Guy's Automotive

The US government has a website dedicated to helping us use less fuel here in the Tampa, Carrollwood and Land o Lakes areas. It presents the cost savings in a way Tampa drivers can relate to, no matter what kind of vehicle we drive. Here’s an example:

Having your engine properly tuned can save up to 4%. If you’re paying three-fifty for a gallon of gas in Tampa, you could save fourteen cents a gallon.

Dollars Per Gallon              $3.00  $3.50  $4.00
Tune Up 4%                          0.12    0.14    0.16

Replacing a faulty oxygen sensor can improve economy by up to forty percent for FL auto owners. That’s a whooping dollar forty in savings per gallon.

Dollars Per Gallon                          $3.00   $3.50   $4.00
Faulty O2 Oxygen Sensor 40%       1.20     1.40     1.60

Chances are that if your pickup oxygen sensor is kaput your check engine light will come on. Now, there’s any number of things that could cause your check engine light to come on besides oxygen sensor problems. But if it’s on, get it checked out as soon as you can at Guy’s Automotive at 3049 W Hillsborough Ave in Tampa.

Here’s an easy one for busy FL drivers: Inflate your tires to the recommended pressure. That could save you three percent or eleven cents a gallon. Even a little drop in pressure will cost you at the Tampa pump so check your pickup tires every week.

Your vehicle manufacturer has recommended a specific weight of motor oil. The recommendation is based on your pickup engine design and will give you the best protection. Using a heavier weight could cost one to two percent in reduced fuel economy, or up to seven cents a gallon.

Here are some free gas saving tips: Don’t drive aggressively, drive within the Tampa speed limit and remove excess weight (junk in the trunk) from your vehicle. These can add up to a dollar or more per gallon.

At Guy’s Automotive, we have been providing professional, quality auto repair and maintenance for 17 years. Ask us about cabin air filter and alignment.

Give us a call

Guy’s Automotive
3049 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL zip code 33614

At Guy’s Automotive in Tampa FL (33614) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 813.353.1537. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Tampa drivers who maintain their vehicles make them more efficient. A car or truck that is well-maintained works the way it was designed to and that means it uses less fuel: And you save money.

To help organize our discussion, let’s think of things that rob us of fuel economy in two ways: increased friction and inefficient fuel combustion.

Friction. Anything that increases friction increases drag or load on the pickup engine. It has to work harder to overcome the drag – and that takes more fuel.

The first thing that comes to mind is engine oil. Low oil means there’s not enough to fully lubricate the engine so there’s more friction. The wrong viscosity and grade of oil can also adversely affect fuel economy in Tampa. Dirty oil won’t lubricate as well as clean oil. The same principles apply to transmission fluid. Getting your oil changed and transmission serviced on schedule will reduce friction and save money. Consider upgrading to synthetic oils in your differentials, engine and transmission to reduce friction.

Another friction related problem is under-inflated tires. When your pickup tires are low on air, it’s like driving through sand – the engine has to work harder to move every mile. Check your tire pressure at least once a month.

Sticking or binding brakes put a drag on your pickup and can hurt mileage. A simple brake inspection at Guy’s Automotive in Tampa can uncover potential problems.

Let’s move on to Fuel. A dirty fuel system has varnish and gum interfering and the fuel injectors may be unable to deliver the correct amount of fuel at the right pressure and in the spray pattern that the engineers intended. A fuel system cleaning in Tampa will get all of that working right and really improve fuel economy.

Replacing worn spark plugs will burn your fuel as efficiently as possible, saving money at Tampa gas pumps.

At Guy’s Automotive, we provide quality maintenance services including cabin air filter and chassis lubrication.

Give us a call

Guy’s Automotive
3049 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL zip code 33614

At Guy’s Automotive in Tampa FL (33614) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 813.353.1537. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your pickup engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much fuel to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute.

High temperatures under your hood and variations in Thonotosassa gas quality cause fuel injectors to be fouled with wax, dirt, water, additives and carbon. Injectors can become partially clogged, preventing them from delivering the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure.

When your pickup’s injectors are dirty, the fuel doesn’t burn as efficiently resulting in poor fuel economy and loss of power. So it’s important to keep your fuel injectors clean.

We can perform a full fuel system service for you at Guy’s Automotive in which the fuel injectors are cleaned so that they operate properly and deliver the right amount of fuel at the right time.

FL drivers should remember that proper maintenance of their fuel system means that they will spend less on gas in Thonotosassa, enjoy strong performance and prevent costly repairs down the road.

At Guy’s Automotive in Tampa FL (33604) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 813.353.1537. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

The following Fuel System video is presented by Guy’s Automotive:

The following Fuel System animation is presented by Guy’s Automotive:

I’d like to give our friends in Tampa FL a quick overview of the fuel system. It starts with the fuel pump. The fuel pump is located inside the tank and pumps fuel out to the engine. Somewhere along the way is a fuel filter whose job is to filter out dirt before it hits the engine. Then there’s the fuel intake system and the fuel injectors that deliver the fuel to be burned in the engine.

Our focus is to discuss how to make the various components of your fuel system work well and last as long as possible.

Now the best thing you can do for your fuel pump is to use good quality fuel. Top tier gas typically has fewer contaminants and more detergents to keep things clean. Using good gas, or adding a fuel system cleaner to your tank, can prolong the life of your fuel pump. Because the fuel pump lives inside your tank, it’s pretty expensive to replace, so helping it last as long as possible is a worthwhile goal.

The fuel filter catches dirt and contaminants. When it’s clogged, your engine may not be able to get enough fuel and could sputter. Many fuel filters have a bypass valve that allows unfiltered fuel past when the filter’s clogged.

That prevents your engine from dying while you’re driving, but it can’t protect your engine from dirty fuel. Check your owner’s manual or talk with your Tampa FL service advisor at Guy’s Automotive about when you should replace your fuel filter.

Call Guy’s Automotive at 813.353.1537

Now fuel will cause gum and varnish to build up in the fuel intake system. A professional fuel system cleaning will remove the gunk to keep fuel flowing freely and help prevent contamination from reaching your fuel injectors and your engine.

Fuel injectors squirt fuel into the engine. The fuel must be delivered in a precise amount, at a precise time, under precise pressure and in a precise pattern. Pressure can range from 45 pounds per square inch to 45,000 pounds per square inch depending on the engine. As you may guess, fuel injectors cost a lot. Allowing them to get gummed up will not only hurt your performance and fuel economy, it will cause the injectors to wear out much more quickly than they should.

A professional fuel system cleaning will keep injectors clean and working correctly. It’ll also clean deposits from the inside of the combustion chamber and off the intake valves giving you optimum performance and mileage.

Check with your Tampa service advisor at Guy’s Automotive and see when he recommends you get a fuel system cleaning.

At Guy’s Automotive in Tampa FL (33604) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 813.353.1537. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.