How Old Gasoline is a Threat to Your Car Engine

Gasoline represents one of the most convenient forms of fuel for automobiles. Other methods of fueling a car such as charging an electric car’s battery can take hours, where refueling a gasoline-using car takes but a few minutes.The problem is that gasoline can be incredibly harmful to your automobile when it breaks down. It can create a thick varnish that can clog the finer components of your car, which can lead to everything from rough idling and a loss of power to the inability to start your automobile. Let’s take a look at some of the problems old gasoline can cause and what you can do to remedy them.

What Problems Can Old Gas Cause?

As gasoline sits within the fuel system of a car, it tends to turn into a thick varnish that coats and clogs various components within your car. Carburetors and fuel injectors tend to be the most vulnerable to this due to the nature of the small jets within these components.

When these components become clogged, the entire vehicle begin to runs poorly. It may miss, have trouble accelerating, lose power, cease idling, or refrain from starting in the first place.

Other areas where old gas can become a problem pertains to the fuel pump and fuel sensor. Old gas can turn into varnish, which in turn can diminish the ability for these components to function. Your vehicle may be unable to read the fuel levels in your car, strain while trying to pump more fuel from the tank to the engine, or cease to function due to a stoppage of fuel flow.

The last major area where old gas becomes a problem is within the engine cylinders. Varnish tends to turn into carbon, which in turn sticks to the walls of the cylinders. This buildup increases friction, which increases the wear of your vehicle’s engine and reduces fuel efficiency. Excessive carbon buildup may cause the check engine light to come on due increased emissions, poor idling, and difficulting starting your engine.

What Can You Do About Old Gas?

There are a number of ways that you can prevent old gasoline from affecting your automobile. Using premium or super premium unleaded gasoline tends to reduce carbon buildup due to the higher octane rating of the gasoline.

Another thing you can do is to add fuel stabilizer to your gasoline. This helps to prevent the gas from breaking down into varnish, which is especially useful when the automobile is going to sit for a few weeks to years without being driven.

If old gasoline becomes a problem, then fuel system cleaners are seldom able to fix the problem. The components must be taken apart by a qualified mechanic, cleaned, and replaced when cleaning is not adequate to restore any lost functionality.

If your Acura, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Lexus or Toyota automobile shows the signs of fuel system problems, then the first thing you should do is to give us a call at A&J Automotive.

By calling (919) 431-9595, we can schedule you for an appointment to diagnose your car’s condition while giving it the maintenance it needs to run free from common problems like old gasoline issues.