Sometimes your car may suddenly stop and you’re there stuck thinking that you have run out of gas or that your gas gauge is defective. But there’s a good chance that this has something to do with a bad fuel pump. So what you should do when it comes to this?
Fortunately, there are temporary solutions to address the issue of a bad fuel pump. In this article, you’ll learn about the most common signs of a bad fuel pump in a car and how you can best address it.
Figuring Out If Your Fuel Pump Has Issues
The best way to check if your fuel pump is faulty is to inspect the fuse panel and check if the fuse is blown. For cars that have two fuse panels, check the one that’s on the engine compartment. The circuit box or fuse panel can be found near the battery and comes in the form of a small black box and has a removable cover.
When you open the cover, you’ll find the fuse index. Most manufacturers list down the fuses by number and position and you’ll find this on the cover. If you don’t find the list, then refer to your car’s manual to find out where it’s located.
Pull the fuse out to get to the fuel pump. Hold it close to inspect if it is broken. If it is, then you should immediately replace it. There are some cars that have extra fuses for the fuel pump so you can use them. But make sure that you’re using the fuse with the same color or the one that has a similar AMP number with what’s listed at the top of the original fuse.
If there’s nothing wrong with the fuse, then check the fuel pump relay. You should find this on the same box. The location of the relay will also be indicated on the cover of the box or in your car’s manual.
You need test equipment to test the relay although most of the relays in the box have similar size and AMP rating. Replace the relay with another one and then try to start your vehicle or listen closely to the fuel pump as it runs while the engine is on. This should give you an idea if the relay is defective or not. If the test is successful and the fuel pump works, make sure you replace the defective relay before you start driving your car.
Starting a Car with a Bad Fuel Pump
It’s important to first check if the fuel pump of your car is really defective. There are many ways to do this. One of the most basic indications of a faulty fuel pump is that the engine has low pressure. A bad fuel pump has the tendency to lower the required pressure that can affect the air to fuel ratio of your car’s engine.
Driving your car while the fuel pump is faulty could easily burn the pump’s motor and will overheat the engine. Overheating is actually one of the most common signs that your fuel pump is bad. Nevertheless, there are several other solutions on how you can start your car with a bad fuel pump.
Here are some of them:
Apply External Pressure
One thing that you can do when starting a car with a bad fuel pump is to apply external pressure. The biggest issue with a bad fuel pump is that it has the tendency to reduce the required pressure needed to operate the car and this can lead to issues with the car’s performance. Thus, the best way to address this is to apply external pressure as you start your car. The external pressure can help to maintain the necessary level of pressure that can make the engine to work.
Use a Fuel Pressure Gauge
The use of a fuel pressure gauge is among the most effective solutions when it comes to dealing with a bad fuel pump. In fact, even mechanics swear by this method.
You just need to attach the pressure gauge to your car’s engine. This way you will be able to start your car even though the fuel pump is bad while also giving you an idea on the actual issue.
Maintain Your Car Engine’s Heat
Maintaining the car engine’s heat can also make for a good solution when it comes to starting a car that has a bad fuel pump. The reason why your car will still work despite the bad fuel pump is because when the car gets cooler, the pump will reset without the need to apply heat and pressure. However, this will result in the car’s immediate malfunctioning and disruption of its performance.
The best thing that you can do in order to start a car with a faulty fuel pump is to maintain enough heat on the engine. This can help to minimize the frequent malfunctioning of your car and can stabilize its performance.
Remember that although there are ways to make a car run despite the bad fuel pump, you should make sure to address this problem. If the bad fuel pump is left unattended, this can lead to several other issues that could result in a costly repair.
Here are some of these problems:
- Increase in the temperature of the car’s engine
- Surging
- Power loss
- Frequent engine failures
- Engine sputtering
- Decrease in car’s mileage
In order to avoid any of the issues above, try not to use your car if it has a bad fuel pump. The above solutions are only temporary and they also come with risks. So make sure you get your fuel pump repaired as soon as possible.
A bad fuel pump is a very complex problem that requires professional intervention. Don’t attempt to fix it on your own if you don’t have the skills.
If your car has a bad fuel pump and you can’t seem to start it then you should contact Towingless.com. We can provide you a 24-hour local help.