You can count on Collins Auto Care if your car, truck, or utility vehicle needs a new fuel pump. Generally, this need arises at about 100,000 miles or around 10 years. We are going to list the signs that your fuel pump has gone bad below so you know what to look for in your automobile. Do not panic. We can replace the pump with a new one to restore your vehicle’s performance.
Performance Problems/Power Loss
Speaking of performance, one sign that the pump is going bad is if your automobile has performance problems and loses power when you are driving at faster speeds. The engine will also perform poorly and lose power when it is under stress. The reason why the engine struggles under these conditions is that the faulty pump is not sending enough fuel into the engine.
Picking Up Speed Unexpectedly
The pump can also malfunction and go crazy with the amount of fuel that it sends into the engine. When this happens, your engine will burn away the excess fuel and pick up speed unexpectedly while it does it. This can make driving your automobile unnerving because you don’t know what it’s going to do.
Rotten Fuel Economy
Whether you are having performance problems or the engine is surging, you will notice a significant reduction in your automobile’s fuel economy if the pump is going bad. Any time the engine struggles to run or surges it burns more fuel than normal.
Reduced Fuel Pressure
There will also be a reduction in your automobile’s fuel pressure. This can affect the fuel pump and the engine. The fuel pressure needs to be within a specific range in order for your engine to run inefficiently. A malfunctioning fuel pump may reduce the fuel pressure.
Rising Engine Temperatures
The lack of fuel pressure can also overheat the pump motor. When this happens, the heat is often transferred to the engine where it raises the engine’s temperature. This can actually cause your engine to overheat even though there is nothing wrong with the cooling system.
An Engine That Won’t Start
Finally, once the fuel pump dies completely, you will not be able to fire up your automobile. This is because the combustion chamber is filled with air but does not have any fuel. The pump did not transport the fuel out of the tank and into the engine.
Collins Auto Care in Houston, TX, is here to help, so bring us up today so we can test your fuel pump if it is malfunctioning.
