Fuel Consumption

[BLACKAUXR8]

I get 350 at the most :-) of premium. And i wouldnt have it any other way.

[sanjay]

okay, i left the positive lead off the battery for an hour, came back to turn the car on and it didnt say BASE on the trip meter like its apparently meant to...

did the whole idling in D with AC, then without AC etc etc and no difference to my idle speed (which im fairly sure is too high, at about 850rpm in D, 900rpm in N or P) but the DTE function says i have 100km left to empty as opposed to 50km left to empty. so maybe it has done something.

[Dark Horse]

Sanjay, that whole idling thing is a complete waste of time in my honest opinion. Just get out and drive.

There is an idle speed adjustment in the engine bay, it's near the throttle body, which you might have to manually set yourself.

[sanjay]

i tried GK's tutorial here
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...1&postcount=47

on how to adjust the base idle.

however, i dont know what a feeler gauge is, nor where to put it (there are no pics of that particular step in the guide :p)

if i turn the base idle screw it doesnt affect anything unless i turn it like half a revolution to the left in which case the car will try to start then stall.

additionally, if i unplug the ISC plug then the car wont start, so i dont understand how im meant to unplug the ISC plug, then start the car, then adjust the idle screw.

[coledog]

My au2 futura sedan gets about 470ks city and around 750- 850 highway and i drive pretty hard!

[sanjay]

Originally Posted by sanjay

i tried GK's tutorial here
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...1&postcount=47

on how to adjust the base idle.

however, i dont know what a feeler gauge is, nor where to put it (there are no pics of that particular step in the guide :p)

if i turn the base idle screw it doesnt affect anything unless i turn it like half a revolution to the left in which case the car will try to start then stall.

additionally, if i unplug the ISC plug then the car wont start, so i dont understand how im meant to unplug the ISC plug, then start the car, then adjust the idle screw.

can anyone help me? :(

[Chamelion]

Feeler guage is this (mine is a cheap $2 one :P) -

I'm quite positive what he means by the throttle body plate is what the idle screw contacts. It's the bit you can move in and out with your hand to increase revs whilst working under the hood. I can take a photo if need be, but you should be able to see the particular part if you have half an idea what you're looking for. It's actually just out of shot in his pics, just under the ISC valve.

As for starting your car.. I'm not sure. Mine starts without the ISC valve plugged in, but it does tend to run like anus if I do so. :P

Matt.

[SSVPom]

OK, so filled up the car last week - DTE read around 320kms.

Get in the car tonight, trip computer starts shouting at me "60kms to empty" and the car has only done 270kms...

Either the wife is gunning the thing around the suburbs like a VL driving P-plater, or there is something that needs looking at.

Next months shopping list:

Oxy sensor, plugs, air filter and followed by an ECU reset.

Watch this space !

[sanjay]

once my car was refilled to full today the DTE function says 480km to empty, which is a darnsight better than the 380km to empty it was saying last time i filled up. we'll see if that figure holds true, still pretty bad for a 6 cylinder IMO (around 13.5l/100km).

my trip computer says that i did 380km from full to 2 litres left in the tank according to shell servo and the fuel tank being 68l in total - thats like 17l/100km which is just appalling...i guess i do do 90% city driving but even then its mostly cruising at 60...

[Chamelion]

You're doing alright to get 13.5L/100km with mixed driving. Very normal for a falcon. 17L/100km is a little high, but not out of the realm of normality if you were a) city driving and b) enjoying the XR side of your 6. ;)

Matt.

[Mr Hardware]

Either the wife is gunning the thing around the suburbs like a VL driving P-plater

ahhahaha

You just described my brother - He's a P plater who drives a VL and guns it everywhere...


ahahhahaha

[justa6]

out on the highway mine still gets 13L/1ookm. thats with 450rwhp and only 3 gears. i'm sure with a piggy back computer and a tune you would see more power and better fuel consumption out of a standard six.

[Modmyxr8]

I gotta series 3 xr8 stay away from caltex its crap i find the bp ultimate 98 is the go. xtra kms cauz its 98 is bullocks 2!!!! but i be luckey 2 get 400km out of a tank.

[Chamelion]

Originally Posted by Modmyxr8

I gotta series 3 xr8 stay away from caltex its crap i find the bp ultimate 98 is the go. xtra kms cauz its 98 is bullocks 2!!!! but i be luckey 2 get 400km out of a tank.

I have got a series 3 xr8.

Stay away from Caletx, it is crap. I find BP Ultimate is the go. I tend to get extra KM per tank because it's 98ron, however I question the legitimacy of that claim. It seems I am lucky to get 400km from each tank of fuel.

Translated for those without younger siblings.

[Modmyxr8]

Originally Posted by Chamelion

Translated for those without younger siblings.

In my opinion 98 caltex when you floor it pings hard. Then with bp 98 doesnt? Quality of fuel from where purchased maybe?

[Dark Horse]

I have got an AUIII XR8 220.

Stay away from Caltex, it is substandard. I recommend BP Ultimate. I tend to get extra kilometres per tank because it's 98 RON. However, I question the legitimacy of that claim. It seems I am lucky to get 400km from each tank of fuel.

Originally Posted by Chamelion

Translated for those without younger siblings.

Spell checked and grammatised. :

Sanjay, 17L/100 km I might have mistaken you for driving a TS50!

[sanjay]

hmm after a couple more tanks, im down to 50ks DTE, the fuel light is on, and ive only done 370km. all city driving. this awful fuel economy is killing my bank account :(

time for a new O2 sensor eh? how else will i know i need to get one?

and how much should i expect to pay for the part + installation?

[Mechan1k]

$55 from eBay ... there is a seller in Melbourne with a Buy It Now price.
All you need is a 22mm spanner and a few minutes to remove/re-install.
The clip on the old one might be a tad stiff to unclick .. but it comes off fairly easily.
All reachable from under the driver's door (although I have Pacemaker extractors ... not sure on the factory location ... might be easier to access from underbonnet)

[Chamelion]

They're not much more than $60 on ebay and changing it yourself shouldn't take more than 5 minutes... I took mine out today for inspection (could do with a change soon) and put it back in.. Peice of cake.

Matt.

PS: Isn't what you're getting pretty much 14L/100km? That's normal for city driving... Same as what I was getting with my wagon.

EDIT: It's right on the side of the exhaust headers on the drivers side there... easy as pie to find and acess from the engine bay.

[Mechan1k]

No harm in replacing the O2 sensor ... they really should be replaced on time or another ... moreso for preventative maintenance.

I was finding it hard to get 500km (mainly 450km) for about 85L of LPG ... I am now constantly getting around the 620km mark for the same amount after replacing my O2 sensor ... and that's outer metro driving.

[sanjay]

well lets say i got 400km out of this tank till it was really bone dry, thats 17l/100km which is just awful.

dont suppose anyone's made a nice guide on replacing the O2 sensor eh, i dont even know what it looks like or where it is, shows how much i know. :(

[Chamelion]

Oh right... I thought the tank was 61L? I also assumed that you could get that 50KM the DTE claims and usually a little more, so I added 10km.

That's 430 for 61L - 14.2L/100km.

If no one beats me to it I'll take a photo of the location.. The rest is a peice of . Undo power connection, undo sensor with a spanner, take it out... put some teflon tape on the threads of the new sensor, spanner the bugger in, connect power... done.

EDIT: If the tank is 68L like I have just read, that's still 15.8L/100km. A little high it would seem.. But it would very largely depend on HOW you drive it in city traffic. That said, replacing the oxygen sensor, if it's looking a bit old, can't hurt.

ps: You could have LPG in that for $400~ :P

[sanjay]

i dont do nearly enough driving to warrant LPG but the thought has crossed my mind. i know an installer in SA who can do me a good deal. i might fill up once a month which is 400km a month...less than 5000km a year.

redbook says the tank is 68l and i filled up with 66l at the last fillup (i wait till the tank is almost bone dry and dont like pushing the DTE function - it said i had 20km left with 2 litres in the tank!)

if you could get some pics i would be forever in your debt!

[Chamelion]

Oh, not a lot of incentive for you to get LPG with that many KM. I do somewhere between 17,000 and 20,000km PA.

[HLC]

Originally Posted by sanjay

i dont do nearly enough driving to warrant LPG but the thought has crossed my mind. i know an installer in SA who can do me a good deal. i might fill up once a month which is 400km a month...less than 5000km a year.

redbook says the tank is 68l and i filled up with 66l at the last fillup (i wait till the tank is almost bone dry and dont like pushing the DTE function - it said i had 20km left with 2 litres in the tank!)

if you could get some pics i would be forever in your debt!

open your bonnet.

look at your headers, right down the bottom just before they go under the car into the cat, there is a little plug thing coming off the pipe with a wire on it. thats the oxygen sensor!

[Dezaman]

id get 400 km's highway, with lpg, itd cost me 25-30 bucks to fill the tank, and would last me half a week drivin 2 hours every day

[fordman_01]

i usually run mine down to 6kms left on the dte thing. i think im gettin about max 400kms per full tank. last week i filled up full tank on tues and was down to quarter tank on thursday night :(

[HLC]

what is your driving style like?

are you thrashing it? are you in power or economy mode? do you do any freeway driving or all suburbia?

[Chamelion]

Do you still want the pics mate? I'll go down and take some if you do... Would have done it earlier, but it's been a fairly crazy day.

Matt.

[Oo_xrsx_oO]

My VCT gets 600km to a tank most weeks. Driving to and from work is mostly highway km but I get a few nights a week where coming home will take an hour or so longer than normal plus the usual weekly running around. DTE usually reads between 600-700 straight after I fill up.