The fuel pump is one of the most important parts of the car that should not be joked with. It is devise in the gas tank responsible for pumping fuel through the fuel lines to the engine.
Fuel pumps are not made to last forever, they are also not made to last for a short period of time. The only downside is that, a fuel pump can fail suddenly either while driving or not. Therefore, what happens when fuel pump goes out while driving?
When your fuel pump goes out while driving, the engine will start to sputter until it turn off by itself. The car will slow down and come to a stop. You will not be able to start the car until you replace the pump.
Can a Fuel Pump Goes Out While Driving?
Yes, a fuel pump can go out while driving. As a matter of fact, fuel pumps are know to fail suddenly irrespective of whether you are driving or not.
Therefore, for a fuel pump to go bad while driving, it means the pump is old or has been in use for a long time. Other factors that can contribute to failure of fuel pumps while driving ranges from bad gas to clogged fuel filter.
What Happens When Fuel Pump Goes Out While Driving?
When your fuel pump goes out while driving:
1. The Car will Start to Sputter
Your car will start to sputter when the fuel pump goes out while driving and the reason for the sputtering is because the engine is not achieving full combustion. This is one of the major signs of a bad fuel pump or low gas.
You usually experience engine sputtering when you are about to run out of gas, therefore, if the fuel pump goes out while driving, it will not longer be able to pump the required gas needed in the engine, hence why it sputters.
2. Speed Reduction
If you are on a high speed when the fuel pump goes out, you will notice reduction in speed. The reason for this is because the fuel pump which is pumping gas to the engine has failed therefore, the car is not getting enough gas to function.
For example, I’ve experienced this in the past. I was on a journey and my fuel pump went out on the way. Though I was able to start the car again, but my speed reduced terribly.
3. Slow Acceleration
As reiterated earlier, if your fuel pump goes out while the car is in motion, the will notice reduction in your speed and you will not be able to accelerate to a certain miles per hour or RPM.
The day my fuel pump went out while I was on a journey, I was not able to accelerate to increase the speed. The car was just moving very slow.
4. The Car will Turn Off
When the fuel pump fails while the car is in motion, it can cause the car turn to off by itself. Since the gas is what causes the car to run, if the engine is starved of gas, it will just turn off by itself.
Nonetheless, the car may not just turn off suddenly, it may show other signs such as sputtering before it turns off.
5. The Car Will Come to a Stop
Your car will come to a stop when the fuel pump goes out while driving. If the pump is completely bad that it can no longer function at all, the car will turn off by itself and slowly come to a stop. However, this is possible if the fuel pump has completely gone bad.
6. Misfire
You may experience serious misfire when your fuel pump goes out while driving. The misfire is because the engine is lacking the quantity of gas needed to operate optimally. The misfire will go off when the pump is replaced.
7. Failure to Start
As stated earlier, your car may turn off by itself when the fuel pump goes out while driving, if you try to turn the car on, it may not respond.
Failure to start or hard start is one of the symtoms of a bad fuel pump and it is because the fuel pump is no longer in good condition to give the engine what it needs.
This can be very scary considering the fact that the car is in motion. It can suddenly stop in the middle of no where and can even stop before you can pull over in the middle of freeway.
When it happens, you may try to start the car, if the pump has completely gone bad, the car will fail to start leaving you stranded.
8. Reduced Engine Power
You will also experience a reduced engine power when your fuel pump goes out while driving because the fuel pump is not pumping enough fuel needed for the engine to operate, therefore, the engine will struggle to perform. This is if the pump has not completely gone bad.
What to Do When Fuel Pump Goes Out While Driving
If your fuel pump goes out while driving, gather yourself together and pull on the side of the road. If the car is still able to turn on and drive, you can manage the car to where you can have the pump replaced or better still have it towed to where the pump can be changed.
When my fuel pump went out, it was in the middle of a lonely road. I was lucky because the car was still able to turn on. The only problem I had was that it was just rolling and couldn’t add any speed whenever I pressed the acceleration pedal.
I had to manage the car for another 20kilometer to where I was able to have the pump replaced. If in your case the car fails to start, you can just call a towing company and have it towed to where the pump can be replaced.
What Can Cause a Fuel Pump to Fail While Driving?
Here are things that can cause a fuel pump to go out while driving:
- Bad Gas: Bad gas can damage your fuel pump and cause it to fail suddenly. If you form the habit of buying bad gas, the day will come when it will completely destroy your pump.
- Clogged Fuel Filter: If fuel filter is clogged, it can cause the pump to go out.
- Old Age: If the pump has been in use for a long time, it can fail anytime whether you’re driving or not.
- Foreign Substance in the Gas Tank: The gas tank is only made to house the fuel pump, fuel filter, and other fuel addictive such as injector cleaners. However, if there’s a foreign substance in the fuel tank, it can cause the pump to spoil. For example, if you put sugar in your fuel tank, sooner or later the pump will spoil.
Conclusion
Whatever happens when your fuel pump goes bad while driving depends on how bad the pump is. If there is little life remaining in the pump, the engine will struggle to perform, the car will slow down and will not accelerate to a certain speed.
However, if the fuel pump has completely gone bad, the car will slow down and stop, and if you try to start it, it will fail to start.
Therefore, when you experience a fuel pump failure when the car is motion, tow the car to an auto shop where the pump can be replaced. If the car is able to start, you can manage to drive the car to an auto shop.