Auto Solutions is a full-service auto repair shop in Orlando, FL, and this includes taking care of your vehicle’s fuel system. If you’ve ever run out of gas, you know that your car, truck, or utility vehicle cannot operate without fuel. There are four common problems that plague automotive fuel systems. Here’s what they are and what causes them in the first place.
1. Bad or Clogged Fuel Injectors
Fuel injectors have special nozzles that spray gasoline directly into the intake manifold or cylinders. Your engine uses this gas by combining it with air to create the perfect conditions for combustion. Burning air and gasoline – combustion – creates carbon deposits, and those deposits can clog the fuel injectors. Your fuel injectors can also malfunction if they get stuck in the open or closed position.
2. Clogged Fuel Filter
Fuel filters remove sediment and other contaminants from your vehicle’s gasoline before it is pushed through to the fuel injectors. This not only helps prevent the injectors from being clogged by this sediment but also protects the engine from damaging debris. A clogged fuel filter will reduce engine performance and could introduce fuel contaminants into the engine, thereby damaging it.
3. Clogged or Leaking Fuel Lines
The fuel travels through lines in the fuel system and they, too, can get clogged. They can also leak, which will introduce dangerous driving conditions in your engine. Excess gasoline can ignite, throw off your vehicle’s exhaust, and even shoot flames out of the tailpipe. Age is usually the culprit behind clogged or leaking fuel lines. Fuel system maintenance can help prevent problems with the fuel lines.
4. Malfunctioning Fuel Pump
All of the above start with the fuel pump. The fuel pump draws the gasoline out of the tank, pushes it through the fuel lines and fuel filter, and gets it to the fuel injectors so they can spray the gasoline into the engine. The fuel pump can clog and it can also malfunction. Older fuel pumps were hydraulic, but new pumps are electric, and if the motor overheats or burns out, you won’t get any gas to the engine.
Bonus: The Wrong Gasoline
A bonus fuel system problem? Gasoline. If you put the wrong type of gas in your automobile, you will notice it in the engine’s performance. For example, if you drive a high-performance sports car and you fill the tank with 87-octane fuel, you’ll have performance loss, misfiring, knocking, and your vehicle might even backfire. Always use the octane your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends.
Auto Solutions in Orlando, FL, can help with your car’s fuel system problems. Give us a call to schedule an appointment.
