My vehicle chugs when it starts?

Tiny
KELLY-ANNE MACNEIL
  • MEMBER
  • 2014 FORD ESCAPE
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 60,000 MILES
My vehicle chugs when it starts. It started out of the blue about a week ago. I've done the following:

- had the battery and alternator checked. Both are working fine.

- added gas line antifreeze to my tank. It fixes the issue temporarily. After a day, the chugging comes back
Thursday, December 29th, 2022 AT 9:15 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,420 POSTS
This is common when the engine starts to misfire, do you have a check engine light on? If so, this guide can help us retrieve the codes which can tell us which cylinder it is:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

This guide can help as well:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-misfires-or-runs-rough

If you could upload a short video of the problem, I can get a better idea of what's going on. You can upload it here with your response. Please go over these guides and report back.
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Thursday, December 29th, 2022 AT 2:20 PM
Tiny
KELLY-ANNE MACNEIL
  • MEMBER
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Hi there,

Thanks for your reply. No, my check engine light is not on. That's why this is a bit perplexing.
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Thursday, December 29th, 2022 AT 2:26 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
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Thanks for the video. It does sound strange like the intake throttle body is closed or the exhaust is clogged. Even though the engine light is not on we should run the codes to see what comes up. I would service the throttle bore and make sure the air filter is clean.

Here is a guide to help:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/throttle-actuator-service

Please go over this guide and report back and let me know about the codes.
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Saturday, December 31st, 2022 AT 12:07 PM

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