Top Reasons For Poor Gas Mileage

One of the common issues many car owners face is poor gas mileage. This causes your car to run out of gas more often than usual. Here are some of the reasons for poor gas mileage.

Incorrect Engine Oil or Fuel

Engine oil is crucial for the proper function of your car. There are different engine oil grades. Therefore, if you use thicker oil than the appropriate grade for your car, the engine may over heat and cause you to consume more fuel. This is one of the reasons for low fuel mileage.

Another reason is using poor quality fuel. Fuel stations off era wide range of additives that promote the efficiency of your car's engine. Fuel additives clean the valves of your engines to minimize after-burn deposits, which helps prevent poor mileage. However, if you use the wrong additive, you'll experience poorer gas mileage.

Faulty O2 Sensors

The oxygen sensor is an essential component of the fuel management mechanism. The sensor checks unburned oxygen levels in your vehicle's exhaust system. The car's powertrain control module(PCM) uses information relayed by this sensor to determine if the car has too little or too much fuel.

The PCM adjusts the fuel mixture when the car is still running to ensure the best fuel economy. This module relies on the signal of the O2 sensor. However, when you have a worn-out O2 sensor, it's slow to respond to oxygen level sand, therefore, relays inaccurate information to the PCM. This results in high exhaust emissions and a significant drop in fuel economy.

Additionally, if the sensor is constantly tripping the check engine light, you need to have it replaced.

Bad Fuel Injectors

Fuel injectors are crucial for putting fuel in your car's engine. Your car's fuel pump transfers gasoline to the injector, which in turn, delivers it to the intake manifold. In the intake manifold, there's a fuel and air mix. After the fuel and air mixture is compressed, the resulting chemical reaction helps power the engine.

When your fuel injectors are working properly, your vehicle has good mileage. However, if you notice you're refilling your gas tank more often, your fuel injectors could be a possible culprit. You need to calla mechanic to inspect your fuel injectors before the problem gets worse.

Worn Out Spark Plugs

Spark plugs are responsible for igniting the air-fuel mixture, which causes your vehicle to start. Each cylinder in the car's engine has one spark plug, and spark plugs wear out because of heat and pressure in the engine.

If a single spark plug fails, there's a wider gap between the plugs. Your car will still run, but you'll notice weaker acceleration and a significant engine power loss. These factors will cause your car to consume more fuel than usual, which results in poor gas mileage.

Clutch Problems

If you have a manual transmission vehicle, one of the causes of poor fuel economy may be the clutch. As the clutch wears out, it starts to slip to higher gears. As a result, the car's engine is less efficient. This means your engine generates less power to the transmission, and you end up consuming more fuel. To resolve this issue, you'll have to replace the clutch.

Many car owners go to the mechanic for poor gas mileage. While poor driving habits and keeping the air conditioner on can affect your mileage, other mechanical issues also cause this problem. If you're having trouble with fuel consumption, you can count on Powers Transmissions &Complete Car Care for expert car repairs and maintenance. For more information on our services, contact us today.