As all of you know the gas tank is an important part of your car but have you ever wondered what is its role? Is it only a place to store the fuel? What should you do to help it perform at its best condition? Let’s find out 3 essential things to know about your gas tank in car in this article.
What Is A Car Gas Tank?
A car gas tank (or petrol tank) is a safe container for flammable fluids. This term applies to the part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propelled (fuel pump) or released (pressurized gas) into the car engine. The fuel tanks would differ in size and complexity from the small plastic tank of a butane lighter to the multi-chambered cryogenic space shuttle external tank.
Fuel tanks are made from different materials, but the most common are materials from plastic, steel, and aluminum.
How Does My Car Fuel Tank Work?
Searching for some information about working a car fuel tank? In that case, all you have to do is keep on reading further.
There is a full spout in the fuel tank that is filled with fuel. The fuel spout is connected to the filler neck of the fuel tank. It is equipped with a check valve or release valve so that the fuel can be allowed to go into the tank to restore the air inside the tank.
Now when the tank is full, and there is no air remaining, then the pressure signals the fuel station pump to stop sending fuel. Now once the fluid is inside the tank, then the mechanical float that reads fuel level would be adjusted and then sucked from the tank on demand by the fuel pump.
3 Essential Things to Know About Gas Tanks in Car
#1. Fuel tank capacity.
All of the cars are designed for a specific capacity gas storage. And the size of the gas tank depends on the type of car, the brand of car. Such as big cars like SUVs, trucks have larger gas tanks than usual while the smaller for the nano cars. But in general, the gas tank size is some litters between 45 and 65 liters.
In the past, due to the gas station rarity, some car brands designed the second fuel tank and they called it a “reserve tank”. This reserve tank can contain approximately 15% of the capacity of the primary tank. Nowadays, instead of designing the second fuel tank, car designers combine the two tanks into one.
If it is written that the capacity is 60 liters, it means that the gasoline tank capacity can contain 60 liters of fuel. That number also covers the reserve tank capacity which only indicates the level where the fuel light will warn you about the low level of gas.
You will receive the warning about the low level of fuel and you will not be able to drive your car if there is only 5 to 10 liters of gas left because of the automotive stop functioning.
#2. Types of Car Fuel.
Gasoline is the most common type of fuel used in today’s vehicles. Gasoline allows for fast acceleration, quick starting, quiet operation, and easy combustion.
Diesel is another type of fuel that is commonly used, although it tends to be in larger vehicles such as trucks. Diesel fuel vehicles have a 30 percent better fuel efficiency than gasoline vehicles.
Ethanol is a bio-fuel that is made from corn, sugar cane, barley, or other natural products. Some cars can run on 100 percent ethanol, where other vehicles use it as an additive.
Bio-diesel is made from palm oil, rapeseed, or sugar beet. Bio-diesel burns cleaner than gasoline and diesel fuel.
Every vehicle comes with manufacturer’s recommendations for the right type of fuel for your vehicle. It is important to know these as putting the wrong fuel in your gas tank can cause problems with your car and can be potentially dangerous.
If you have a specialty vehicle or high-performance car, you may need high octane fuel in your gas tank.
#3. Always Keep a 1/4 Tank of Gas in Your Car.
Have you ever wondered what the minimum amount of gas is that you should always keep in your car’s gas tank? Some experts say that you should always maintain at least ¼ of the fuel level in a gas tank in car. But why?
In the past, the experts gave this recommendation due to the sediment forming at the bottom of a gas tank. Low level of fuel in the gas tank may lead to some trouble for your car, for instance: mechanical issues, gas consumption, safety… Recently, car manufacturers improved the function of gas tanks.
Therefore, it is believed that gasoline or diesel fuel helps keep the fuel pump found in modern gas tanks cool, making going below ¼ tank of gas less troublesome.
However, letting your fuel get too low can damage your car a lot. The older car, manufactured before the 1990s, had the fuel tank made from metal and tended to rust overtime. This may cause a problem if the fuel pump sucks up any sediment within a fuel tank.
Fortunately, the new generation of cars have the fuel tank made of high density plastic. This can reduce the problem caused by sediment.
What Are The Common Car Fuel Tank Problems?
Some frequent problems with fuel tanks are as follows:
- Rust in Fuel Tank – We are all aware that water and fuel both do not mix and just because water is denser than fuel, water rests at the bottom of the fuel tank. The presence of water for a long time would give rise to rust. The process of rusting is accelerated if there are ridges as well as sharp edges in the fuel tank. Rust can also start extending to other parts of the fuel line.
- Failure in the fuel pump – If there is a failure in the car fuel pump, then you will have to replace it as it is a non-serviceable part. There are a lot of problems which can be caused due by a failing pump like your car engine can start cranking but will not start. You’ll probably notice unexpected shaking at highway speeds or clunky acceleration before it reaches that stage.
- Defects in the fuel injectors – The gasoline is sprayed into the combustion chamber by the fuel injectors. If they become unclean, blocked, or leak, you may encounter a variety of issues. The most prevalent symptoms are a sluggish idle and a lack of performance. However, you can end up with a knocking or non-starting engine. You can clean and get your car fuel injectors serviced as per your requirement. If you are having trouble driving, then your mechanic should surely have a look at them.
- Dirt in the fuel filter – A fuel filter is installed in the fuel system to remove contaminants from the gasoline, keeping the engine and fuel injectors clean. While changing fuel filters used to be very simple, many new cars now have them located inside the gas tank alongside the pump. If you find out that your car fuel filter is clogged, then it will restrict the flow of gasoline to the engine, leading the car to suddenly lose speed or power or it can also cause a jerking motion when you will try to accelerate. Make sure to ask your mechanic when the best time is to replace your car’s fuel filter.
How Far Can a Car Go with the Fuel Light on?
You might have already checked the fuel tank capacity of your automobile. Well, it’s also important to know how far it can go when the fuel light turns red. You certainly don’t need to panic because the indicator just signals that the fuel has reached the reserve level, which is almost 10% to 15% of the total capacity of the chamber.
So, it means that the car still has enough juice to drag you a couple of miles. If the fuel tank capacity of the vehicle is 60 liters, the needle indicates the E level (about to run out), then, in fact, there are still 5-10 liters to go to the nearest gas station. However, drivers should keep the fuel in the tank from 1/4 or more, because if you often drive the car when out of gas, it will hurt your engine.
However, it’s not a good idea to drive until the tank is dry because you will only draw the sediment through the system and damage the engine parts because these will have more friction and overheat the engine because of the low level of fuel.
You must always keep 1/4 of the fuel tank for the following reasons. First, the fuel in the tank helps to cool the fuel pump located below the fuel tank. Second, this helps prevent rust from entering the fuel filter.
How To Handle When Putting Wrong Fuel In Your Car?
Automakers all recommend calling for help and technicians immediately after detecting that the vehicle has been filled with the wrong fuel. According to practical experience, when the wrong fuel is poured into the diesel engine, the car can still move a few kilometers. However, the engine makes a loud noise and then shuts off completely.
Draining of fuel in the tank. Put new oil into the high-pressure pump for rinsing. Then let the car idle for 10-20 minutes to check if the engine starts normally or not. If the car has a strange noise, take the car to the service center to have it checked.
When the wrong fuel is poured into a vehicle with a gasoline engine, the problem can be more serious, as it can damage the engine. This case should have the timely support of the mechanic to suck out fuel, clean, and check.
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