{"id":1389,"date":"2019-02-13T06:45:47","date_gmt":"2019-02-13T13:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/?p=1389"},"modified":"2022-06-06T08:40:58","modified_gmt":"2022-06-06T14:40:58","slug":"engine-running-rich-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-rich-symptoms\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Common Engine Running Rich Symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A vehicle&#8217;s fuel mixture refers to the ratio of fuel and air in the combustion process. When you have too much fuel and not enough air, your car is considered to be running &#8220;rich&#8221;. When you have too much air and not enough fuel, your vehicle is considered to be <a href=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-lean-symptoms\/\">running &#8220;lean&#8221;<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The engine computer of the vehicle controls the fuel mixture through the use of oxygen sensors, fuel injectors, emissions sensors, <a href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/symptoms-bad-air-fuel-ratio-sensor\/\">air\/fuel sensor<\/a>, and air flow sensors. If your car has a rich <a href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/air-fuel-ratio-at-various-conditions\/\">fuel mixture<\/a>, there are certain signs you&#8217;ll notice:<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" area-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-639b06513040e\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #23627c;color:#23627c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #23627c;color:#23627c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-639b06513040e\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-visibility-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-rich-symptoms\/#Top-7-Symptoms-of-an-Engine-Running-Rich\" title=\"Top 7 Symptoms of an Engine Running Rich\">Top 7 Symptoms of an Engine Running Rich<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-rich-symptoms\/#1-Check-Engine-Light-On\" title=\"#1 \u2013 Check Engine Light On\">#1 \u2013 Check Engine Light On<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-rich-symptoms\/#2-Smell\" title=\"#2 \u2013 Smell\">#2 \u2013 Smell<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-rich-symptoms\/#3-Bad-Fuel-Efficiency\" title=\"#3 \u2013 Bad Fuel Efficiency\">#3 \u2013 Bad Fuel Efficiency<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-rich-symptoms\/#4-Poor-Engine-Performance\" title=\"#4 \u2013 Poor Engine Performance\">#4 \u2013 Poor Engine Performance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-rich-symptoms\/#5-High-Carbon-Monoxide-Emissions\" title=\"#5 \u2013 High Carbon Monoxide Emissions\">#5 \u2013 High Carbon Monoxide Emissions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-rich-symptoms\/#6-Rough-Engine-Idle\" title=\"#6 \u2013 Rough Engine Idle\">#6 \u2013 Rough Engine Idle<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-rich-symptoms\/#7-CloggedFouled-Up-Parts\" title=\"#7 \u2013 Clogged\/Fouled Up Parts\">#7 \u2013 Clogged\/Fouled Up Parts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Top-7-Symptoms-of-an-Engine-Running-Rich\"><\/span>Top 7 Symptoms of an Engine Running Rich<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1-Check-Engine-Light-On\"><\/span>#1 \u2013 Check Engine Light On<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-503670\" src=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/check-engine-light.jpg\" alt=\"check engine light\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/check-engine-light.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/check-engine-light-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/check-engine-light-200x112.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you use an <a href=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/best-automotive-scan-tool\/\">auto diagnostic tool<\/a> to scan the trouble code from your check engine light and it shows <a href=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/p0172\/\">P0172<\/a>, this means the exhaust gases have an abundance of gasoline in them as they are coming out of the combustion chamber.<\/p>\n<p>There are a lot of instruments used in the engine control unit (ECU) including <a href=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/bad-oxygen-sensor-symptoms-replacement-cost\/\">oxygen sensors<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/bad-map-sensor-symptoms-replacement-cost\/\">manifold absolute pressure<\/a>, and the <a href=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/mass-air-flow-sensor-info\/\">mass air flow sensor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The manifold absolute pressure is used to watch the engine\u2019s air-fuel ratio. These sensors tell the vehicle&#8217;s ECU there is a problem which then causes it to turn on the check engine light.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2-Smell\"><\/span>#2 \u2013 Smell<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-504381\" src=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/burnt-smell-driving.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/burnt-smell-driving.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/burnt-smell-driving-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/burnt-smell-driving-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One of the first things you may notice is a <a href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/burning-smell-from-car\/\">strong smell of fuel<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/rotten-egg-smell\/\">rotten egg smell<\/a> from the exhaust. This is due to excess fuel not being burned properly in the combustion process and escaping into the exhaust manifold and ultimately out of your tailpipe.<\/p>\n<p>The job of the catalytic converter is to burn off the extra fumes but when the fuel mixture is way too rich, even the cat can&#8217;t burn the excess off.<\/p>\n<p><em>See Also: <a href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/oil-smells-like-gas\/\">6 Reasons Your Oil Smells Like Gas<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3-Bad-Fuel-Efficiency\"><\/span>#3 \u2013 Bad Fuel Efficiency<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-503465 alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/bad-fuel-mileage.jpg\" alt=\"bad fuel economy\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/bad-fuel-mileage.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/bad-fuel-mileage-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/bad-fuel-mileage-200x112.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you notice that you\u2019re not getting as much gas mileage out of your tank as you used to get, it could be a sign of your engine running rich. You&#8217;re essentially burning more fuel than you actually need for the car to properly operate.<\/p>\n<p>Note that in cold temperatures, a car will generally run a bit richer than usual so if your gas mileage is slightly worse in winter than summer, this is actually normal.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4-Poor-Engine-Performance\"><\/span>#4 \u2013 Poor Engine Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-503139\" src=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/reasons-car-will-not-accelerate.jpg\" alt=\"reasons and causes of car not accelerating\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/reasons-car-will-not-accelerate.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/reasons-car-will-not-accelerate-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/reasons-car-will-not-accelerate-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Power in a gasoline engine comes from a combination of fuel, air, compression, and then a spark. Without these four requirements, you won\u2019t have power being generated from your engine.<\/p>\n<p>So, weak engine performance would mean that a problem must exist in one of these areas.<\/p>\n<p>You may have compression that is normal and a spark that is normal but still have low engine power. This could only mean that the mixture of fuel and air either has too much fuel or too much air.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5-High-Carbon-Monoxide-Emissions\"><\/span>#5 \u2013 High Carbon Monoxide Emissions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-503464 alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/car-exhaust.jpg\" alt=\"high carbon monoxide emissions\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/car-exhaust.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/car-exhaust-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/car-exhaust-200x112.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>While an exhaust naturally expels a certain level of carbon monoxide, if your engine is running too rich, this level will be higher than usual. This is often the case why a vehicle will fail to pass a state <a href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/failed-emissions-inspection\/\">emissions test<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, too much carbon monoxide being expelled needs to be taken seriously because it can put your health at risk, especially if it starts to seep into the car while driving. If you were to just breathe these fumes in for a few minutes, it could cause serious neurological damage.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6-Rough-Engine-Idle\"><\/span>#6 \u2013 Rough Engine Idle<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-503993\" src=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/rough-idle.jpg\" alt=\"rough idling\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/rough-idle.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/rough-idle-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/rough-idle-200x112.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A fuel mixture that is rich could be the cause of <a href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/rough-idle-causes\/\">rough idling<\/a>. This means the vehicle will actually vibrate and feel a bit rough as the engine is running.<\/p>\n<p>While the car is not moving (idle), you may notice that the RPMs on the tachometer behave erratically, slightly jumping around. Sometimes the vibration in the engine can be felt while driving.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7-CloggedFouled-Up-Parts\"><\/span>#7 \u2013 Clogged\/Fouled Up Parts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-503463 alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fouled-up-spark-plug.jpg\" alt=\"fouled up spark plug\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fouled-up-spark-plug.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fouled-up-spark-plug-100x50.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Two big signs of your engine running rich have to do with the condition of your spark plugs or catalytic converter. When running rich, the bottom of your spark plugs can get fouled up with a dry, black soot. This is known as carbon deposit and will affect the performance of your engine.<\/p>\n<p>As noted earlier, the catalytic converter&#8217;s job is to burn excess fuel before it reaches your tailpipe. A <a href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/car-backfire\/\">car backfire<\/a> is often a result.<\/p>\n<p>If it continually has to burn the excess fuel, it will eventually cause clogging up of the catalytic converter and degradation of the honeycomb design within it. Once this happens, a costly <a href=\"http:\/\/cartreatments.com\/catalytic-converter-symptoms-and-replacement-cost\/\">catalytic converter replacement<\/a> will be necessary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A vehicle&#8217;s fuel mixture refers to the ratio of fuel and air in the combustion process. When you have too much fuel and not enough air, your car is considered to be running &#8220;rich&#8221;. When you have too much air &#8230; <a title=\"7 Common Engine Running Rich Symptoms\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/engine-running-rich-symptoms\/\" aria-label=\"More on 7 Common Engine Running Rich Symptoms\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1002,"featured_media":503466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no"},"categories":[58],"tags":[100349],"modified_by":"Mark Stevens","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1389"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/503466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cartreatments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}