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Can a Bad Fuel Pump Cause Smoke? (Read This First!)

The fuel pump is the lifeline for your engine. The fuel pump pushes fuel from the fuel tank to the vehicle’s engine. If the fuel pump cannot run smoothly, it will cause the car to not work perfectly. Let’s see if a bad fuel pump causes smoke or not.

Can a bad fuel pump cause smoke?

A bad fuel pump can cause smoke. But this is frequent for diesel engines, but not usual for other engines rather than diesel engines. This can happen only if the vehicle’s pump has overheating issues, is damaged, or fails to deliver fuel properly. These issues arise when the fuel pump is clogged.

Stick with us to know in detail regarding the aspect –

Black smoke:

The black smoking problem can happen due to overheating. This particular act is caused because of burning too much fuel, blocked air filter, and most importantly if the fuel injector is not working properly. 

The fuel pump delivers the fuel to the engine, if it somehow fails to deliver, the engine will have a hard time igniting. Due to less amount of oxygen, the fuel is not properly burning that causes the black smoke.

White smoke:

There are several causes of white smoke coming out of your vehicle. 

Generally, if the engine has some issues such as a cracked engine block, the head of the gasket is leaking, and most interestingly when the coolant is penetrating the combustion chamber, at that time, it releases white smoke. 

If your white smoke does not smell harsh, it is a sign that your coolant is broken. Also, if your fuel injector, which is attached to the engine, is not working properly, that might emit white smoke from the engine as well. 

And remember, the fuel injector is attached to the fuel pump.

Blue smoke:

All kinds of smoke come due to various problems in the engine. Though blue smoke is not blue, the smoke is a mixture of gray and blue color. 

When your engine is leaking and at the same time the engine is burning the oil, this is one of the reasons behind blue smoke. 

Moreover, when your engine components such as PCVs, and piston rings are worn out, then you might see some bluish smoke coming from your vehicle.

How much smoke does a bad fuel pump cause?

The amount of smoke can not be measured. But it is a gradual process. Initially, it won’t emit any smoke, but it will emit smoke after some time. Firstly, if your fuel pump is not starting at all, then there is a high chance that your vehicle’s fuel pump is not working. 

Secondly, if your engine is causing some unusual noise, then there is a high chance of fuel pump disruption. Thirdly, your vehicle engine will lose its efficiency day by day, which will cause your vehicle to cover fewer miles per fuel. 

Fourthly, your vehicle might face some power losses. Finally, it will increase the heating issues which will eventually cause your engine to emit smoke. Generally, a diesel engine emits more smoke than any other type of engine. 

So, when you get to see these symptoms, check if your fuel pump or other engine components are working properly or not.

Four reasons why bad fuel pump causes smoke

A bad fuel pump can cause smoke for the following reasons –

Can’t Pass Fuel to Fuel Injector:

When there is a malfunctioned fuel pump, it causes smoke as it does not pass fuel to the injector and the fuel injector cannot pass any fuel to the engine. And eventually, the engine cannot ignite, and there is immense pressure on the injector and the engine. 

And it hurdles the engine and increases the heat, inside of the engine. That causes the engine to smoke.

More Friction in the Combustion Chamber:

During the combustion, the engine piston needs a good amount of fuel in it. If the fuel cannot pass through, it is likely that the combustion will not occur perfectly. That will create high friction in the combustion chamber. 

That eventually causes the engine to smoke. The problem starts with the bad fuel pump because it cannot channel the fuel from the fuel tank to the engine combustion chamber.

Heating Issues:

Engine efficiency is measured by its mileage. When an engine cannot use its energy efficiently, it disburses its energy by causing heating issues. 

An overheated engine cannot run, and sometimes when the engine is overheated, it starts to burn. If that particular thing happens, then you will have to pay a lot of money. 

So, just because a small component malfunctions, can cause a huge problem for your engine.

Contagion Effect on other Engine Components:

When your fuel pump doesn’t work properly, it starts to weaken other engine components to lose themselves. Eventually, you may have to lose your engine, if you don’t change or fix your bad fuel pump.

What are the signs of a bad fuel pump?

The following signs can indicate that your fuel pump is getting bad –

Delayed Acceleration:

When the engine will not get enough fuel to ignite itself, it will lose its acceleration. Also, when you try to throttle your engine, it will not run as per the throttle. By that, you will be able to know that there is some problem with your engine.

Ignition Complications:

Ignition complications can arise only when your fuel injector or your fuel pump is not working properly. If you face a hard time starting your vehicle, then you should check your fuel ignitor or fuel pump.

Stalled Engine:

During your driving session, you might face some problems that you never want to face. Like while you are driving, your engine might stop running, and that can be so annoying under your condition. This problem may arise because of a bad fuel pump.

Overheating Issues:

Though overheating issues can happen for various reasons. Overheating issues are frequent in case of a bad fuel injector or bad fuel pump. When your vehicle engine needs to run on less fuel, it will overheat eventually. 

You should check your engine fuel pump.

Whining Sound:

When your engine starts to produce some unknown kind of sound that is not so regular. Then you must check your engine. Not only for fuel pump malfunction but also for many reasons, your engine can produce whining sounds. 

If you get any weird sounds, then you must check your engine.

Unburnt Fuel Smell:

The smell of fully burnt, and unburnt fuel is not uncommon. If you are a driver of your vehicle, you must have known the smell. So, if there is a malfunction in your fuel pump, the fuel must not burn perfectly.

How to fix a bad fuel pump causing smoke?

The following tips will help you to fix a bad fuel pump causing smoke –

Replacement is the best solution:

If you find that your fuel pump is not working properly, you should change the fuel pump. Because that is the best thing you can do. If you try to fix the problem, then you might need to spend some money. 

The money you will use to fix your bad fuel pump will be almost the same as the money you need to buy and replace a new fuel pump. After you fix the fuel pump, it can go bad again after a few days. So, replacing the old fuel pump is the best solution.

Use of Fuel Pressure Gauge:

By using a fuel pressure gauge, you can limit and control the fuel pressure in your engine. It is one of the few options that you can try to fix your fuel pump. If there is any clog inside of your fuel pump, you can get rid of it with this fuel pressure gauge.

Maintain the Engine’s Heat:

Heating issues can be caused for various reasons. If your engine coolant is not working, then your engine may raise some heat. If your engine cannot get enough water to cool down, there you will have your engine heating. 

If you want to fix your fuel pump, you should maintain the engine’s heat.

How much is a fuel pump replacement?

The replacement cost of the fuel pump varies. As the age of the vehicle and the vehicle’s parts availability differs. The price range of the fuel pump varies from $220 to $1064 which includes the labor and the components fees. 

Generally, when your vehicle is old, or the brand of the vehicle is not that available in your country. At that time, you will have to buy different components at higher prices. Or else, you may get the components at a low price. 

Which will ultimately lower the overall price of the fuel pump replacement.

Final Thoughts

A bad component in your engine can cause several things. A tiny-to-tiny part can cause severe to severe problems in your vehicles. So, when your vehicle’s engine is not working properly, you should check it. And your fuel pump can cause smoke and along with it, other parts of the engine can fault.