Hey guys,
I bought a 97 KE verada at car city, its done 120,000 kms.

ON the first tank i filled it up to full and its done 100kms and half tank is gone.

What could be the problem?

please help.

might just be the fuel sender.
fill it up to the top again after the 100k's and see how many litres go in.

does it sound like its running on 5 cylinders, smells like a fuel nozzle at the exhaust?

might also be the oxygen sensor, seeing as they are an item that seems to like going at 100,xxxk's

does it have a full service record? have a look at it, hopefully all the services were done, etc...

Hey guys,
I bought a 97 KE verada at car city, its done 120,000 kms.

ON the first tank i filled it up to full and its done 100kms and half tank is gone.

What could be the problem?

please help.

Hey simonhaha,

In my TF I was going through half a tank in around 80-100km iswell. What the problem is that the fuel pump is faulty. I changed it and now it gets 200-250km per half a tank :)

hope this helps

I assume here, that a '97 Verada has the trip computer same as my KJseries 1 (2000 Model).

I suggest you check the trip-computer readings against the fuel-guage?

You may need to re-fuel and reset the Trip Computer to make this 'check' meaningful.
Reset is achieved by pressing and holding down the "Mode" button for several seconds...... this Resets most of the Trip Computer readings ( I try to do this "reset" every time I refill my fuel tank, so then I can track Fuel-Used, ave fuel consumption etc for THAT tank of fuel).

Check what the "total fuel used" reading in trip-computer is, after driving enough distance to have an effect on the fuel guage. The fuel tank holds about 70 litres of fuel, and by comparing the fuel-guage to the "total fuel used" Trip Computer function, as well as the "Average Fuel Consumption" function - you will begin to get an understanding of a few possibilities:

- is the fuel guage dicky, which is a fairly common fault with 3rd gens? If trip computer shows much less fuel used than Fuel Guage suggests, your consumption may be Ok but the guage is faulty and gives an impression of high fuel consumption.
- if fuel consumption IS excessive, Oxygen sensors can be a cause of this (Search these Forums for details, or prior experiences)
- another factor to consider is that whatever the cause, if excess fuel is delivered to the cylinders (or esp to one or a few only) the fuel can dilute the lubrication (oil film) on cylinder walls, leading to excessive or accelerated wear of your piston rings and the cylinder bores.


Thats about all that comes to my mind. (being distracted by MasterChef)

Too many variables such as fuel gauge, petrol station hose cutoff when full, etc etc. You really need to give it a few weeks before trying to calculate fuel consumption.

Dirty Injector's can make you use more fuel and was an issue with my TE magna last year after they were cleaned and a new fuel filter all was good again. Only other thing I can think of is dirty fuel from the station may have been tampered with maybe ?

THanks for replies guys,

Should i take it to a mechanic asap? or wait it out?

How much should this job cost me?


Hey, DJtime the car matches your discription where its got like no power and gives off a bad smell.. what did you do in the end?

let me know.

Cheers

Hey Hacko, when i first bought the car, i filled the tank up to full. When i went to pay for it the guy at the counter said i didnt fill it up...
but on the gauge it reads that i filled it up to $50. The petrol meter came down rapidly from the top as i drove it. (3 days)

hey slammed, how much did the fuel pump cost you?

THanks for replies guys,

Should i take it to a mechanic asap? or wait it out?

How much should this job cost me?


Hey, DJtime the car matches your discription where its got like no power and gives off a bad smell.. what did you do in the end?

let me know.

Cheers

You may also have a stuffed cat if it is smelling bad at the exhaust.

hey slammed, how much did the fuel pump cost you?

hey simonhaha it only cost me $30 over here in NZ from pick a part. the wreckers over here wanted $125+ gst and new was $245+

i had the same problem the while your driving nicely all of a sudden you can smell gas and if you can smell gas at the fuel flap/ back end of the car it'll be the pump. hope this info helps out for you. and they are very easy to change yourself :)

Well $50 won't fill it from near empty, try about $80. Fuel economy is dependent on so many factors so it's nigh on impossible to diagnose on here. Could need a good service, new filters, oxygen sensor, pump up the tyres to reduce rolling resistance, new tyres if they are worn, adjustment of your driving techniques. Also where you drive will have a significant affect on your economy. Obviously someone who drives freeway vs suburban will get better economy.

The smell of petrol can mean the vacuum lines to the charcoal canister are busted/missing preventing the fumes being dumped in the canister (which it is designed to do). The fuel system - tank to injector should basically be sealed and should only vent at the charcoal canister (so I've been told). Re bad smell...usually rotten egg gas type - can be caused by incomplete combustion/overly rich mixture but not if smelt after driving hard when on an older car it can mean that the cat converter cannot burn off the excess pollutants fast enough.
Give it a month or so before replacing parts.

Hey Hacko, when i first bought the car, i filled the tank up to full. When i went to pay for it the guy at the counter said i didnt fill it up...
but on the gauge it reads that i filled it up to $50. The petrol meter came down rapidly from the top as i drove it. (3 days)

That could be your problem....tank not filled to top.

hey ive filled up to the top on saturday,

ive gone through quarter tank in 3 days, ive done 90kms

ive been driving like a grandma... does this sound right?

Going back to my previous post........ you need to work out just how much fuel the car has ACTUALLY used.
The "quarter tank in 3 days/90kms" is this measured by looking at the fuel guage, or by refilling the tank at petrol pump until full again?

Fuel guages can be faulty, and give misleading or nonsensical readings.
Has your car got the Trip Computer in the dash? (Hint: Mode and Up/Down Buttons to the left of Steering column on the Instrument Cluster Surround panel (called a Bezel by Mitsi).

IF your car has really used 1/4 tank (which is about 16-18 litres) driving 90kms - then it is using roughly twice as much fuel as my TJ and KJ (although they do mostly highway driving, where economy is much better). That doesn't sound right.

If you don't have the "Operators Manual" booklet in your vehicle - the glovebox booklet - then try to borrow one or get one at a Wrecker - it will explain your car (including the Trip Computer which I assume you have, but cannot operate).

Failing this, consider going to a "meet" if you are in Metro Melbourne, you will likely get lots of help and advice. Look at the "Victoria" section of the Forums for details of when/where the members get-together. Or contact member "madmagna" who is a mechanic specialising in these cars and operates a business in Melbourne's eastern suburbs - he will give you excellent advice and service/repairs.

cheers for the advice Elwyn,

For the trip computer, is that the 3 little buttons beside my steering wheel?

I used that to change the time on the clock. Is there a fuel consumption reader on that little screen where it has the air condition display?

cheers

smon

When i filled the car on saturday, the pin was nearly touching the empty sign, but it didnt have a red light, When i filled up to the top i only put in 50L. could there be another 20L in the tank?
could the quater tank just mean 1/4 of the 50L which is only 12.5L?

The angle that you place the nozzle in the fuel filler can affect when it cuts off to say its full. The nozzle work better when at an angle and not straight in, so I have found. So, hold the nozzle in an anticlockwise rotation, hmmm, 60 degrees? and fill until it says its full. Take note of the litres its filled. Then, fill very slowly by holding the triggle lightly, and trickle the fuel in till it just overflows (not the best thing to do, but it is for this test). Take note of the litres filled again. Subtract the first filled reading from the second filled reading, there should only be a couple of litres difference.

Drive the car for at least 100km minimum, preferably at least 300km or when the fuel gauge reads just above quarter full. Then, repeat the above process.

Divide the amount of litres you filled by 1/100 times the distance driven. Say if you filled 40 litres, and drove 312km, divide 40 by 3.12. That gives your litres/100km. This is a precide way of determining your economy.

a 1997 verada will not have the electronic trip computer.

the fuel capacity is 71 Litres.

my verada recently returned 9L/100kms out of a tank or 788kms country driving at 100kph.

i think its possible to get even better with a lower viscosity oil, full service, lower rolling resistance tyres, manual transmission, no luggage etc.

Hey Elwyn,
Where can i find this "mode button"?

OP,
Feel free to book in for a proper check over and some suggestions

You do really need to fill it up, do a 100k and then refil and see how many litres, a faulty sender can easily give you the idea you are using much more than you are.

either above or just drive and next time you top up, work out how many litres to how many K's you have done

A KF does not have a trip comp, these were started with the TH/KH onwards

hey madmagna, that sounds like a good idea, ive just went up to 100km, i will fill up to see exactly how much ive used.


Last night when i took the car out for a drive it was sitting above quater tank.. then the fuel reader slowly drops down dramatically using up more than 1 bar of fuel within 10kms of driving.

Do you have a workshop? Where do you reckon is best to get my verada checked out?

i live around the balwyn area.

My workshop is in Heathmont, feel free to PM me for details

Hey i filled up my tank last night.

I went to fill the tank last night when the odometer hit 105kms, it filled up to 17.55L. Is this normal?
i been driving in the suburbs like a grandma...

I thought it was taking up a lot more petrol than that, so im not as sad about my car...
There isnt any sign of leakage but there is a smell when running the car...

im not sure what to do, should i get it checked out soon? or should i wait it out?

Might just be the O2 sensor.
Gerry

@Mal, Thanks for stepping-in about the Trip Computer..... I knew you'd have the answers! TH/KH onwards for Trip Comp - will try to remember that!

@OP: I will be driving from Tamworth NSW to Melbourne in about 10 days time, and have booked-up Mal/Madmagna to do some work on my KJ. I'd strongly recommend that you arrange a visit to Mal and let him give your vehicle the once-over - you could spend a lifetime looking for a mechanic with such and interest in Magna's and knowledge of their foibles!!

Seems that your fuel-consumption is not as dire as maybe you thought....... dicky fuel tank sender unit is a common glitch with 3rd Gen Magnas (and lets face it, some of these cars are fairly old now). Lots of members have suggested possible causes of not-ideal fuel economy - a visit to Mal will be the best way for you to work out which may apply to your car. All best!

cheers Elwyn

hey Mal,
Ive just bought my car from car city like 2 weeks ago, i hope it wouldnt be much of an issue...How much would you charge for changing a oxygen sensor? If i bring it down would it

be able to be done quickly?

I hope its just the sensor...

simon