A MECHANIC has shared a DIY emergency trick you can use to get off the road if your car is broken down.
The hackingwhich is free and only takes a few seconds won't solve the problem permanently, but should give you enough strength to limp home or to the nearest garage.
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Scotty Kilmer, who has fifty years of experience in the automotive industry, revealed that a seemingly small part under the hood could be the key to unlocking some extra range.
Speaking of his YouTube channel, he explained what to do if you're having trouble with your car “stumbling” or not accelerating.
If you find yourself losing power along the way and don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on one recovery truck then this might bring you back to safety.
Scotty said, “Today I'm going to show you a trick that will help you get home if your car isn't running right.
'Suppose your car stumbles or doesn't accelerate properly.
“Sometimes it's the mass airflow sensor.
“This measures how much air goes into the engine.
“Just unplug.”
The small sensor is usually located on the air filter box, which is connected to the engine via a large intake hose.
In the modern engines With electronic fuel injection, the computer unit in the vehicle can detect how much air is being drawn through the filter.
This means that the car knows how much fuel to inject to maintain a stable air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber.
If this were not present, the mixture could become unbalanced, making the engine less efficient.
However, if your engine is already not running properly, disconnecting the sensor could be a problem quick solution.
Scotty added: “The computer will turn on the check engine light.
'But there are also a lot of them [pre-programmed] graphs in it to make the car drive as well as possible without collecting data.”
As such, the car will return to a base performance level programmed by the manufacturer should the sensor ever fail.
This can give you enough performance and range to get off the road and back home or to another destination mechanic that can diagnose the real problem.
You can just remove the two screws and put a new one in
Scotty Kilmer
Not only that, but it actually saves you money, especially if you don't have breakdown cover.
Police in Britain charge £150 for an emergency move plus a £20 daily rate for storage if you are forced to stop while blocking the road.
And even if you have coverage, it can cost up to €100 per year.
But Scotty quickly emphasized that disconnecting the sensor was not a permanent solution.
He added: “You don't want to drive it like this forever because it pollutes things pollution controls in the car.
“But if it's good enough to get you home or to the nearest auto parts store, you can just remove the two screws and install a new one.”
It comes after The Sun exclusively revealed that a The British Olympic legend was banned from driving after he was caught speeding.