hi, can anyone help?
i have just purchased a 2001 Mondeo tddi 2.0l zetec(60,000miles) and am getting really bad fuel consumption, ie, 26 mpg around town, this has been consistent for 4 weeks and i have been driving like a Sunday driver (im not a boy racer) the garage have done a diagnostic test which did not show any engine faults, but the oil level was 1/2l above max, the mechanic said this could be the problem so he drained it out,also the air flow sensor was unplugged (i noticed this about three weeks ago) so i plugged it back in but there was no noticeable difference to the engine running when i did so, have i bought a pig in a sack??? has anyone got any ideas???,
Edited in to current indexing system - what a difference three years makes !
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 02/02/2008 at 14:16
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try putting a new air filter and and some fuel injector cleaning as a first step, also check to see if it warms up properly, if not a problem with thermostat/temp sender unit or temp sensor feed into ecu likely, check also steering wheel alignment.
rgds kal
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thanks for that, i will give the new air filter and injector cleaning a try, the engine does seem to warm up but i did notice it takes forever to heat the inside of the car with the heater on full, the steering alignment is fine, how do you check the temp sender unit or the temp sender feed to see if faulty or cause of problem?
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How would the steering wheel alignment cause such poor fuel consumption figures?
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Diesels are inherently efficient so take longer to warm up than petrol cars and therefore take longer to get heat into the ventialtion system.
I remember Car magazine did a test about 20 or 25 years ago in Finland with a variety of cars, so see how well they warmed the interior. The worst were to diesels becuase so much more of the energy in the fuel goes into motion rather than waste heat. The best was a Volvo where it got so hot they had to strip off!
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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How would the steering wheel alignment cause such poor fuel consumption figures?
increased rolling resistance will increase consumption although not to this extreme ...cheers...keo.
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>> How would the steering wheel alignment cause such poor fuel consumption >> figures? >> increased rolling resistance will increase consumption although not to this extreme ...cheers...keo.
>>
Yes, but we are talking steering wheel alignment here, not wheel alignment. The steering wheel could be off centre just because the tracking has been adjusted unevenly. Conversely, a perfectly centred steering wheel doesn't necessarily mean the wheels are aligned correctly.
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misread post but assume it meant wheel alignment of road wheels not steering wheel...cheers...keo.
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i think it has something to do with the extra resistance the engine would have to deal with through the wheels, the same as having under-inflated tyres, or larger size wheels.
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Just to double check, you did not measure fuel consumption according to car's fuel gauge, did you ? Sorry, if this sounds obvious, but I hear way too many people measure their consumption by just fuel gauge reading, which is _extremely_ inaccurate.
Cheers,
Kostic
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the way i did it was to take notice when the needle was on empty ('0' on the fuel guage) put a tenners worth in the tank and when the needle dropped to the afore-mentioned point i worked out the mpg it equated to, a little crude i know but i did this for over 4 weeks and it worked out the same each time give or take a couple of miles either way, i must sound like a scrooge but i swapped my beloved 2001 vectra 2.2 sri (24 mpg)for this car to get better fuel economy.
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the way i did it was to take notice when the needle was on empty ('0' on the fuel guage) put a tenners worth in the tank and when the needle dropped to the afore-mentioned point....
The only real way to accurately calculate it is to brim it.
::waits for a flaming from motorcylists about hazzards of split diesel from people who brim fill their diesel tanks::
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Just fill the tank until the pump cut out operates. There is no need to spill fuel.
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Yes, and 10 litres is too little to be any accurate. You have to brim it, notice the mileage (or reset trip counter if fitted) drive until needle drops quite low, brim it again, calculate mpg from the amount filled (which is equal to the amount consumed) and the mileage done. Ideally you want to fill it at the same garage, ideally even with the same pump.
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thanks, i will try the brim method, filling it until it clicks doesnt fill it completely to the top, as the click sometimes happens when there is a rush of fuel and it backs up the nozzle even though the tank isnt full, hmmm..i was just thinking- my other half uses the car as well...i hope she hasnt got a secret lead foot!!!
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Fill it to the brim slowly. Diesel has a habit of frothing and gives a false impression of the tank being full when it actually isn't.
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If you wait until the pump has cut out twice, which is what I do, I it is near enough full.
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No, no, no. You've got it all wrong. Brim it properly until a little bit spills out on to the floor, left helpfully for the next person to fall over and bash their head on the rear wing of their car and their elbow against the pavement by the pump. They also stink of diesel for the next day or two.
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Reckon there is an issue with the way that Highflier is measuring MPG because 24mpg is also low for a Vectra 2.2 unless it is only stop and start city driving. Even so the Mondeo TDDi should average 45 - 50 on a run, around 45 mixed driving and 40 stop and start. A Ford dealer is the best place to start, I find them very helpful nowdays.
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the vectra had its own fuel computer..so it did the calculation itself,the ford dealer will not give me any advice over the phone they say i have to book it in for diagnostic test so the computer will tell them the problem (£65+vat)- what a world we live in, anyway im gonna stop watching the fuel guage for now and concentrate on the first suggestion of filters and injector cleaning.
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I wait until the warning light comes on then fill with a specific amount then see how many miles I do before the warning light comes on again. This has proved pretty accurate in the past and it allows you to notice any large changes. With 15 litres I get 150-200 miles.
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the vectra had its own fuel computer..so it did the calculation itself,
The fuel computer is only and indication. It's not as accurate as getting the calc out and working it out for yourself. IIRC, my previous Vectra (B) under-read on the f/c by around 10%, and my current Vectra (C) under-reads by around 20%.
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24mpg is also low for a Vectra 2.2 unless it is only stop and start city driving.
Depends how you drive it. Urban runs I used to only average that in my previous Vectra, and if I really gave it some welly, I could get down to as low as 18mpg.
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Hi Highflier,
Things to check. Air con running?, Tyres correctly inflated?, Temperature running normal?, Fuel and air filter ok?, normal idle speed? correct oil level (i'm assuming the mechanic topped it up and subsuquent level checks are ok), spark plugs ok?. and of course the obvious..... Petrol leak????
Any unusual sounds or smells when you drive it?
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Holy thread resurrection Batman!
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Three MOTs later I have to ask the question ???
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Highflier is still here and now has a Focus...
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Highflier is still here and now has a Focus...
Probably because he couldn't find the spark plugs on his diesel - or the petrol leak.
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