පෙට්‍රල් engine වලට වැඩිපුරම බලපාන engine flooding ගැන කතා කරමු

Common folk have had this question for quite a while since the inception of petrol cars where they continuously debated on how exactly it happens or why it happens while some paid no interest at all as long as they got from point A to B. This issue nowadays however is an ever so reducing problem with our cars being updated with advanced ECU’s every year. In modern day this scenario is rare since fuel is injected into the combustion chamber using electronic fuel injection. However, the chances aren’t exactly zero so we’ll explore everything related to engine flooding

What exactly is engine flooding

It’s actually quite literally how it sounds and what it means by flooding. An internal combustion engine needs a spark , fuel and air. A mismatch in the ratio or timing of those three factors causes your engine to misbehave. In this an excess of fuel ,flooding the combustion chamber essentially drowns it creating a poor combustion reaction or in some cases none at all.The air fuel mixture is the key ingredient in making an efficient combustion and hindrance to this fuel ratio would cause an engine flooding.

Are diesel engines in this conversation

Although diesel engines lack the spark of the essential combustion trinity like in petrol engines it still maintains a constant air fuel mixture under harsh pressure. An imbalance to this ratio caused by the excess of fuel within the combustion chamber would lead to the same result with a mismatched combustion or no thermal reaction at all.

How exactly does a flood happen

From the point of firing up your car there are a several few instances where your car could diagnose engine flooding

Excessive accelerator pumps

Upon firing up the car, pumping the accelerator pedal excessively would cause the chamber to fill up with unburnt fuel.This is the contradicting factor where in old manual cars drivers used to pump the gas pedal as they were firing up to create a quick start up, where it was done right, it worked.
The Cold weather

Certainly not going to be a cause in almost the entire country of Sri Lanka is the cold, As it affects the ability of fuel to be in gaseous state, it cools down the fuel to condense back to liquid state creating an excess of liquid within the combustion chamber.

Sensor Issues

A faulty oxygen sensor could send inaccurate information to the ECU resulting in an imbalance of the ratio for the air fuel mixture leading to an engine flood.

Ignition System faults

Mistimed or burnt out spark plugs,ignition coils or components of the ignition system could leave an excess of unburnt fuel which will result in a flood over time.

Fuel pump faults

A Misinput from the fuel pump or the fuel pump regulator through the fuel lines would also have the same impact, taking part in engine flooding

Off and On – an unexpected cause

A continuous streak of starting your car and turning it off again could cause engine flooding as well. Everytime your key is in ignition you fuel gets primed and pumped to the spray nozzles, a continuous motion of these actions would result in engine flooding

Symptoms of a flooded engine

An overwhelming smell of gasoline

Your ECU decides how much fuel is primed in each situation before it’s released in the chamber ensuring maximized combustion.However an overwhelming odor of gasoline suggests that a certain bit of unburnt fuel vapor is leaving the combustion chamber.

Longer ignitions till start

If you happen to notice that your ignitions take much longer than expected or an average to your car it could suggest that the spark has a difficult time providing enough energy for an excess amount of fuel, resulting in a longer ignition cycle.

Misfiring and Flooding equilibrium

Although in most cases misfiring is caused by engine flooding this reaction works both ways in a reversible result.The other component in the chamber which is air in mismatched ratios could cause misfires.These misfires lead to unburnt fuel during combustion.Meaning your misfires could either be a sign of your blown spark plugs,fuel pump or in this case your engine being flooded

Now that you’re certified experts on the field of engine flooding feel free to take the matter to your petrol head conversations discussing causes,symptoms and suggested repairs.