August 16, 2009, 08:25
Breakdown – Low On Petrol
THE EFFECT
If it’s an EFI vehicle the engine may start and then cut out. If the vehicle is on an angle it might not even start at all!
CHECK
If the vehicle is on low but the light hasn’t come on yet (don’t rely upon those lights as sometimes they don’t come on), check the angle of the car. A vehicle on a flat level should be okay, provided the pick up pipe in the tank is correctly fitted. If the pick up pipe is slightly higher in your vehicle, then being low on petrol may cause the engine to start and then cut out or operate erratically. It is not good to run low on petrol in any vehicle as it can cause damage to the fuel pump, the fuel filter and also the injectors and/or the carburettor depending on whether it’s a carburettor or EFI vehicle.
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August 16, 2009, 08:23
Breakdown – At night
The emphasis here is to realise the importance of decreasing your chances of breaking down at night. If you do breakdown at night you really want to have all these other points checked first. If you notice the battery light, the alternator light, or the check engine light from the EFI, come on during the day, don’t ignore these signs because breaking down at night is not a fun thing. It can be dangerous. Even performing a tyre change at night can be dangerous. If you do breakdown try to manoeuvre your vehicle into a safe environment. For example, if you have a flat tyre and it isn’t completely flat, it would be better to drive on that flat tyre to a service station and use their lights to change the tyre. Even if you didn’t want to change the tyre yourself, it’s still better to drive the car to a safe environment and call the auto club from there. If you can’t drive the vehicle and have access to a mobile phone, ring a friend to come and stay with you until the road service provider comes out. This way, you’re safe and if there are two of you there’s less chance of the wrong person knocking on your window. You don’t know who is going to help and who is not!
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