If the fuel pump has died, which can happen after you’ve driven 100,000 miles, you won’t get any fuel to the engine. You may receive some warning that this is happening if it has become difficult starting your car, truck, or utility vehicle. Eventually, you won’t be able to get the engine started at all. New Castle Auto Repair advises this is just one sign that your fuel pump is going out. Here are the other signs.
Sputtering at High Speeds
Another indication that there is not enough fuel making its way into the engine is if your engine sputters at high speeds. This suggests that the fuel pump is having problems drawing the fuel out of the tank and moving it into the engine. The faster you go the more your engine will sputter.
Stress-Induced Power Loss
You will also lose power when your engine is under stress if the fuel pump cannot provide additional fuel to the combustion chamber. Examples of engines that are under stress include vehicles that must drive up steep inclines or tow trailers behind them.
Spurts of Unexpected Speed
So far, we’ve talked about how the fuel pump does not supply the engine with enough fuel. A faulty fuel pump can also overload the engine with fuel. When this happens, your vehicle runs on a rich fuel mixture that will cause it to pick up speed unexpectedly by itself.
Reduced Fuel Economy
All of these things will reduce your vehicle’s fuel economy because the engine is unable to run inefficiently. The fuel pump must supply the engine with the exact amount of fuel that it needs to meet its varying conditions. If it cannot do that, the engine will burn through whatever fuel it has quickly. This, unfortunately, reduces your gas mileage.
Overheating Constantly
If your engine is overheating constantly, it could actually be a problem being caused by the fuel pump. When the fuel pump draws the fuel out of the tank, it uses the fuel to keep its motor cool. If the fuel pump cannot draw enough fuel out of the tank to cool off the motor, your engine will overheat.
Reduced Fuel Pressure
Finally, a dying fuel pump will reduce the fuel pressure in your engine. You can test this pressure by purchasing a fuel pressure gauge. If the pressure is low, the fuel pump is going bad.
Call New Castle Auto Repair in New Castle, PA, today if you think your fuel pump might need to be replaced. We can do so if necessary.