You may encounter one day that your car’s engine rpm does not exceed 3,000 revolutions per minute. Often, this problem occurs suddenly and without warning.
You may be running normally, but when you stop the engine and restart it, you find that it does not rev up. This problem usually occurs with the cooling fans.
Other cases occur after repairs to a part of the engine, such as a turbo or air filter replacement. No symptoms appear to indicate a problem with the engine. You may find the car running perfectly normally, but the RPM does not exceed 3,000 revolutions per minute. You will not be able to drive the car at this speed, or at least you will not be able to shift higher than second gear.
When the engine’s RPM stops at a certain level, it’s a warning sign of an engine problem. Therefore, car manufacturers disable the throttle and stop the RPM at 3,000 RPM. This allows the car to be driven at a slow speed and reach the nearest workshop for an engine inspection.
This process is accompanied by the operation of the cooling fans to protect the engine from overheating due to the slow speed.
The problem is actually a measure to protect the engine and avoid excessive stress on it, as the problem that has appeared in the engine will not be resolved by pressing the throttle. On the contrary, if the RPM exceeds 3,000 revolutions per minute, it may lead to a complete engine failure.
There are many reasons why the RPM may not exceed 3,000 revolutions per minute, the most important of which are a broken turbo connection that delivers air to the engine, a blocked air vent that delivers air to the filter, or a dirty air filter itself.
Some cars experience this problem when the engine’s head gasket is damaged or the engine temperature rises abnormally. As a result, if the engine stalls at 3,000 RPM, stop it immediately and inspect it, ensuring the air and electrical connections are in good condition.
There are other reasons why the RPM may not exceed 3,000 revolutions per minute, especially in modern cars. When starting the car in the cold morning, the temperature is very low. As a precaution, the car’s engine control system stops the RPM at 3,000 to protect the engine and prevent damage to any of its internal components.
