A Brief Guide On How To Start A Car With A Bad Fuel Pump

A bad fuel pump can be a headache to vehicle owners. Sometimes, they are forced to work with a bad fuel pump. So, if a fuel pump has become faulty, but somehow works, you need to know how to start a car with a bad fuel pump. Well, you can fix a bad fuel pump using some temporary fixes. 

  • By joining a fuel pressure gauge to the car’s engine.
  • Using some outside pressure.
  • Ensuring that the vehicle’s engine is getting enough consistent heat. 

As a fuel pump is one of the major components of a motor vehicle, you need to be aware of all the tricks even if it goes bad suddenly.  We will be going to discuss these fixes in detail in the below points. So, keep reading. 

What Is A Fuel Pump?

How To Start A Car With A Bad Fuel Pump

A fuel pump is one of the essential components of a car or a motor vehicle. It is mainly used to transfer liquid gas to the engine of the car from the fuel tank. A fuel pump is usually placed between the gas tank and the engine of the car. 

In modern motor vehicles, people will be able to find an internal combustion engine as well as an electric fuel pump. On the other hand, people can also notice some motor vehicles where the fuel pump is already mounted in the fuel tank.  

What’s The Function Of A Fuel Pump?

Car owners will mainly notice 3 types of fuel pumps in their vehicles. Their functions are also different from each other. 

1. Mechanical Fuel Pump

These are generally considered low-pressure fuel pumps. The main purpose of a mechanical fuel pump is to transfer the gasoline to the fuel bowl of the spark-ignition engine from the tank. You will see 2 types of mechanical fuel pumps: plunger types and diaphragm types. 

2. Electric Fuel Pump

An electric fuel pump is mainly found in the system of fuel injection. Their purpose is to create high pressure to transfer gasoline from the pump.

But, the immense pressure an electric fuel pump creates may result in an explosion due to the ignition of the gasoline into the pump. So, you have to keep away from the car’s engine and the gasoline tank. 

3. Fuel Pump With High Pressure

The purpose of a fuel pump with high pressure is to inject the liquid fuel into the chamber of combustion directly. Car owners will need a pressure of more the 200 Pascals to make these types of fuel pumps work.  However, fuel pumps with high pressure are more durable than electric and mechanical fuel pumps. 

However, their designs are complicated as well. These types of fuel pumps can inject liquid gas into the combustion chamber without wasting it and overflowing it. 

Symptoms Of A Bad Fuel Pump

Bad fuel is extremely harmful to your car. When a fuel pump is about to expire, it continuously gives your multiple signs. Here are the signs that the fuel pump is bad.

symptoms of a bad fuel pump
Due to the poor fuel efficiency, you will see lower gas mileage than usual. 
The main sign of a bad fuel pump is that you will struggle to start the engine of the car.
You will need more cranks than usual after the vehicle starts, it is indeed a symptom of a bad or faulty fuel pump.
You might hear a whining sound from the back of your car. 
You will also notice the engine surging due to a faulty fuel pump. 

How To Start A Car With A Bad Pump- These Temporary Fixes Will Save Your Day

If the fuel pump of your car is not totally gone wrong, you must be aware of the fixes that make the fuel pump work again. There are some tips and tricks by which you do not need to replace your faulty fuel right now and thus these tricks can save your day from wasting. 

So, here is how to make a fuel pump work again without replacing it.

1. Joining A Fuel Pressure Gauge To The Engine Of The Car

When you consider joining a fuel pressure gauge to the car’s engine, it will help the engine start again. Also, you will be able to find out whether there is any fault that occurs in the fuel pump or not. 

2. Using Some Outside Pressure

This is an essential temporary fuel pump fix that you may try if you do not have a fuel pressure gauge. If you apply some manual pressure from outside, it will help in starting the car’s engine.

So, what you can do is hook up an air pump to the gas tank. Then. keep it running until you notice the tank being pressurized. 

3. Ensuring That The Vehicle’s Engine Is Getting Enough Consistent Heat. 

To do this, you need to let the engine cool down first. It will help the fuel pump reset. Then you will not require any pressure. 

How To Prolong Your Fuel Pump’s Life

How To Start A Car With A Bad Fuel Pump
Keep Your Fuel Tank Full As Much As Possible
Only Fill Up At Newer Gas Stations.
Don’t Fill Up When The Fuel Delivery Truck Is At The Gas Station
Use A High-Quality Replacement Fuel Pump
Replace the fuel filter at least an interval of 30,000 miles.  

Frequently Asked Questions-

1. What happens when your fuel pump goes out?

When the fuel pump goes out, your car or vehicle that you are using will begin to behave very strangely. You will notice difficulty to start your vehicle. Also, you might hear a whining sound from the back of your car. All these will happen because the fuel pump is not able to push enough gas to the engine. 

2. Can you start a car with a failed fuel pump?

Well, you might be able to start your car or vehicle with a failed fuel pump. But, this can be possible if the fuel pump of the car is not failed properly, and somehow working.

In this condition, you might start the vehicle using manual pressure and joining a fuel pressure gauge. Also, you need to make sure that the engine of the vehicle gets proper heat.  

3. Can you tap on a fuel pump to get it to work?

If the fuel pump of the car gets entirely bad, even tapping on it will not work. What you can do is leave the engine to get it cool. When it will be cooled, the fuel pump will be reset and then it might start. 

4. How do you fix a fuel pump without replacing it?

Here are the tricks that you may use to fix a fuel pump without replacing it.

  1. You need to apply a fuel pressure gauge to the car’s engine. 
  2. You should always check whether your car’s engine is getting enough heat or not.
  3. To maintain the engine’s performance, you may consider using some outside pressure on the engine. 

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