My car's chewing way more fuel than it should. It's a 2001 Verada.

I don't drive like an idiot, and my trip computer tells me 11.9-12.0 on average. However, I'm struggling to get 400-430km out of 55-60L. My car runs fine, it's had all new filters, spark plugs, oil etc recently yet it's still chewing up a massive amount of fuel.

Anyone else had this issue or have any idea why my car's chewing so much fuel? If I drive Dad's Magna (2002) I can get an easy 600 out of the tank doing the same trips I do now. WTF.

i get a similar amont of kays too ( struggle to hit 400 for a full tank )
however my trip computer reads more like 14.5 - 15 l/100km everytime.

I plan i doing the next service my self so i know for sure that everything is replaced, hopefully that will improve it somewhat

ive had two TJ's 3.5s now.. both always get around 14/100 and around 400kms per tanks..

if your doing all city stop and start driving like i am then expect no better than that

:shock: jeezus!! i average high 9's (this week had a couple of 100Km trips, 50% of which are 80-100 zones) to low 11's travelling from work and back, which is mainly 80 zone, but lots of traffic light racing! you really shouldn't get any less than 500km per tank.

Far out asylum, damm dude thats low. I avg 12.5 get nearly 500kms out of a tank. I live in up a hill so this probably chews marginal more fuel then what i would normally.

I drive short trips, traffic racing etc. never get under 500km a tank. If i baby her i can get 6-700 depending on how much i baby her ;). If i do heaps and heaps of highway driving, i've had as much as 800km.

When i first got my car i saw good fuel consumption. 10 - 12l/100km..

Before I sold it i was getting 14 - 16L/100km..

Only thing that changed was how heavy my foot was.

I just got my TL and it says im currently doing 10L/100kms

I just got my TL and it says im currently doing 10L/100kms

City, Highway or mixed?

Open road my VRX would get 8L 100km..

...


To the OP, when was your car last serviced? Have you checked to see if your air filter is nice and clean? Is it an aftermarket air filter?

Have you reset the ECU?

City driving. Should of put that in, still seathing from not getting a map light when they r supose to be included with my car.

i get 10-10.5 with constant city driving...

lol. yeh.. i only just get 400..

but thats all city driving and me racing every person that lines up with me. that and weaving in and out of traffic..lol

My car's chewing way more fuel than it should. It's a 2001 Verada.

I don't drive like an idiot, and my trip computer tells me 11.9-12.0 on average. However, I'm struggling to get 400-430km out of 55-60L. My car runs fine, it's had all new filters, spark plugs, oil etc recently yet it's still chewing up a massive amount of fuel.

Anyone else had this issue or have any idea why my car's chewing so much fuel? If I drive Dad's Magna (2002) I can get an easy 600 out of the tank doing the same trips I do now. WTF.
Depends on what your using to judge the end of your tank for starters if its tj it would have a 71ltr tank and if you go buy your fuel light you will find that when the light comes on if you check your fuel used(taking that you filled it up and reset your computer) that you will have used about 59 ltrs of fuel which means you would still have about 100 or more kms left out of it.We avg between 11-12 ltrs per 100ks in a tippy sports depending how you drive it around town and about 8-9ltrs per 100ks on the highway.But the fuel light is decieving as we found out when we drove to melbourne and back.:D

Hehehe welcome to thread no14 of fuel consumption. Bain is there no way we can have a sticky of just one of these threads so that we can just refer to one? Like what is done for the Ebay thread?

400+kms and you are complaining? there are members here that are stuck below that mark.
And as said you are driving a Verada so it is naturally heaveier than a normal Magna therefore it is acceptable FC.

Surpirisingly the 4cyl doesn't do that bad in FC.

When i first got my car i saw good fuel consumption. 10 - 12l/100km..

Before I sold it i was getting 14 - 16L/100km..

Only thing that changed was how heavy my foot was.

I'm in the same situation, foots getting heavier.lol

Hehehe welcome to thread no14 of fuel consumption. Bain is there no way we can have a sticky of just one of these threads so that we can just refer to one? Like what is done for the Ebay thread?

400+kms and you are complaining? there are members here that are stuck below that mark.
And as said you are driving a Verada so it is naturally heaveier than a normal Magna therefore it is acceptable FC.

Surpirisingly the 4cyl doesn't do that bad in FC.

We can do that.. As a matter o fact.. Ill rename and sticky this one.

Actually.. ill "poll" it..

My car's chewing way more fuel than it should. It's a 2001 Verada.

I don't drive like an idiot, and my trip computer tells me 11.9-12.0 on average. However, I'm struggling to get 400-430km out of 55-60L. My car runs fine, it's had all new filters, spark plugs, oil etc recently yet it's still chewing up a massive amount of fuel.

Anyone else had this issue or have any idea why my car's chewing so much fuel? If I drive Dad's Magna (2002) I can get an easy 600 out of the tank doing the same trips I do now. WTF.

2001, Thats a 4sp tippy yeah ? If so try shifting yourself and holding the gears longer than the auto does, australian autos - commos,falcons,magnas are shockers for shifting at low revs, this doesn't hurt a commo or falcon so much but in a magna it means your operating well below it's efficiency threshhold.

I drive my 3l between 2000/2500 to 4000/4500 in ordinary day to day driving, only time it drops below that is at takeoff and I'm getting more often than not over 600kays a tank and measuring full tank to full tank as I always do usually just under 10/100, ~9.8.

Matthius

just a thort on this topic in general if your temp sensor for the computy is shot the car will run extra rich in an attempt to warm itself up, but all will seem normal. Economy bye bye.:cry: :)

just a thort on this topic in general if your temp sensor for the computy is shot the car will run extra rich in an attempt to warm itself up, but all will seem normal. Economy bye bye.:cry: :)
Also its not uncommon for the 02 sensor to be covered in crap, and give faulty readings, make the cross counting slower, which can then quite easily cause poor fuel consumption

Its an auto... did you expect better? :eh:

Thanks for the replies guys.

All filters including air are new, ditto with spark plugs. I'll clean out the air flow meter on the weekend to see if this makes a difference, I'll let you know how I go.

Will also give the shifting thing a try later if that doesn't work.

Thanks for the replies guys.

All filters including air are new, ditto with spark plugs. I'll clean out the air flow meter on the weekend to see if this makes a difference, I'll let you know how I go.

Will also give the shifting thing a try later if that doesn't work.
try the 02 sensor more than the air flow meter, also be very careful when cleaning a airflow meter, espeacialy if they are a hot wire type, as they are easy to damage

i get 10-10.5 with constant city driving...

you must drive so so softly its not funny.. well done that is amazing fuel economy

Take it to your mechanic and get them to check the O2 sensor. Just recently found my was broken and it causes the car to run very rich, using lots of extra and un-necessary fuel. Was only getting around 450km to a tank too (3.5l TJ). Mechanic says I should notice a lot better economy now.

I run at a rate of about 8.2km per Litre in my auto TJ 3.5L under city driving condition.

My car's chewing way more fuel than it should. It's a 2001 Verada.

I don't drive like an idiot, and my trip computer tells me 11.9-12.0 on average. However, I'm struggling to get 400-430km out of 55-60L. My car runs fine, it's had all new filters, spark plugs, oil etc recently yet it's still chewing up a massive amount of fuel.

Anyone else had this issue or have any idea why my car's chewing so much fuel? If I drive Dad's Magna (2002) I can get an easy 600 out of the tank doing the same trips I do now. WTF.

Hi d0p3y

I agree with the guys that mention checking the 02 sensor and the coolant temp sensor - you can check these with a multimeter

Especially check the exhaust pipe - if sooty it can be the EGR valve not closing properly ( it feeds exhaust soot from the rear exhaust pipe back into the inlet ) and contaminating the 02 sensor

Cheers, Barry

Re "Especially check the exhaust pipe - if sooty it can be the EGR valve not closing properly ( it feeds exhaust soot from the rear exhaust pipe back into the inlet ) and contaminating the 02 sensor"

Hi Barry re the above quote i think thats a little exagerated. Most cars have EGR valves and when operating which they do most of the time if working they recirculate exhaust gases. If these gases were contaminating the Oxy sensor most cars out there will have stuffed sensors. Find this hard to beleive that the EGR setup in a vehicle was stuffing the Oxy sensors people would be replacing them on a very regular basis and it would cost them a fortune. Manufacturers wouldnt be to popular either. Just my 2cents

regards

I have a TJ 3.5 and since ive owned the car computer sais average fuel consumption is 9L/100k which isn't bad, i do a lot of highway driving though.

I know i can get 600km to a tank because i filled up on the Gold Coast and made it to Rockhampton :D just...

Re "Especially check the exhaust pipe - if sooty it can be the EGR valve not closing properly ( it feeds exhaust soot from the rear exhaust pipe back into the inlet ) and contaminating the 02 sensor"

Hi Barry re the above quote i think thats a little exagerated. Most cars have EGR valves and when operating which they do most of the time if working they recirculate exhaust gases. If these gases were contaminating the Oxy sensor most cars out there will have stuffed sensors. Find this hard to beleive that the EGR setup in a vehicle was stuffing the Oxy sensors people would be replacing them on a very regular basis and it would cost them a fortune. Manufacturers wouldnt be to popular either. Just my 2cents

regards

Hi J
I agree with what you say, although the 3.0L 3rd Gen Magnas I've seen don't have EGR.
I was mainly pointing out that Magnas with EGR have this extra soot, mixed with oily crankcase fumes, flowing on to the oxygen sensor.

BTW - Here is some more (U.S.) info for interest

O2 sensors are amazingly rugged considering the operating environment they live in. But O2 sensors do wear out and eventually have to be replaced. The performance of the O2 sensor tends to diminish with age as contaminants accumulate on the sensor tip and gradually reduce its ability to produce voltage. This kind of deterioration can be caused by a variety of substances that find their way into the exhaust such as lead, silicone, sulfur, oil ash and even some fuel additives. The sensor can also be damaged by environmental factors such as water, splash from road salt, oil and dirt.

As the sensor ages and becomes sluggish, the time it takes to react to changes in the air/fuel mixture slows down which causes emissions to go up. This happens because the flip-flopping of the fuel mixture is slowed down which reduces converter efficiency. The effect is more noticeable on engines with multiport fuel injection (MFI) than electronic carburetion or throttle body injection because the fuel ratio changes much more rapidly on MFI applications. If the sensor dies altogether, the result can be a fixed, rich fuel mixture. Default on most fuel injected applications is mid-range after three minutes. This causes a big jump in fuel consumption as well as emissions. And if the converter overheats because of the rich mixture, it may suffer damage. One EPA study found that 70% of the vehicles that failed an I/M 240 emissions test needed a new O2 sensor.

Cheers, Barry

i wish i could get that low, mine does between 17l / 100 and 20L / 100

i wish i could get that low, mine does between 17l / 100 and 20L / 100
Then there is something seriously wrong with your engine. That is if your profile is accurate and you have a 3L. You should be getting from 8-14 somewhere in that region.

I have noticed that my economy has gone up from usually around 10.5 (9.9 on highway) to 12.5 in the last few months. Now I dont want to start blaming anything but The Fuel price is skyrocketting and my economy went out the window at the same time. Coincidence?

Also that last time I had a problem with fuel Economy I also had lubricant leaking from my rear LSD. It had to be replaced at my cost even though it was under warantee as the harmonic balance braket was bent showing that I had hit something. Therefore my fault.

I put on a pod filter and have been able to get the F/E down to 12.2 at best highway driving. Something is wrong with my car.

8.4 L /100 K's........Adelaide..Melbourne return...3 Adults and luggage @ 100-110 kph..2002 TJ.
Got me stuffed what you guys are doing wrong as these are a most fuel efficient engine...and the new 380's do even better.

Re "Especially check the exhaust pipe - if sooty it can be the EGR valve not closing properly ( it feeds exhaust soot from the rear exhaust pipe back into the inlet ) and contaminating the 02 sensor"

Hi Barry re the above quote i think thats a little exagerated. Most cars have EGR valves and when operating which they do most of the time if working they recirculate exhaust gases. If these gases were contaminating the Oxy sensor most cars out there will have stuffed sensors. Find this hard to beleive that the EGR setup in a vehicle was stuffing the Oxy sensors people would be replacing them on a very regular basis and it would cost them a fortune. Manufacturers wouldnt be to popular either. Just my 2cents

regards

He's right, EGR recirc contains traces of soot, when this combines with crankcase breather fumes they mix to form a nice gritty paste, the older an engine gets the more eggagerated this is. While most cars do have EGR valves, most cars also go through O2 sensors whether their owners know it or not and a rule of thumb for O2 sensors is 100k but this will vary with driving conditions. Also EGR is being phased out, it was a poor attempt at emissions control at best, a stop gap until a better method could be found and most engines being built/released currently drop the technology in favour of higher pressure fuel systems and tighter atomisation of the injectors leading to a cleaner burn.

Also, when everyone quotes fuel consumption figures could they state whether they're auto or manual, as the figures will vary dependant on that :P

Matthius

When I first got my 3.0 manual TF I was able to get on average 560km per tank. Now I seam to be getting about 490 on average, but I think it has more to do with my driving style rather then anything wrong with the car.

As you get used to a car, you tend to push it harder. :P

Time to plug the sucker up and see how that goes. If it prevents crap going through the manifold and contaminating the sensor this is a good thing. Agree with you re newer cars they are phasing it out. They should be able to withstand what goes through. No real way in testing it cause the o2' sensors last a long time as it is.

Regards

I have a manual VRX and my average speed according to the computer is 29km-33km/hr. My consumption is about 17L-18L/100km. All my trips are less than 10km and in that trip i have to stop at 7 traffic lights AND 2-3 junctions. Sometimes because of traffic in the arvo it takes me 1hr to drive 9kms!! I travel about 150km/week. So for me that consumption is normal.

Range to empty is 410-420kms when full. I reset the computer at every fill up

When i do highway driving i get about 8-10L/100kms.

I have a heavy foot and short shift if i have to. I change gears at 3000-4000rpm.

My car has done 104K kms and the spark plugs are new (all 6 are Iridium). The only thing i have to change is my fuel filter.

Tyres all 4 @ 36psi
Always use Shell Unleaded. Fill up with optimax every 4 weeks (too expensive for a 71L tank atm)

Any comments??

Then there is something seriously wrong with your engine. That is if your profile is accurate and you have a 3L. You should be getting from 8-14 somewhere in that region.


Nothing is wrong mate !! It depends how you drive. If you drive on the highway and get 17L/100kms then you're screwed. But if your trips are less than 10kms then its normal. They drink a lot the Magna.

Nothing is wrong mate !! It depends how you drive. If you drive on the highway and get 17L/100kms then you're screwed. But if your trips are less than 10kms then its normal. They drink a lot the Magna.
I guess if you drive very small incriments like yourself then bad fuel economy is inevitable. He didn't stipulate one way or the other tho so I simply took it on face value. But you are right. Your highway figures are good tho, 8-10L/100kms is good. I dissagree tho that the Magnas use a lot of juice. Driving normally (which for me means like a granpa most of the time and occasionally booting it) I can average under 11L/100 consistantly. That's pretty damn good. My mates TT Soarer averages 18L/100.

At the moment with pure grandpar style I'm getting 9.9lt, with no highway's in sight. I rev it to, brace your selfs, 2000rpm and only use 5th when doing more than 70ks.

At the moment with pure grandpar style I'm getting 9.9lt, with no highway's in sight. I rev it to, brace your selfs, 2000rpm and only use 5th when doing more than 70ks.

Thats seems normal, I don't see any problem sure some people change gear at higher rev's but you should see when to do it and when not to. I think your fuel ec is perfectly ok.