If your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s fuel pump is dying, it can actually overheat your engine. The reason why is that the fuel pump is not pulling enough gasoline or diesel fuel out of the tank to cool down its motor. Consequently, Bird Automotive advises that the fuel pump motor overheats, and this heat transfers to the engine. Once the engine gets too hot, it will overheat, as well. This is just one sign that your fuel pump is dying. We will list the other signs below.
Sputtering Engine
A sputtering engine is an indication that it is not getting enough fuel. Your automobile’s engine needs extra fuel when you want to drive faster. If the fuel pump is unable to disperse the fuel into the engine, your engine will struggle to run at high speeds.
Stress Power Loss
The same is true when the engine is under stress; it needs more fuel. If the fuel pump is unable to provide the necessary fuel to the engine to help it tow a trailer or drive up a steep hill, the engine will cut out and struggle under these conditions.
A Surging Engine
Sometimes, the fuel pump actually pushes too much fuel into the engine. When this happens, your engine will pick up speed erratically and unexpectedly even though you haven’t pressed down harder on the accelerator. This is called engine surging.
Poor Fuel Economy
All of these things directly affect your automobile’s fuel mileage. Unfortunately, until you replace the malfunctioning fuel pump, you will end up with poor fuel economy that sends you to the service station more often. This can get expensive.
Low Fuel Pressure
A dying fuel pump is unable to produce the fuel pressure recommended by your vehicle’s manufacturer. You can find the fuel pressure information in your owner’s manual. You can test your automobile’s fuel pressure using a special gauge that you can pick up at the auto parts store.
Hard Starts or No Start
Finally, anytime the engine is starved for fuel it is more difficult to get it started. If the engine is void of fuel, you won’t be able to start your automobile. Usually, you will experience one or more of the signs listed above before your engine goes completely dead. This is not guaranteed, however.
Call Bird Automotive in Oak Grove, MO, today if you suspect your fuel pump is going out. We will test the pump and replace it if necessary.
