We have all been there before, your low fuel light comes on, and you think, “I can make it, and just fill up later.” George Automotive Services is here to warn you why that is a bad idea and why you should never drive on empty.
You Could Run Out Of Gas
Yeah, we know this is the most obvious one, but it is not fun when you run out of gas while driving. Do not risk it and fill up when your low fuel light comes on. Other than being stuck on the side of the road, running out of gas could cause some severe damage to your car’s engine. Drive to a gas station, fill er’ up, and save yourself from possible engine damage.
Your Engine Needs Gas
We all know that your car needs gas to run, but why? What happens with that gas? Most vehicles have a combustion engine unless it’s a full electric, and that means it runs off of small combustions. To create these combustions, your engine needs three things, fuel, air, and a spark. Without fuel, your engine will experience misfires or sputtering and eventually severe damage to the engine. So it is not worth the risk of hurting your engine by not filling up.
Overloading Your Fuel Filter
Your fuel filter helps prevent the everyday dirt and debris found in fuel from getting into your engine. However, when you drive on low fuel or empty, this allows all that debris to find its way to your fuel filter in bulk amounts. This causes your fuel filter to get clogged faster than expected and can lead to your engine filling up with dirt and debris. This can lead to the grinding of engine parts and possibly cause the engine to lock up.
You Could Break Your Fuel Pump
Your car relies on your fuel pump to pump the fuel from the gas tank to the engine. This pump is meant to be submerged in fuel while it is running. If you run out of fuel, your fuel pump will run while exposed to air, and there will be no fuel to absorb the heat it creates. Without the fuel, the fuel pump becomes very hot, can overheat, and will fail. Thus, costing you more money than it would have cost to fill up.
Head the professionals’ warning at George Auto Service in Danville PA and save your car’s engine and its associated parts. The good news is that we can fix it for you if you damage your engine, fuel filter, or fuel pump. If this happens, give us a call for service.
