Experiencing Engine Hesitation in Your Vauxhall Brava? The Problem Could be Your Fuel Filter

If you’ve ever had trouble with your Vauxhall, you probably know that finding the actual problem is half the battle. Actually, it can sometimes feel like more than half the battle, especially if you find yourself visiting your mechanic for long stretches at a time, attempting to figure out exactly what is going wrong.

While there are definitely some mysteries better left to the professionals, you may be surprised to find that many common problems you might be experiencing with your Vauxhall could have to do with the fuel filter. These Vauxhall parts are likely culprits in many different scenarios. The fuel filter is a catridget that is responsible for acting as a screen for the fuel in your vehicle. It removes any dirt and debris in the petrol before it has a chance to get into the engine and cause some major damage. Unfortunately, these filters don’t last forever. In fact, they can actually have quite a short lifespan. After a while they become clogged and soiled, and this makes them unable to carry out many of the same functions they did previously.

As you might imagine, this can cause quite an uproar beneath your bonnet. If dirt and debris are allowed past the filter, many different frustrating, and sometimes dangerous problems can occur.

Signs of Fuel Filter Problems

• Car Won’t Start- When your car won’t start, your fuel filter isn’t going to be the first thing you check. There are plenty of other car parts that could be malfunctioning and must be addressed before you even think about the filter, like the battery, alternator and starter. The truth is, the filter should be one of the first places you look. If this Vauxhall part has become completely clogged, fuel will not be able to move past it into the engine. Without fuel, your engine can’t operate. This will cause the car to refuse to run until fuel is able to be supplied to the engine again.

• Trouble Starting- Even if your fuel filter isn’t completely clogged, problems can still occur. Let’s pretend for a moment that you are operating a vacuum hose. When clean and clear, the hose can pick up as many objects as possible through its entire opening. What would happen, though, if you were to place duct tape across half of the hose’s opening? The suction power of the hose would be significantly reduced. It is the same way with a filter. Even a partial clog can limit the amount of fuel that is able to travel to the engine. With fuel to ignite, the engine can’t start. This problem can lead to significant expenses, so it is best to take care of it as quickly as possible.

• Engine Hesitation- Again, consider the vacuum hose. If the fuel filter is partially blocked, its inflow of fuel will be affected. While you may still be able to start your Vauxhall and turn it on, that doesn’t mean it is going to have the right amount of fuel every second to actually stay on. The engine hesitation you experience is the lack of fuel reaching the engine.

• Strange Performance at Low Speeds- Soiled filters often cause cars to act in strange ways. Many cars, for instance, will drive fine on the motorway with a dirty filter, but once you reach town, it’s an entirely different story. Hesitation may occur when you’re driving at lower speeds and the car may stutter. You may worry that other car parts are to blame, but your filter is really the one behind these issues. The fuel flow pressure is affected by the dirty filter, and at lower speeds the fuel pump isn’t able to push as hard to make up for it. The opposite is true when you’re travelling at higher speeds, however. The fuel pump is exerting greater pressure, causing more fuel to push through the filter to where it needs to go.

• Stalling- One of the scariest things to experience when you’re driving down the road is a car that simply decides to stop working. This can lead to loss of control of the car, which can be extremely dangerous. Stalling caused by a clogged fuel filter is often the result of not enough fuel being able to get through the filter. When this happens, the engine can’t maintain its performance and shuts down. The issue’s severity depends on what kind of debris is stuck in the fuel filter and how much pressure the fuel pump is able to exert to get the fuel through.

• Rough Idling- When you’re sitting at a stoplight and the needle on your dashboard is bouncing between RPM, despite the fact that you aren’t moving at all. This is a rough idle, and it’s often the fault of the fuel filter. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of other Vauxhall parts that can be responsible for this problem too, like spark plugs or the fuel injectors. However, the fuel filter should be the first place you look. This is caused by a fuel filter that is clogged or damaged, resulting in abnormal engine combustion and fuel/air mixture.

Fuel Filters: Can’t You Just Clean Them?

You may have been told by some wise older man at some point in your life that, in a pinch, you could get away with simply cleaning your fuel filter, rather than actually replacing it. While this can sometimes work, it isn’t recommended. In order to get the fuel filter clean, you have to use a carburettor cleaner and knock loose all of the debris stuck to it. If you miss any or a crack in the filter forms, you could still be compromising your fuel flow and pressure.

Don’t take the risk. Instead, take the time to replace your fuel filter once every year. If you happen to notice any of these signs prior to the time to change it, make sure to inspect the filter and see if it needs to be replaced again. If not, the fault could lie with other car parts.