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Q: Can a bad tensioner cause my vehicle to lose acceleration and turn off?

asked by on August 26, 2017

I have recently changed my spark plugs, engine coils, alternator, fuel filter, and battery cables due to ongoing issue where I will be driving and the car will lose acceleration and shut off. The car drives perfectly fine for short periods of time. It doesn't overheat and my check engine light isn't on. I just noticed that my tensioner needs to be replaced. Will a bad tensioner cause my issue?

My car has 120000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi Brandon. Typically a damaged belt tensioner will not impact vehicle performance. It would cause the serpentine or drive belt to wear prematurely or to squeak - but not cause the acceleration issue. On your list of items replaced, I noticed that you didn’t list mass air flow sensor or have cleaned the fuel injectors. Quite often, those are the root causes of the type of symptom you are describing. If you’d like to have a professional mechanic come to your location and complete a car is slow to accelerate inspection, let us know and we’ll be happy to help.

Lincoln
Town Car
V8-4.6L
2001
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