Black Exhaust Smoke – One of the most common symptoms of a vehicle that has a bad fuel pressure regulator is that it’ll run rich.Most of the time, when there is a fuel leak, it’ll be accompanied by the sharp smell of gasoline. Beside the loss of power and fuel economy that this can cause, it’s a big safety hazard. Leaking Fuel– If any of the seals in the fuel pressure regulator fail, or if the diaphragm fails, raw fuel will begin to leak.Without a proper air/fuel mixture, the engine may run rough, misfire, hesitate, or fail to start at all. Either way, this wreaks havoc on the air fuel mixture. Misfire– When the fuel pressure regulator fails, it can allow too much or too little fuel into the engine.Here are a few of the most common symptoms of a bad fuel pressure regulator: A Typical Fuel Pressure Regulator Bad Fuel Pressure Regulator Symptoms: Ford F150Ī bad fuel pressure regulator can put your Ford F150 out of commission. Too much fuel pressure can ruin injectors. It also saves wear and tear on the injectors themselves. Think of it like a damn with a river of fuel behind it. It properly controls the amount of fuel entering the fuel injectors, intake, and combustion chamber. Keeping consistent pressure to the fuel injection system is vital to the efficient operation of any engine. Your F150’s fuel pressure regulator controls the pressure of the fuel before it hits the fuel rail. The symptoms of a bad fuel pressure regulator are similar to a bad fuel pump or bad fuel filter. Before purchasing a new fuel pressure regulator, it’s a good idea to check and make sure that it’s the part that you need to fix your F150. If you think that you may need a fuel pressure regulator for your Ford F150, they are relatively affordable.įuel pressure regulators in general are easy to get to, although the difficulty reaching them will vary by model year and the engine equipped. Some may be in the fuel pump assembly, but this is rarely the case (although it is happening more and more). Most modern vehicles have the fuel pressure regulator mounted on the fuel rail. A bad fuel pressure regulator can cause all sorts of problems. Even if you only notice a little hesitation, get your pressure regulator checked out because it may just be starting to go bad.One of the most common issues with any vehicle, including the Ford F150, is when it has fuel pressure regulator issues. There shouldn't be any hesitation when you press on the gas. If the engine stalls when you press down on the gas pedal, check the fuel pressure regulator. Gasoline dripping out of your tailpipe is either the result of your overfilling your tank or a bad fuel pressure regulator. If you do, it could be a symptom of a bad fuel pressure regulator, which has allowed gasoline to leak into the oil system. The Dipstick Smells of GasolineĬheck the oil dipstick and see if you smell fuel on it. The normal color of any smoke coming out of the exhaust should be white or gray, not black, so if you see the latter, there is definitely something wrong. Having black smoke coming out of your tail pipe is a sure sign there is something wrong with your fuel pressure regulator. It will turn over a few times before it actually starts. Another sign that your engine is suffering the effects of a bad fuel pressure regulator is if you have trouble starting the car. Speaking of poor engine performance, if you are idling the engine and it is not running smoothly, change your fuel filter and check your pressure regulator to repair bad fuel pressure. You can try simply cleaning them and putting them back, but if your engine still runs poorly, get new ones. They could be fouled out from the bad fuel pressure regulator. If you end up replacing your fuel pressure regulator, you might also want to replace your plugs.