What causes a fuel pump to go bad?

fuel injector

How does a car act when the fuel pump is going out?

A car fuel pump is as essential as the motor and transmission. A review of the car fuel system explained so that first sentence makes sense is the car fuel pump stores and supplies fuel to the motor. An intake system in the motor is where air and fuel is mixed then atomized, and vaporized. The amount of fuel pressure is regulated by a fuel pressure regulator that works by the amount of vacuum the intake system provides. 

If your car fuel pump isn’t getting the fuel from the gas tank to the motor, you’ll have to pump the gas pedal to get the fuel up to the motor. Once you get the fuel pumped up to the motor, it may not want to keep running, requiring you to keep pumping the pedal for the car fuel pump to keep fuel in it. A worn out car fuel pump will be a car fuel pump empty of fuel, and at this point, the more you pump the pedal, you could be pushing debris and trash into the car fuel pump which will clog it up and require professional mechanic service. 

Can a fuel pump go out without warning?

Absolutely! A car fuel pump will fail without warning more often than you may think. All things related to a car fuel pumps like the injectors, the  pressure regulator, and the car fuel pump itself are the part that are most replaced with the fuel system. Any of these components have a problem can cause a car fuel pump to quit, leaving you sitting at the intersection. a bank or fast food drive through, anywhere at any time, without any type of indication or warning.  

Will check engine light come on for fuel pump?    

It depends on the age of your car, but newer cars have an OBD system (on board diagnosis) and the check engine light or service engine soon light will come on. There is one drawback to the OBD system – there can be more than a 1,000 reasons that light has come on, and a car fuel pump is only one of those reason. 

When that OBD light comes on, the best thing you can do is take it to your mechanic and have them run a diagnosis with a special computer they will connect to the OBD sensor.  

This will provide them car fuel pump diagnosis as well as other diagnosis by a series of codes and lights. Each make of vehicles of certain year will have specific codes and your mechanic will have a guide detailing those codes. Possible causes the OBD reading from your car fuel pump could be:

  • Weak fuel pump.
  • Clogged fuel filter or screen.
  • Fuel line restricted. 
  • Car fuel pump driver module faulty.
  • Car fuel pump pressure sensor faulty.
close up of a engine

What are the signs of a bad fuel pump?

Today’s car fuel pump average more than 100,000 miles lifespan. A car fuel pump going out today is a rare occurrence, but it can happen. The basic car fuel pump failure symptoms that are warning you you’re your car fuel pump is going out are: 

  • Car is difficult to start because ethe fuel isn’t reaching the motor.
  • Acceleration hesitates because the fuel pump isn’t pushing fuel into the engine to give it power. 
  • Lose power intermittently or sputtering happens because the car fuel pump should still push fuel to the engine after it has started.  If the car fuel pump doesn’t produce that constant stream of fuel when you speed up, it will sputter, even stall and the car will quit. 
  • Check engine light comes on is telling you the OBD system is picking up a problem within your car’s operating system, the fuel pump could be one of the problems.  
  • Rough idling engine is result of the fuel pump isn’t sending fuel into the engine at a steady rate.
  • Engine smoking can be caused by the fuel pump has flooded the engine.
  • Excessive smell of fuel can indicate the car fuel pump is flooding the car’s system. 
  • Poor fuel economy from the fuel pump pushing more much fuel than normal. If you notice your getting worse fuel mileage, you should have your mechanic check your car fuel pump. 

How dangerous is a fuel pump malfunctioning, can you drive with a bad fuel pump? In most cars, a fuel pump will not have any spark causing it to explode. However, you won’t be able to drive your car with a bad fuel pump because it won’t be pumping fuel into the engine. If you’re unfortunate enough that your car fuel pump goes out while you’re driving, you’ll simply be stalled out where you are sitting. If you’re going down the road, your call will die and won’t restart. If this happens, turn your emergency flashers on and try to coast your vehicle to the side of the road then call for help. Call 941-493-6511 today for your fuel pump in Venice, FL.