For one reason or another, you might be tempted to risk it all and drive around close to empty on occasion. Is that bad or good? The Auto Shop of Chapin has some reasons you might not want to keep doing that.
Lower Gas Levels Means More Sediment Can Leave the Tank
There’s a big reason that your car’s fuel system has a fuel filter, and that’s because your gas tank and the gas you buy have sediment in them. The fuel filter is the last attempt to keep as much of that stuff out of your car’s engine, where it can cause damage as it burns off. When you’re consistently driving around low on gas, that increases the risk that sediment is going to get pulled up by the fuel pump, clog up the fuel filter, and eventually make its way to the engine.
You Can Damage the Fuel Pump
Speaking of the fuel pump, while having sediment running through it isn’t great, that’s not the biggest problem you might run into if you’re driving on very little gas. Your car’s fuel pump is constantly running in order to pull gas into the engine and keep the engine running. Like any mechanical device that runs constantly, the fuel pump gets hot while it is running and having gas in the tank surrounding it actually helps to keep it cooler. Heat is damaging, and a hot fuel pump isn’t going to last as long as it should.
Starving the Engine Leads to Damage
When you let your car’s gas tank get close to empty or right there on the line, you’re essentially starving the engine of the gas it needs in order to run. What ends up happening is that the fuel to air ratio isn’t accurate and the engine misfires. Misfiring eventually leads to damage in the engine itself that only gets worse the longer it goes on. You experience misfiring as knocks and pings from the engine. As the damage gets worse, the knocks and pings get louder, too.
Your Car’s Gas Gauge May Not Be as Accurate as You Think
All of your car’s gauges are 100 percent accurate, right? Probably not. As shocking as it is, it’s true. Your car’s gas gauge is more of a suggestion than a completely accurate representation of how much gas is in your car’s tank. Also, if your car’s engine is working harder than it should be for other reasons, it’s going to burn gas faster than you realize. That means that you might not have nearly as much gas in that tank as you think you do.
Are you experiencing misfires or other problems with your car’s engine? Give us a call at The Auto Shop of Chapin in Chapin, SC. We’ll take a closer look and get you an accurate diagnosis.