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A SELF-PROFESSED “car doctor” has urged drivers to avoid a common gas tank mistake or risk a $1,200 repair bill.
The motoring expert also revealed the level you should keep your gas out to keep your car on the road.
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Alex, known as Alex the Car Doctor, is a mechanic based in Morrow, GA, and uses his TikTok platform to gives tips to give advice to other drivers.
In one of his latest videos, he explained how running your vehicle with too little fuel in it can actually be extremely damaging.
He said: “Here’s another episode of ‘y’all got to stop,’
“We have to stop riding around on E.
“How do I know?
“Because I survey all of my customers, and… they tell me they’ve been riding around on E.”
Alex outlined how not having enough gas in the tank can cause problems for an often neglected car part.
Most modern cars have now moved away from carburettors and use some form of electronic fuel injection.
This is powered by a fuel pump, which withdraws gas from the tank and sends it through pressurized fuel lines so it can be fired into the cylinders by the injectors.
But the pump itself is located on the lower part of the tank wall.
In an ideal world, it would be submerged in fuel pretty much the whole time, allowing it to do its job without sucking in air or the “trash and debris” that accumulates in the tank over time.
However, when you run on empty, the pump is exposed.
Not only can this reduce fuel efficiency and power output by putting too much air in with the fuel, but it can also damage the pump badly.
Alex explained that the fuel actually acts as a coolant for the pump, so when it is exposed it can overheat.
And replacing it can be an expensive job thanks to it being so hard to access.
If the pump does overheat, the bill could be as high as $1,200.
