If your truck is designed to tow trailers yet it loses significant power when you do so, you may have the trailer overloaded beyond your truck’s weight capacity or you may have a dying fuel pump. Willoughby Hills Auto Repair can inspect the fuel pump in your truck, car, or utility vehicle to determine if it needs to be replaced. If you have over 100,000 miles on your automobile, there’s a good chance that the fuel pump is bad. Here are other signs that this is the case.
Power Loss at High Speeds
Your automobile will also lose power when you are driving at higher speeds. The power loss will be reflected in a sputtering engine that acts as if it’s going to die. This power loss alongside the power loss when you tow a trailer is being caused by a lack of fuel in the engine. The malfunctioning fuel pump may be unable to provide enough fuel to sustain engine power.
Constant Overheating
A malfunctioning fuel pump can also overheat its own motor. This is because there isn’t enough fuel drawn from the tank to cool the motor off. When this happens, your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine may overheat as well. If you are experiencing overheating problems yet the cooling system is fine, you likely have an overheated fuel pump motor in the engine.
Reduced Fuel Pressure
The fuel pump is what generates fuel pressure in your vehicle’s engine. Your owner’s manual will tell you at what number the fuel pressure should be. If the fuel pressure is under this number or range, your fuel pump is not generating the pressure it needs to be generating. This is definitely a sign that it’s time to replace the fuel pump with the new one.
Reduced Gas Mileage
The fuel pump can also indirectly affect your vehicle’s fuel economy if it is not operating as it should be. The reason why you end up with a reduction in your automobile’s gas mileage is that the fuel pump is not providing enough fuel to the engine or it is releasing too much fuel into the engine. Both of these things affect your engine’s efficiency.
Difficulty Starting the Vehicle
Finally, a dying fuel pump will make it hard to get your car, truck, or utility vehicle started. Once the fuel pump is no longer operating, you will have a dead engine.
Call Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills, OH, today to schedule a fuel pump inspection.