a friend of mine changed out the spark plugs and he also noticed there was a hole in a part on my car (I forget the parts name? It's like a tunnel thing I have no idea honestly) but he noticed there was a hole in that part and just duct taped it for the mean time....and it seemed as if the issue went away.....well no, here I am a few weeks later and the engine light started flashing once again AND the idling is wayyyyy more rough than it once was. I'm a broke college student and have school and a job I need to get to, but can't afford to spend a fortune on getting this fixed, any suggestions? I drove my car this past Thursday night and everything was perfect....next day is when the issues once again arised. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

My car has 156100 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Air Injection Hose Replacement $109.75 - $842.28 Get a Quote

Hi Kate. Thanks for contacting us tonight. I’ve been there and done the whole broke student working their way through school and completely understand the frustration. In fact, my daughter is in a similar boat. In regards to the issue with your car, it’s quite possible that the part that has a hole in it is the air injection hose (if it looks like a tunnel that covers the engine). The air injection hose is responsible for sending air from the outside of the car into your throttle body to be mixed with gasoline. When this air flow is obstructed - it can cause the symptoms you’re experiencing. It’s also possible that a vacuum line has come loose off this air intake and is causing the issues. The air injection hose for your Chevrolet isn’t very expensive, so you might want to consider getting a repair estimate to have one of our mechanics come to your location to complete this service for you. I would recommend having your friend come over and verify with you what part was damaged before you order a replacement though.

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