5 Possible Reasons Why Your Work Van Is Using Excessive Fuel

Is your work van consuming more fuel than usual? Poor fuel economy can cause the low fuel warning light on the dashboard to come on more often than you like. Frequent visits to the gas station can hurt your work and bottom line. 

While various factors, such as driving aggressively, driving on underinflated tires, or driving with the AC running, may be to blame for the increase in fuel consumption, a failing engine is the most likely culprit. 

Here are some common engine issues that can lead to high fuel consumption.

1. Dirty Air Filters

Your air filter prevents airborne dirt and debris from getting into the engine and causing problems. As it accumulates more and more foreign particles over time, it can impede air intake and contaminate the air supply, resulting in a rich fuel mixture—an air-fuel mixture with less oxygen than is required for the engine to run efficiently.

When your air-fuel mixture is rich, the engine will consume more fuel than it needs to deliver optimal driving performance, causing the fuel economy to suffer.

Regular air filter replacements help ensure an adequate supply of clean, healthy air to the engine, ensuring your vehicle only burns the fuel it needs to run efficiently.

2. Clogged Fuel Filters

Are you aware that the fuel supply to your engine may not be completely clean? The dirt and sediment in the fuel tank can contaminate the fuel and cause problems for your van. Luckily, the vehicle's fuel filter screens out harmful particles from your fuel supply, ensuring the fuel supply is clean and healthy.

As more and more sediment from the bottom of your fuel tank collects on the fuel filter, your engine may burn lean (become fuel-starved) and stop running at peak efficiency. When this happens, your vehicle's performance will suffer while its fuel consumption spikes due to the added strain on the engine. 

Replacing a clogged fuel filter can help ensure a consistent fuel supply to the engine, maximizing fuel economy. If your fuel tank is rusty, consider replacing it to keep the fuel clean and healthy.

3. Faulty Oxygen Sensors

The oxygen sensor is the vital component that lets your van's computer know if the air-fuel mixture is burning rich or lean.

Keeping track of the air-fuel ratio helps you know whether or not the engine is running efficiently. If your oxygen sensor is not working, you may be driving on an incorrect fuel mixture, thus wasting fuel.

Replacing a malfunctioning oxygen sensor will help ensure your van runs as efficiently as it should.

4. Bad Fuel Injectors

A fuel injector does what its name implies—injects fuel into the engine. It does this by spraying fuel directly into the internal combustion chamber. Over time, the contaminants in your fuel can build up in the fuel injector and cause it to become clogged.

Like a dirty fuel filter, a clogged fuel injector starves the engine of fuel supply and forces it to run harder than it should. When this happens, engine power declines, and fuel consumption increases.

While periodic cleaning can help to prevent blockages and maximize the performance and life of your fuel injector, fuel injectors don't last forever and require replacement when they become worn out.

5. Worn-Out Spark Plugs

If you drive a modern van, it probably uses a spark-ignition system. Unfortunately, the spark plugs responsible for creating the spark required for the vehicle to start can become worn out and cause problems.

Worn-out spark plugs can lead to engine misfires. An engine misfire is when the combustion of the air-fuel mixture does not happen at the correct time, causing vehicle performance and fuel efficiency to suffer.

While spark plugs are easy to replace, ensure you buy the correct ones for your vehicle.

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