8 reasons why cars 'eat gas' abnormally

(Baonghean.vn) - After a period of use, cars may have problems that lead to abnormal fuel consumption. With this condition,Drivers need to "diagnose the problem" to fix it promptly.

1. Bad engine thermostat

The thermostatic valve helps control the engine temperature, it keeps the engine warm when starting cold. This device is located on the pipe connected to the radiator. At low engine temperature, the valve is closed, water only circulates inside the engine. When the temperature reaches 85 - 95 degrees Celsius, the valve opens to send water through the radiator to cool.

If the thermostat does not close tightly, it slows down the engine heating process, so it needs more fuel.

A simple way to check is to immediately put your hand on the water pipe leading to the radiator after starting the engine cold. If you feel water flowing inside, it means the thermostat is broken.

Sometimes it also arises due to dirty injectors, open intake manifold, low injection pressure or loss of pressure in one of the cylinders.

2. Low coolant

The coolant temperature sensor is mounted on the side of the engine, in direct contact with the coolant and is made of resistors. When the sensor is faulty, it will report a lower deviation than the actual temperature.

As a result, the ECU registers that the engine is cold even though the engine is actually hot, so the amount of fuel injected into the engine will be more than normal. If this condition persists, it will waste fuel for the vehicle.

Drivers should check the coolant temperature sensor regularly. If the temperature is 85 - 90 degrees Celsius, the sensor is working properly. On the contrary, if the result deviates from the above threshold, the sensor is likely to be damaged; it needs to be checked and repaired as soon as possible.

3. Clogged drain

Any obstruction in the exhaust system increases exhaust pressure, thereby increasing fuel consumption.

If the cause of the blockage of the exhaust pipe is due to the pipe being distorted or folded due to a collision, it is necessary to restore its original state. In the case of a blocked catalytic converter, it is necessary to use a tool to check the pressure difference between the intake and exhaust pipes at idle. If this difference decreases, it means that the catalytic converter is blocked.

4. Low tire pressure

Maintaining stable tire pressure and appropriate weather conditions is one of the top tips for drivers.

In case the tire pressure is too low, the tire will wear on both sides because it only contacts the road surface with two sides of the tire, which will lead to increased fuel consumption due to high rolling resistance. According to estimates, if the tire pressure is below standard by about 3PSI (1kg/cm2 = 14.22 PSI), the car will consume 1-2% more fuel. In addition, low tire pressure also reduces tire life by 10-15%.

5. Using the wrong lubricant

Normally, current car models use 5W-20 or 5W-30 viscosity lubricants. However, there are some cases where 0W-20 viscosity lubricants can be used. Using low viscosity oil helps save fuel, especially in cold weather conditions.

But drivers need to pay attention, if using the wrong type of oil, it will make the car consume a lot of gas.

6. Long time no change of engine oil

When you accidentally “miss” the appointment to change the engine oil for a long time, the lubricating ability of the oil is no longer effective, thus leading to greater friction when the engine is running and making the machine hotter. Therefore, your car will “consume” much more gasoline than normal.

7. Dirty engine air filter

Similar to the above causes, dirty engine air filters also hinder engine operation, thereby significantly increasing the vehicle's fuel consumption.

8. Brake lock, handbrake jam

The car's brakes are stuck, the handbrake (parking brake) is not fully released, which is also the reason why your car "drinks" a lot of gas.

In addition to technical reasons, bad habits of the driver also affect the fuel consumption of the vehicle, such as: sudden acceleration and deceleration causing fuel consumption 4-5 times, carrying too heavy loads on the vehicle, not turning off devices when not needed, forgetting to turn off the air conditioner when using natural air...

Ngoc Anh

(Synthetic)