When visits to gas stations become suspiciously frequent, you involuntarily begin to think: why would you suddenly? Nothing has changed – neither the weather nor the routes, but consumption has clearly increased. Of course you can go to the service, but there they will say for joy that no salary is enough. No, it is better to make a preliminary diagnosis yourself. Yes, and the service will be easier to talk to.
Engine and its systems
The mechanical part of the engine gives us two major problems that increase fuel consumption: low compression in the cylinders and misaligned valve timing.
Engine with low compression burns fuel inefficiently and therefore needs a lot of it. Compression should be measured – here the diagnosis is simple.
FROM valve timing a little more complicated: the correctness of their installation is judged by markings, the number and location of which depend on the type of engine. On modern engines, when the marks are knocked down, the Check Engine indicator usually lights up.
Delivery System increases fuel demand, usually due to dirty fuel or air filters. Everything is clear here: it is necessary to assess their condition and, if necessary, replace them.
Another possible cause of gluttony has to do with the lack of pressure that the gas pump. It should be measured with a pressure gauge, and then a decision should be made on further actions. The estimated pressure is approximately 3.5 bar on modern port fuel injection vehicles and approximately 3 bar on older models.
For savings on replacing candles, you have to pay at the gas station.
Finally, the culprit could be: dirty fuel injectors – they do not give the correct fuel spray pattern. You can try the fuel system cleaner, which is poured into the tank during refueling, but it is best to flush it at a specialist service.
Engine management system – this is generally a Klondike in terms of all kinds of malfunctions that increase fuel consumption. Any sensor that starts to rumble immediately increases the engine’s voraciousness. Facilitates diagnosis when the Check Engine Light comes on.
You can check what happened using the ELM327 diagnostic adapter and a smartphone with an application. We also note the need for timely replacement of candles and the use of only original candles authorized by the manufacturer or analogues of trusted manufacturers.
Exhaust system increases consumption in the simplest way – by impeding the discharge of exhaust gases. This can occur with dented exhaust pipes, fallen baffles in the exhaust, but also with malfunctions in the catalytic converter. A pressure gauge installed in place of the first lambda probe will aid in the diagnosis. The back pressure must not exceed 0.3 bar, even at high engine speeds.
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Cooling system increases fuel consumption for any deviation from the operating temperature – both plus and minus. To make sure it works correctly, an ordinary thermometer may not be enough, and not all machines have it. It is easier to connect the ELM327 diagnostic adapter.
Transfer
The bearing of a gearbox shaft that begins to fail cannot be determined by fuel consumption, although it also slightly increases friction losses. But any slip of friction pairs can significantly increase fuel consumption. In addition, this will apply to the usual clutch of a mechanical box, and to the variator belt, and to the friction clutches of a hydromechanical box. True, it is possible to drive with such defects for a very short time, and then you will pay for fuel and other costs of the tow truck.
It is also felt when the clutch burns out, the torque converter of the variator or the automatic transmission closes, because in constant slip mode, both fuel consumption and fluid temperature rise.
Excessive fuel consumption causes excessively thick oil in the transmission units. The cause can also be a non-disabled front axle if it has a “hard” connection scheme.
Chassis and steering
Violation of the alignment of the wheels – both front and rear – necessarily increases fuel consumption, as rolling resistance increases. The recipe is obvious: check and correct.
The tire pressure should be normal – this is obvious. Inflated tires are a hole in the budget. It is not without reason that many manufacturers recommend slightly increasing the tire pressure before driving on the autobahns.
Brake system
Parking and service braking systems can easily double fuel consumption. Clamped brake cylinders, not fully released parking brake – all this must be checked and adjusted if necessary.
Overload and aerodynamics
An overloaded car consumes more fuel: that’s clear. Energy is spent on accelerating the increased mass as well as on the rolling resistance of overloaded tires.
The deterioration in aerodynamics is, of course, about the roof rack, all kinds of deflectors and fenders. In space this wouldn’t matter, but in the presence of an atmosphere the drag increases approximately proportionally to the square of the car’s speed.
What else?
- Pseudo-sporty driving style car is able to increase fuel consumption to any value. It seems to many that the pedals have no intermediate positions at all: either fully depressed or not depressed at all. Rather than moving in the flow, such drivers practice abrupt starting at traffic lights and overtaking in “throttle to the floor” mode. At the same time, you should forget about low consumption – you just need to diagnose yourself.
- An unheated engine, as well as a gearbox, theoretically cannot even work economically. Short trips with a cold engine are often referred to as city doctor mode or doctor cycle. Gasoline flows like a river on an unheated converter – that’s how the control system tries to get it up and running as quickly as possible. What is the saving…
- Poor quality fuel. Rarely, but it happens – especially where the driver was attracted by low prices. You can not immediately feel the increased consumption, but if the engine suddenly behaved unusually in some way, be sure: his appetite has already increased. Diagnosis is simple: Try stumbling to a known good gas station and fill up on quality fuel. If it helps, good luck.
FIREWOOD INSTEAD OF PETROLIn the early 1940s, a GAZ-42 truck with gas generator left Moscow for Blagoveshchensk (Amur region). “Samovar” (as gas-generating machines were jokingly called) covered 8400 km in 55 driving days, using 23 cubic meters of blocks made of birch, oak, spruce, pine, larch, and in a treeless area they sawed into old sleepers blocks . |
- Detailed instructions for reducing fuel consumption can be found here.
- “Behind the wheel” can also be read in Telegram.
To do this, you first need to find out why the engine began to eat gasoline.
