Q: Why the car stalls when put on Drive?

asked by on January 26, 2017

The last week the car was stalling when braking, an oil change was perform, It was burning oil after this change, (blueish smoke when starting the car it kind of disappear after 5 to 10 minutes on road). first day after the oil change it did not stall at all, second day it did stall, tried to run it a couple of minutes, it does start but stalls when I put on Drive or R(backing).

My car has 173643 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

This may be a sign of a faulty MAP sensor as the vehicle responds adversely to a load put on the motor (i.e. putting it in gear) as you describe. The Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor senses engine load and generates a signal that is proportional to the amount of vacuum in the intake manifold. The engine computer then uses this information to adjust ignition timing and fuel enrichment. When the engine is working hard, intake vacuum drops as the throttle opens wide. The engine takes in more air, which requires more fuel to keep the air/fuel ratio in balance. When the computer reads a heavy load signal from the [MAP sensor]((https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/manifold-absolute-pressure-sensor-map-sensor-replacement), it adjusts the fuel mixture to slightly more rich than normal so the engine can produce more power. The computer will then retard (back off) ignition timing slightly to prevent detonation that can damage the engine and decrease performance. This may also be caused by other closely related components such as a dirty or failing mass air-flow sensor, a faulty throttle position sensor or potentially a vacuum leak.

Blue smoke coming from your exhaust generally means that the motor is burning the engine oil. This can happen for a couple of different reasons such as worn piston rings or leaking valve guide seals. When this happens, the engine oil is burned in the combustion chamber along with the fuel which is what generates the blue smoke coming from the exhaust.

I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

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