Having a bad gas cap is one of the least problem any car owner would experience as gas caps are not easy and quick to spoil. However, what happens when it eventually goes bad? Can a bad gas cap cause idle problems?
Yes, a bad gas cap can cause idle problems because when the gas cap goes bad, nothing will stop dust, debris, tiny stones, and dirt from getting into the car gas tank, and then these impurities start to find their way into your fuel, causing it to be impure, and ultimately causing your car’s performance to drop.
What is a Gas Cap?
A Gas cap is that component that prevents dirt, dust, debris, tiny stones, etc. from gaining entry into the gas tank of your car, making sure the gas or fuel is properly sealed in the tank.
It acts as the cover to the gas tank, this is why it is a very important part of a vehicle. Also, asides from functioning as a cover to the gas tank, it converts harmful and dangerous gas vapor into bland, harmless emissions in the car’s emission system.
It is that part of your car that you have to open and remove whenever your car runs out of fuel and you want to refuel in a filling station.
Can a Bad Gas Cap Cause Idle Problems?
Yes, a bad gas cap can cause idle problems by allowing dust, debris, tiny stones, and dirt to get into the gas tank of your car, and then these impurities start to find their way into your fuel, causing it to be impure, and ultimately causing your car’s performance to drop.
Depending on the type of dirt that enters the tank, over time, your gas tank itself might begin to leak, which will leak out fuel, worsen the gas mileage and increase the possibility of your car going up in flames.
When a gas cap is bad, the car begins to experience gas problems and also emission problems, this is because the part of the gas cap responsible for turning harmful vapor into harmless emission stops functioning, and the car’s emission system doesn’t get the right message, causing it to malfunction.
With this, we know that a bad or loose gas cap can cause problems such as emitting weird, annoying, and terrible gas smells, indicating that your fuel is leaking, and in the long run, if it goes unchecked, it will lead to serious engine leak that will waste your fuel and reduce the performance and efficiency of your engine.
What are the Symptoms of a Bad Gas Cap?
Signs of a bad gas cap are:
1. Coloration Around the Gas Tank Mouth
Since the gas cap is a frequently used component of your car, you will likely always notice changes around it.
When you notice there is a color that wasn’t there before, a strange coloration around the door of the gas tank, you should know that there is something wrong with the gas cap and that it is probably leaking, or failing in one way or another.
Coloration means that the gas cap is not sealed properly. If it’s not sealed properly, you should try to seal it, and if you notice it isn’t sealing properly, then it means it has gone bad, and the color changes indicate that fuel is escaping from the tank.
2. Fuel Residue at the Door
Anytime you open the door to the gas tank and you notice there’s fuel around the door, then it means that the gas cap is worn out, isn’t sealing properly, and is causing leakage of fuel out of the tank.
The fuel you find around the door is just the amount that was caught by the door. It indicates that your fuel has been leaking out.
3. The smell of Gas/Fuel
When you start smelling gas around your car while driving, it could be indicating that your gas cap is loose, and that should be the first place you check.
A loose gas cap will cause leakage of fuel, which will, in turn, produce a terrible smell of gas around your car.
4. Tightening Problems
When you begin to have problems while trying to tighten the gas cap, it means the gas cap is worn out, and you have a bad gas cap. You must change it immediately.
The problems can be in form of your gas cap coming loose again by itself after tightening, or it could be that it is simply not keying to the mouth of the gas tank. This is another indication that you have a bad gas cap.
5. Gas Mileage Deteriorates
When your fuel starts to leak, your car starts to consume more fuel than it should, which will make you buy more fuel than you used to when your gas cap was functioning. This is a deterioration of the gas mileage as a result of leakages caused by a bad gas cap.
6. Check Engine Light
A bad gas cap can also cause a major engine leakage. Once this happens, invariably, the check engine light on your dashboard comes on.
If you have missed all the other symptoms that your gas cap is bad, then you certainly cannot miss, or ignore the check engine light once it illuminates on your car’s dashboard.
How Often Should I Replace my Gas Cap?
You don’t need to worry about replacing your gas cap anytime soon if there is nothing wrong with it. The design of a gas cap is for it to last for fifty thousand (50,000) miles or more.
Once any of the symptoms above shows up, you know it’s time to replace your gas cap. Usually, you are notified if it is time to replace your gas cap when you go for your routine car maintenance.
Conclusion
You might also wonder if a bad gas cap can cause your car to misfire. Yes, it can. A bad gas cap causes problems such as engine stalling, engine leakage, and then can also cause your car to misfire, even though other things can cause misfiring in a car.
Once you notice any of the symptoms above, you should proactively check your gas cap, and replace it, so that a minor headache doesn’t affect the other parts of your body, aggravating what could have been a little problem.