DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — If you’re experiencing engine misfiring or performance issues with your vehicle, it might not be your car’s fault.
Poor gasoline quality can result in a blockage building up in the fuel system causing misfires and potentially damaging your engine over time.
There are several warning signs that your engine is misfiring. You may experience unusual engine noises, reduced fuel efficiency or stalling. One of the culprits behind these issues is poor quality gasoline.
A car misfire occurs when one or more cylinders doesn’t produce the energy required to drive, causing your engine to sputter and run more roughly. Factors that cause misfires include bad spark plugs, a problem with the ignition system, electrical or mechanical issues and poor gas quality.
“Usually if there’s a tanker there, it does mix up the sediment so you can get a little bit of a blockage or issues in there as far as sediment in your gas tank,” said Dustin Shafner, car care manager with Huber Heights AAA. “If you let it sit for a while, the gas does build up a varnish that can clog all your fuel lines, clog up your fuel tank.”
When the issues arise, it’s important to recognize the misfiring symptoms such as slow acceleration, a noisy engine, or the Check Engine light coming on. If this happens its best to get your car looked at right away to avoid future failure of your engine.
“Get in, get them checked out, use good gas. And even moreover, there are a couple of additives you can do, whether it’s at a shop or just at your local parts store to continue to keep your motor healthy and to keep it clean,” said Joshua Sawyer, manager, Midas.
Since October is Car Care Month, experts say there are things you can do to avoid any poor gas-related issues.
“Don’t fill up when there’s a tanker there. You can use the different additives in there. It’s good to use every once in a while anyway to kind of clean out some of that carbon station that’s in your engine and also clean out those lines and your gas tank as well,” Shafner said.
Most of the time, it can be inevitable.
“You never know if you’re going to get bad gas, if you’re not going to get bad gas typically, we all usually think that the gas we’re putting in our car is going to be safe and all good and we can just go about our day. Sometimes that’s not the case,” Shafner said.
Experts say if your car’s engine is misfiring, take it to a mechanic immediately. It is also recommended that if you have an issue, report it to your county’s auditor’s office.
Ohio does not have a fuel quality testing program at this time, meaning they cannot test it. You should also report your experience to wherever you got the gas.
