Why Is My Car Doing Low On Fuel ?

timmy · November 6, 2007

Hi,

I have recently bought a Mitsubishi Lancer CK2 - MX Extra. This has auto transmission with EFI. It also uses a lean burn technology called the MVV (Mitsubishi Vertical Vortex) to reduce fuel usage.

However it doesn't do well on fuel. It does around 7.8 kmpl with mostly town riding, but even that you cannot call city driving since I haven't driven around when there was heavy traffic. I have done the necessary oil service, but havent done anything other than that in way of service. The car hasnt been used much although its YOM is 1997. ODO meter reads close to 60,000 kms and the previous owner said that he hadnt even done the ATF change.

I have heard that cars with EFI do usually 9-10 kmpl in city and close to 15 kmpl outside. Or is this too much to expect from a Lancer ?

Please advice me as to wat to do to bring down the fuel consumption.

thanx in advance,

Timms.

edit :: engine code - 4G15 12 Valve SOHC - 1500 CC

Edited November 6, 2007 by timmy

Arc Angel · November 6, 2007

timmy said:
Hi,
I have recently bought a Mitsubishi Lancer CK2 - MX Extra. This has auto transmission with EFI. It also uses a lean burn technology called the MVV (Mitsubishi Vertical Vortex) to reduce fuel usage.

However it doesn't do well on fuel. It does around 7.8 kmpl with mostly town riding, but even that you cannot call city driving since I haven't driven around when there was heavy traffic. I have done the necessary oil service, but havent done anything other than that in way of service. The car hasnt been used much although its YOM is 1997. ODO meter reads close to 60,000 kms and the previous owner said that he hadnt even done the ATF change.

I have heard that cars with EFI do usually 9-10 kmpl in city and close to 15 kmpl outside. Or is this too much to expect from a Lancer ?

Please advice me as to wat to do to bring down the fuel consumption.

thanx in advance,

Timms.

edit :: engine code - 4G15 12 Valve SOHC - 1500 CC

have you checked out the usual suspects? like the plugs, filters etc? recent service? correct octane fuel?

ruwan67 · November 6, 2007

Remove the Catelyst Converter and go with L gear in heavy trafic

Those info is from readings and reason exp

Regards,

ruwan

timmy · November 6, 2007

thanx for replying,

@ArcAngel

I haven't done any checks other than for changing the engine oil, brake oil and putting a new air filter. I jus want to know if this mileage is abnormal, cos a friend of mine who uses a Honda EK3 says he gets 10-11 kmpl with a carbueretor. For me all I get out of topping up the tank with 35lts of 90 octane petrol is 273 kms. If it is abnormal, tell me the checks that I need to run, like the types of diagonistics I need to do. I havent got ne clue of them. Also wat filters I need to replace and most importantly where I can get them attended to.

@ruwan how can running in L gear help in heavy traffic ?

thanx mates.

The Don · November 6, 2007

timmy said:
Hi,
I have recently bought a Mitsubishi Lancer CK2 - MX Extra. This has auto transmission with EFI. It also uses a lean burn technology called the MVV (Mitsubishi Vertical Vortex) to reduce fuel usage.

However it doesn't do well on fuel. It does around 7.8 kmpl with mostly town riding, but even that you cannot call city driving since I haven't driven around when there was heavy traffic. I have done the necessary oil service, but havent done anything other than that in way of service. The car hasnt been used much although its YOM is 1997. ODO meter reads close to 60,000 kms and the previous owner said that he hadnt even done the ATF change.

I have heard that cars with EFI do usually 9-10 kmpl in city and close to 15 kmpl outside. Or is this too much to expect from a Lancer ?

Please advice me as to wat to do to bring down the fuel consumption.

thanx in advance,

Timms.

edit :: engine code - 4G15 12 Valve SOHC - 1500 CC

I recon the car needs a tune up, and hooking it up to a diagnostic system when doing the tune up might reveal the problem,

also your driving style has a big effect on fuel efficiency, as in revving the engine a lot etc

Lancers are not bad on fuel (The GDI models had some problems because of fuel impurities) so get it checked out

ruwan67 · November 6, 2007

timmy said:
thanx for replying,
@ruwan how can running in L gear help in heavy traffic ?

thanx mates.

It was my resent exp with new car(See my "Became Honda lover" post). When you put L gear the RPM usually reduce to 500 or less (less RPM less petrol; I have no idea about your car RPM) from D mode (RPM 1000~1500) and you don’t need acceleration in flat land just release the break. I got 8~10km/l in D and 13km/l in L when KOTA KOTA YANAKOTA.

Regards,

Ruwan

Ripper · November 6, 2007

The Don said:
I recon the car needs a tune up, and hooking it up to a diagnostic system when doing the tune up might reveal the problem,
also your driving style has a big effect on fuel efficiency, as in revving the engine a lot etc

Lancers are not bad on fuel (The GDI models had some problems because of fuel impurities) so get it checked out

Timmy,

If you're comparing to a civic or anything else in that displacement range you gotta check whether it's a manual also... carb models also can be tuned pretty well to do good fuel economy.

And you can't really judge the usage of a car only going by the odometer readings cos that can pretty easily be rolled back...

If the previous owner hasn't even change the ATF as you say..chances are that he didn't maintain the car properly...

Like everyone has said...check the plugs, check the air filter to see if it needs to be changed...a clogged air filter can severely affect the engine from "breathing" properly giving you bad fuel economy...

Another thing is oxygen sensors... when they also get clogged up....it tend to give wrong info to the ECU...again reducing your fuel economy...

like THE DON says...hook it up to a diagnostic system and you should be able to identify these sorta problems...

good luck

aswe · November 6, 2007

ruwan67 said:
It was my resent exp with new car(See my "Became Honda lover" post). When you put L gear the RPM usually reduce to 500 or less (less RPM less petrol; I have no idea about your car RPM) from D mode (RPM 1000~1500) and you don’t need acceleration in flat land just release the break. I got 8~10km/l in D and 13km/l in L when KOTA KOTA YANAKOTA.
Regards,

Ruwan

Guys

Every engine has performance diagrams. One is torque vs speed and other one is output power vs speed. If you maintain your car based on these diagrams you will get the highest efficiency. Generally most cars are designed work highest efficiency (most fuel economical) at the speed of 40 to 60 kmph. I dont think if you drive on L at a very low speed (I dont know what you mean kota kota yanawa) you will not get the highest fuel economy.

Regarding the specific problem our mate has I think you need a throttle valve clearing and and EFI tuneup with your spark plugs checked. check your air filter and if ATF is not changed or degraded you need to look in to that as well. Other thing is check your shocks and tyres also. At last but most important is your driving style.

Good Luck

ashok

Arc Angel · November 6, 2007

timmy said:
thanx for replying,
@ArcAngel

I haven't done any checks other than for changing the engine oil, brake oil and putting a new air filter. I jus want to know if this mileage is abnormal, cos a friend of mine who uses a Honda EK3 says he gets 10-11 kmpl with a carbueretor.

dude, thats the first i'm hearing of an ek3 with a carb in it.... I also drive an ek3, and get similar mileage.. don't compare in that manner, cos it will vary on driving style etc...

timmy · November 6, 2007

thanx mates,

So where do u suggest I should get all these checks done ? I heard that the "agents" for this car are good at ripping the customer, if I'm not too sure of what needs be done. And any idea about the costs involved for this type of service ?

And also getting 7.8 kmpl is abnormal or wat ? Any Lancer users here ?

@Arc

Yea that's a 19- EK3 and it is on carb. I donno but Ive seen plenty of them when i hunted for a car. And my frnd said he gets 380 kms from pumping 35 ltrs of fuel.

Edited November 6, 2007 by timmy

Arc Angel · November 6, 2007

timmy said:
thanx mates,
@Arc

Yea that's a 19- EK3 and it is on carb. I donno but Ive seen plenty of them when i hunted for a car. And my frnd said he gets 380 kms from pumping 35 ltrs of fuel.

your sure your not reffering to the eg8??

this is a bit ot, but a lot of people are suprised with the idea of a carb ek3, unless it's a very rare Jdm. Please ask your friend to post the pics. it'll be a great addition to the Honda club.

timmy · November 6, 2007

Arc Angel said:
your sure your not reffering to the eg8??
this is a bit ot, but a lot of people are suprised with the idea of a carb ek3, unless it's a very rare Jdm. Please ask your friend to post the pics. it'll be a great addition to the Honda club.

oops .. It was an Eg8... i remember now.

Arc, how much mileage do u get ? In a more general way how much mileage should one expect from an EFI car with Auto transmission.

Do u guys think there is something wrong with my mileage or is it normal ? wat do u suggest. Cos I don't drive around much and when I do, i see the fuel meter dropping loads. This is infact one reason I dont drive it much around.

ruwan67 · November 6, 2007

aswe said:
Guys
Every engine has performance diagrams. One is torque vs speed and other one is output power vs speed. If you maintain your car based on these diagrams you will get the highest efficiency. Generally most cars are designed work highest efficiency (most fuel economical) at the speed of 40 to 60 kmph. I dont think if you drive on L at a very low speed (I dont know what you mean kota kota yanawa) you will not get the highest fuel economy.

Regarding the specific problem our mate has I think you need a throttle valve clearing and and EFI tuneup with your spark plugs checked. check your air filter and if ATF is not changed or degraded you need to look in to that as well. Other thing is check your shocks and tyres also. At last but most important is your driving style.

Good Luck

ashok

Dear Friends,

It is true that kmh Vs MPG and most car 50~60kmh is the best.

But there is a relationship between RPM (revelation per minute) and fuel consumption, and it increases when idling (no work done)the engine at high RPM (increase the number of combustion in a less time)

When you go in high traffic

MPG(Total engine operate time)= MPG(Stayed time) + MPG(traveled time)

In both states car engine is running so if you want to reduce the fuel consumption

stop the engine when you stay in the road So;

MPG(Total engine operate time)= MPG(traveled time)

But practically we can’t do it unless the long stay like rail road crossing etc.

If L gear has less RPM its combustion will reduce when stay (idling) so it increase the fuel consumption and contribute to MPG.

In L it has high torque so you do not need any acceleration to give momentum and ECU I think is programmed L for good MGP for high torque rather do it manualy.

Don’t bluff me for boosting My new car, I-DSI made record 26.2km/l see the below thread

http://paultan.org/archives/2007/06/11/hon...nomy-challenge/

Regards,

Ruwan

Arc Angel · November 6, 2007

timmy said:
oops .. It was an Eg8... i remember now.
Arc, how much mileage do u get ? In a more general way how much mileage should one expect from an EFI car with Auto transmission.

Do u guys think there is something wrong with my mileage or is it normal ? wat do u suggest. Cos I don't drive around much and when I do, i see the fuel meter dropping loads. This is infact one reason I dont drive it much around.

I get about 9.5 - 10 kmpl. It all depends on how many rushes of blood I get... I genaraly max the revs three or four times a week. then it goes down to about 7.5 - 8 kmpl

autos will have a tendancy to be less fuel efficient cos of the limited control you'll have over the ratios.

I suggest you check out some of the options that the guys here have posted here bro...

it's prolly a very minor thing.

GearHead · November 6, 2007

i heard that A*W(nissan dealers) is having a service joint somewhere in borella where they service any brand.isnt that a good place to get all these things done?

Edited November 6, 2007 by GearHead

timmy · November 6, 2007

ruwan67 said:
Don’t bluff me for boosting My new car, I-DSI made record 26.2km/l see the below thread
http://paultan.org/archives/2007/06/11/hon...nomy-challenge/

thats awesome... but since u say u own a l-DSl car, wat are the figures in real life ?

I know a person who commutes down south regularly in a Corolla 121 (1.8 l engine Jap domestic model) and gets a stunning fuel efficiency of 18 kmpl. But in town it only does 9-10 kmpl.

Watchman · November 6, 2007

ruwan67 said:
Dear Friends,
It is true that kmh Vs MPG and most car 50~60kmh is the best.

But there is a relationship between RPM (revelation per minute) and fuel consumption, and it increases when idling (no work done)the engine at high RPM (increase the number of combustion in a less time)

When you go in high traffic

MPG(Total engine operate time)= MPG(Stayed time) + MPG(traveled time)

In both states car engine is running so if you want to reduce the fuel consumption

stop the engine when you stay in the road So;

MPG(Total engine operate time)= MPG(traveled time)

But practically we can’t do it unless the long stay like rail road crossing etc.

If L gear has less RPM its combustion will reduce when stay (idling) so it increase the fuel consumption and contribute to MPG.

In L it has high torque so you do not need any acceleration to give momentum and ECU I think is programmed L for good MGP for high torque rather do it manualy.

Don’t bluff me for boosting My new car, I-DSI made record 26.2km/l see the below thread

http://paultan.org/archives/2007/06/11/hon...nomy-challenge/

Regards,

Ruwan

hey,

when teavelling behind a hurse in a funeral i'm sure L would be fine cos you do travel REALLY slow.. in caft on a stick shift letting the engine iddle while ont he 1st kind of does the trick.. but in trafic i dont think that works.. remember Ruwan "L" means the 1st gear.. so as the car needs to speed up it will do that ONLY on the 1st gear, and will never switch to the 2nd..

As for your fuel consumptions observations, I dont think those figures are exactly 100% right..

And another minor correction... then the engine is turning at 100rpm it doesnt necessarily mean its burning half the fuel as it would burn when turnign at 2000rpm.. Say you were going uphill, then your RPM wouldnt change that much but you DO burn MUCH more petrol... I'm sure you'll learn more through and and experience with the car.... Btw is this your 1st car?

As for TIMMY, i think thr ATF might be the thing.. I'm sure ATF thats 10 years OLD needs to be changed... and since the previous owner hadnt dont it, maybe you just should... Even I have noticed a huge change in pulling power and diesel consumption on our G.vitara when the ATF changing time/milage gets close...

MAS · November 6, 2007

GearHead said:
i heard that A*W(nissan dealers) is having a service joint somewhere in borella where they service any brand.isnt that a good place to get all these things done?

I think you are referring to the PitStop. Here is the location.

GMI · November 7, 2007

timmy said:
Hi,
I have recently bought a Mitsubishi Lancer CK2 - MX Extra. This has auto transmission with EFI. It also uses a lean burn technology called the MVV (Mitsubishi Vertical Vortex) to reduce fuel usage.

However it doesn't do well on fuel. It does around 7.8 kmpl with mostly town riding, but even that you cannot call city driving since I haven't driven around when there was heavy traffic. I have done the necessary oil service, but havent done anything other than that in way of service. The car hasnt been used much although its YOM is 1997. ODO meter reads close to 60,000 kms and the previous owner said that he hadnt even done the ATF change.

I have heard that cars with EFI do usually 9-10 kmpl in city and close to 15 kmpl outside. Or is this too much to expect from a Lancer ?

Please advice me as to wat to do to bring down the fuel consumption.

thanx in advance,

Timms.

edit :: engine code - 4G15 12 Valve SOHC - 1500 CC

Try recalibrating the ECU. You can do it by yourself if you have the owner's manual. One of my friends had the same issue with a Lancer after a battery problem and he recalibrated the ECU by himself referring the manual and got the problem fixed.

ruwan67 · November 7, 2007

timmy said:
thats awesome... but since u say u own a l-DSl car, wat are the figures in real life ?
I know a person who commutes down south regularly in a Corolla 121 (1.8 l engine Jap domestic model) and gets a stunning fuel efficiency of 18 kmpl. But in town it only does 9-10 kmpl.

Dear Friends,

This is my 4th vehicle two of them I drove in Middle East( petrel is cheaper than water) all were manual & no power steering but I was not car enthusiast and expert like you but now I am seeking knowledge from you and the webs.

In real life in SL I fill the tank full and went to Kandy, Colombo & more in WALAWAL SAHITH PARAVAL in Jaela area until tank reach to ¼ and fill it full again and check the meter reading it was 14.5km/l and almost equal to the TRIP meter 15km/l.

Recently I went through web found that engine and body earth is also effect to fuel economy if the resistance is increase it affected to sensors feadback so beater to check it it must be 0ohm.

Regards,

Ruwan

timmy · November 7, 2007

Hi

thanx all for your help, this really is a helpful forum. I have a few points to make.

@Dilesh How do i figure out if my car needs an ATF change or not ? The service guy who did the oil service looked at it and said that the oil looks ok and can be used more. However I am aware of oil decaying over time. And i did see the ATF filter with "Genuine Mitsu.. part" or some kinda wording like that with the Mitsu logo (which meant to me that its the original ATF filter fitted @ the factory). So I believe the previous owner wasn't lying when he said he hadnt done an ATF change.

@MAS thanx for the location. Are their prices cheap ? have u any experience with them ?

@GMI It would be really helpful if I cud get hold of the manual myself or the correct procedure of doing the recalibration. I tried searching on the net but to no avail.

btw, I jus topped the car up with hi-octane petrol and it seems like its doing well. The meter reads 3/4 of a tank after doing 125 kms of colombo and suburbs driving. I'll let you guys know if the fuel change did solve the problem.

Timms.

Edited November 7, 2007 by timmy

harshansenadhir · November 7, 2007

timmy said:
previous owner said that he hadnt even done the ATF change.

I sense a problem here.. or is it just me? have u done an ATF change after you took over?

Pericles · November 7, 2007

ruwan67 said:
In real life in SL I fill the tank full and went to Kandy, Colombo & more in WALAWAL SAHITH PARAVAL in Jaela area until tank reach to ¼ and fill it full again and check the meter reading it was 14.5km/l and almost equal to the TRIP meter 15km/l.

Didn't Honda do a recall recently? Something to do with faulty odometers or summin?