FUEL SYSTEM: COMPONENTS, WORKING PRINCIPLES, SYMPTOMS

AND EMISSION CONTROLS

How the Engine Receives Fuel
The main components in the fuel system include the fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel
filter, and injectors.

What is the Fuel Injection System In a Car?

Depending on the age of your vehicle, to deliver fuel to the engine for
the combustion process, your car is either equipped with a carburetor, mechanical
fuel injection, direct fuel injection, or electronic fuel injection.

Carburetors
Carburetors use pressure created by suction from the engine to attract air.
Unfortunately, carburetors are flawed in that they are unable to adapt to fluctuating
RPMs. Because the throttle is supposed to determine how much air and fuel is
needed at one time based on vehicle’s speed, which could vary and change the
ratio, carburetors struggle to utilize fuel efficiently and run well.

Mechanical Fuel Injection

At first mechanical fuel systems depended on a fuel pump that would pump fuel
into the injector for each cylinder. The pressure of the fuel received at the injector
would force the unit open and spray into the combustion chamber’s intake.

Direct Fuel Injection

Direct fuel injection was mainly used in diesel vehicles and is thought to be one of
the most efficient ways to use fuel. Fuel is injected directly into the cylinder in the
combustion chamber. In diesel direct injection, the fuel is able to burn at the right
moment where and when it is needed.

Electronic Fuel Injection

Electronic fuel injection is what most vehicles utilize today. This modern
technique is more advanced and is controlled by the vehicle’s internal computer to
improve fuel efficiency and performance. The electronic control unit; ECU
determines the amount of fuel required at every moment.
The function of the fuel system is to store and supply fuel to the cylinder chamber
where it can be mixed with air, vaporized, and burned to produce energy. The fuel,
which can be either gasoline or diesel is stored in a fuel tank. A fuel pump draws
the fuel from the tank through fuel lines and delivers it through a fuel filter to
either a carburetor or fuel injector, then delivered to the cylinder chamber for
combustion.

COMPONENTS
1. Fuel Tank

The fuel tank is the main storage for the fuel that runs the vehicle. Generally
speaking, the gas tank is generally found at, or under, the rear of the vehicle.

2. Fuel Injectors:

Sprays a fine mist of fuel into the combustion chamber of each cylinder or throttle
body, depending on the design.
The fuel injectors are driven by the fuel pump and their job is to spray a fuel and
air mixture into the combustion chamber, ready to be ignited to produce power to
the driven wheels. The fuel injectors are basically a nozzle, with a valve attached,
the nozzle creates a spray of fuel and air droplets (atomization). This can be
viewed similar to that of a perfume dispenser or deodorant can in principle,
spraying a fine mist.

3. Fuel Fill Hose

The Fuel Fill Hose is the main connector from the gas cap to the fuel tank. This is
the point where the Gasoline (or other fuel) is put into the vehicle.

4. Gas Cap

The gas cap seals the fill hose and is used to ensure that

A) Gas does not spill out from the car, and

B) that the fuel system remains pressurized correctly (in vehicles that use
pressurized systems).

5. Fuel Pump
The fuel pump is used to pump the fuel from the fuel tank, via the fuel lines into
the fuel injectors, which spray the fuel into the combustion chamber- in order to
create combustion. There are two types, mechanical fuel pumps (used in
carburetors) and electronic fuel pumps (used in electronic fuel injection).

• Mechanical fuel pumps: these are driven normally by auxiliary belts or chains
from the engine.
• Electronic fuel pumps: controlled by the electronic fuel injection system, these
are normally more reliable and have fewer reliability issues than their mechanical
counterparts.

6. Fuel Filter
The fuel filter is the key to a properly functioning fuel delivery system. This is
more true with fuel injection than with carbureted cars. Fuel injectors are more
susceptible to damage from dirt because of their close tolerances, but also fuel
injected cars use electric fuel pumps. When the filter clogs, the electric fuel pump
works so hard to push past the filter, that it burns itself up. Most cars use two
filters. One inside the gas tank and one in a line to the fuel injectors or carburetor.
Unless some severe and unusual conditions occur to cause a large amount of dirt to
enter the gas tank, it is only necessary to replace the filter in the line.

7. Fuel Lines

The Fuel Lines connect all of the various Fuel System components.
Steel lines and flexible hoses carry the fuel from the tank to the engine. When
servicing or replacing the steel lines, copper or aluminum must never be used.
Steel lines must be replaced with steel. When replacing flexible rubber hoses, the
proper hose must be used. Ordinary rubber such as used in vacuum or water hose
will soften and deteriorate. Be careful to route all hoses away from the exhaust
system.

8. Fuel Gauge

The fuel gauge exists as a display item in the vehicle’s dashboard. It is intended to
show to the driver the actual amount of fuel in the fuel tank. On older cars, it’s
common for fuel gauges (or their related part, the sending unit) to be inaccurate.
When you first start driving your classic car take time to learn how accurate the
system is. It’ll save you from a long walk to the gas station if you run out of gas!

9. Fuel Gauge Sending Unit

In terms of the fuel system, this may be your biggest headache. Sending units, at
best, are generally a flawed design. Generally, the sender is most accurate between
1/4 and 3/4 of a tank of gas. Outside of this, the gauge becomes progressively more
inaccurate as you reach the tank limits (full or empty).

Based on the age of the vehicle, the type of carburetion/fuel injection, and the
emissions standards in place at the time it may also have:

10. Fuel return lines

They are generally the same types of line tubing as the main Fuel Line. These
specific lines are used for a couple purposes. Primarily they are used to return
excess fuel to the gas tank for recirculation. Additionally, they capture gasoline
vapors, which, as they are pushed back to the gas tank cool and condense back into
the liquid. In particular, diesel-powered fuel injected engines often use the fuel as a
cooling mechanism for the fuel injector. They can recirculate significant amounts
of fuel.

11. Emission Vapor Controls

These are often used in combination with fuel return lines. The goal of this section
of the overall system is to ensure that gasoline vapors are not released into the
ambient air. If this occurs a number of bad things may happen: 1) The earth-
shattering kaboom of gasoline vapors igniting, 2) The unpleasant smell of gasoline
is routed into the interior of the vehicle, and 3) It can harm the environment.

12. Fuel Pressure Regulator

Fuel Pressure Regulators are primarily found in fuel-injected cars. Fuel injection,
as opposed to carburetion, is a high-pressure system. The fuel pressure regulator
ensures that the system maintains the proper amount of pressurization.

13. Pulsation Damper:

As the fuel Injectors rapidly open and close in time with the engines OTTO cycle,
pressure fluctuations appear in the fuel system. A Pulsation Damper job is to help
combat the pressure levels reducing fuel delivery inconsistency.
WORKING PRINCIPLE

When you start the car the fuel pump begins the process of drawing fuel from the
fuel tank, through the fuel lines and fuel filter, to the system that controls fuel/air
delivery to the engine (a carburetor or fuel injector). While the car is running a
continuous supply of fuel is delivered in this fashion.

The fuel system in modern cars is a complex and intricate combination of

components and electronics. Generally, Fuel systems work in the following ways:

• Fuel is delivered from the fuel tank to the fuel injectors via a fuel pump and fuel
lines. The pump is normally positioned close to the fuel tank or within the tank
itself.
• Fuel leaving the fuel tank and fuel pump passes through a fuel filter which
purifies and gets rid of any containment. This is normally a high capacity inline
design, to maximize flow rates.
• Fuel travels along the fuel lines and is delivered to the fuel injectors. Fuel Injector
pressures are controlled via a pressure regulator.
• Any fuel which is not used and exceeds pressure rates is returned via fuel lines
back into the fuel tank.
Carbureted Engines

The fuel system for this type of engine is generally a low-pressure system. If the
vehicle is equipped with a mechanical fuel pump, the number of revolutions of the
motor (RPMs) control how quickly fuel is delivered. The faster the car is going (or
revolving) the greater the movement of the fuel pump and the overall volume of
fuel being delivered. If the vehicle is equipped with an electric fuel pump the
overall process is the same, but some form of the restrictor is necessary to ensure
that the appropriate amount of fuel is delivered. This can be a pressure regulator,
an overflow system with return lines, or a vehicle-specific mechanism.

Fuel Injected Engines

Once the vehicle is started, providing that the gas cap was installed and sealed
correctly, the system becomes pressurized. Your modern car is probably fuel
injected. Ever notice the release of air when you go to add gasoline? This is the
vehicle releasing the system pressure.

The electric fuel pump continuously pumps gasoline, ensuring that the system has
the correct level of pressure. In addition to the normal fuel delivery, it also passes
through the pressure regulator which ensures that the fuel pressure at the point of
the Injector is correct so that the amount of fuel injected into the engine is
appropriate

SYMPTOMS

The basic symptoms of any type of vehicle fuel system that is showing signs of
wear or deterioration are:
• Difficult Engine Starting
• Slow or Hesitation at Acceleration
• Stalling While Driving
• Intermittent Power Loss
• Check Engine Light or Service Engine Soon Light Illuminated
• Engine Idling Rough
• Excessive Engine Smoke
• Noticeable Fuel Odors
• Decreased Fuel Economy
EMISSION CONTROLS

Emission controls are an add on to the basic fuel system and vary in complexity
based on the year, vehicle, and legal controls in place at the time of manufacture.
Fundamentally, they ensure that the appropriate amount of fuel is delivered, excess
fuel is returned to the gas tank, and hazardous vapors are not allowed to escape the
system. Because of the variability in this specific segment of the system, it is
important for you to review the technical information that specifically relates to
your vehicle.