You can definitely leave your car on while putting air in the tires, but it’s not always a great idea. If you’re using a portable air compressor, it’s important to make sure the compressor has an auto-shutoff feature that turns off when the pressure reaches what is considered safe for driving.
If you don’t have one of these compressors, you should turn off the engine before filling your tires with air. The reason for this is that if there is any gas leaking from your vehicle’s fuel system, it could ignite from sparks created by the pump. This can cause major damage to your car and even cause an explosion.
How do you know when to turn off your car when you’re putting air in the tires?
The dangers of leaving your car on while putting air in tires are pretty self-explanatory you could trigger a fire. If you’ve ever been working on your car and left a wrench or other tool on the engine block, you know how quickly the engine can overheat and catch fire.
The same thing can happen if you leave your car on while filling it with air. The heat from the engine is likely to ignite any flammable gas that’s escaping from your tires as they’re filling up.
Why you should turn off the car when putting air in your tires?
When you’re putting air in your tires, it’s important to remember that you’re dealing with a lot of pressure and that means you have to take precautions. You shouldn’t leave the car running while you fill up your tires. The engine creates a lot of heat, and if you leave it running while you fill-up the tires, that heat could cause an explosion.
If there’s any moisture or water on the ground around where you’re filling up your tires, that can create another potential hazard. Any water vapor or mist from the tire inflator can be sucked into the engine compartment and that could cause serious damage to your car. So don’t forget about this important step when putting air in your tires.
What happens if you don’t turn off the car while putting air in your tires?
When you’re putting air in your tires, you can leave the car running. The engine is not going to run out of gas, and the battery won’t die. If you turn off the engine while putting air in your tires, it will simply stop when you turn off the ignition. You’ll have to start it again before driving away because the oxygen sensor will think there’s no air in your tires and signal that to the car’s computer. That’ll give you a check engine light which means your mechanic may charge you more money to fix it.
How do avoid doing this?
The first reason is because of the air conditioning. If you turn on your air conditioning while the engine is running, it will use more fuel and may overheat, causing damage to the engine.
The second reason is that leaving the car running will cause unnecessary wear on the battery and alternator. If you have to replace either of these items, it can be expensive, so it’s best to avoid doing so by turning off your engine when filling up tires.
Conclusion
You can leave your car running while you’re putting air in your tires. It’s not a good idea because it’s still using gas, but it’s not going to hurt anything. If you have a newer car, you might want to turn it off and on again after you’re done pumping up the tires so that the engine doesn’t get too hot. And remember if your car starts to stall out while you’re filling up your tires, turn it off immediately.
