I filled my tank completely full over the weekend and I have only driven just over 100km and I am already almost at 1/2 tank
I did an oil change and sea foamed a new fuel filter on Monday. I don't see any leaks up by the engine or under the van. The engine runs and starts very smoothly. Accelerates better than before. I generally drive with a soft foot and don't speed. I only drive in greater Vancouver in the city.
I am going to fill up the tank tomorrow to determine how much fuel I have used (to see if my fuel gauge is still accurate and working). then diagnose from there
What things should I be checking?
Last edited by stever1000 on Fri Apr 17, 2015 8:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dirty air filters will give you horrible fuel mileage, and you can see the black smoke pouring out of exhaust pipe as you go up hill. Just change the filter, seriously, don't argue that you can still see some clear bits on the filter. Probably not enuf of a problem to account for half a tank of fuel, but certainly could account for a 1/4 tank of fuel, and might give you another thing to look at.
Good Luck, Christine.
Christine
Of The TardisDeli My TardisDeli travels thru time and space. Our house is nicknamed the TardisDeli Motel, as so many delii owners visit to share delii stories.
Big-Bird wrote:I had that happen....had loose connections on the injector pump.... lost over half a tank driving 80 km
See if your engine bay or underside of the Delica is wet with fuel.
I dont see any wet spots in the engine bay or underneath,
Post subject: Re: Urgent fuel consumption help!
Dirty air filters will give you horrible fuel mileage, and you can see the black smoke pouring out of exhaust pipe as you go up hill. Just change the filter, seriously, don't argue that you can still see some clear bits on the filter. Probably not enuf of a problem to account for half a tank of fuel, but certainly could account for a 1/4 tank of fuel, and might give you another thing to look at.
Good Luck, Christine.
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I will look for a new filter tomorrow and see how that changes it too
no leaks.....thats good. X2 on the air filter check.
another free check is your oil dipstick.....check your oil level and see if its between the marks on the stick....if the fluid level is way above the full mark then fuel may have found its way into the engine and filled the oil pan....this would be IP related.
An L400 can get around 125-150km on 1/4 tank. when you refill your deli you can find out right away if it really did use 1/2 tank for the 100km.
A faulty sending unit in the tank or fuel needle instrument would be the next items to check.
Yeah I joined the Dark Side because the medical plan is top shelf!
Just out of curiosity, what would be the problem with the IP that fills the oil pan with diesel?
I really hope it is the sending unit or fuel gauge needle and not something serious.
I will check my oil level after it's warmed up and I will fill up the tank to start checking things off the list.
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EDIT:
I filled up the tank and to my disappointment it took 27L to fill it all the way up again. I drove a total of 137.6km since the last fill up
OUCH! 19.62 L/ 100km
That's my worst milage yet.
I checked the dip stick and it is a little over the full line (which I blame on my inaccurate measuring/pouring system for my oil change) so I don't suspect all my fuel got dumped into the engine to the oil pan
I checked this morning, at lunch, and a few minutes ago, and nothing is leaking
I am very confused what happened. Prior to my oil change and seafoam I was averaging 13.8L/100km city, so I hoped the oil change + seafoam in the crankcase plus new fuel filter + seafoam would clean things up. It seems to have done the opposite.
I tried to get a new paper air filter today but AmazingAuto is out of stock. I will clean the K&N filter to see if that helps a bit
diesel fuel is thinner than motor oil and it will blend readily when the engine runs.....that cuts the lubrication factor of the oil which will a) cause rapid metal wear, b)grenade an engine when the seals blow out from increased pressure in the crankcase.....both are very bad.
Luckily this isn't your problem
Sounds more like air filter (dirty) and or injector related (bad spray pattern).
Check your glow plugs and ensure they are snug, a leak at these will allow pressure to blow past the threads and might your impact fuel economy
If it was me I would also be checking cylinder compression or do a leak down test to see of the cylinders and pistons are in good shape. But I have the tools to do that so it costs me nothing.
Yeah I joined the Dark Side because the medical plan is top shelf!
Big-Bird wrote:diesel fuel is thinner than motor oil and it will blend readily when the engine runs.....that cuts the lubrication factor of the oil which will a) cause rapid metal wear, b)grenade an engine when the seals blow out from increased pressure in the crankcase.....both are very bad.
Luckily this isn't your problem
Sounds more like air filter (dirty) and or injector related (bad spray pattern).
Check your glow plugs and ensure they are snug, a leak at these will allow pressure to blow past the threads and might your impact fuel economy
If it was me I would also be checking cylinder compression or do a leak down test to see of the cylinders and pistons are in good shape. But I have the tools to do that so it costs me nothing.
What tools are needed to test the cylinders?
I noticed my engine oil is a lighter than the usual black. I suspect this is mostly because of the clean oil and in a few days it will be black again
I thought my injectors would be cleaned after the seafoam but maybe it worsened the spray?
I will do the air filter and glow plug check tomorrow
when exactly does the low fuel warning light come on? I read anywhere between 10-15L remaining in the tank. But on the fuel level gauge, does it dip past "E", then turn on? I have yet to see my light and I have filled closed to 60L. I just want to make sure mine is working and not burnt out.
Mines about the same, when it comes on I can get about 60 to 65L in the tank. I think it's a 75L tank? Not 100% sure on that though. Get's just at or below the E before the light starts to flicker on.
A chunk of "Diesel Poo" (copyright Christine), which now is stuck somewhere; dislodged by your seafoam treatment?
I am still thinking AIR as the issue. Cuz yr diesel runs on air and fuel. Air can be the dirty air filter (I know it is a frequent problem, and has a sudden and huge onset). Now I am thinking AIR plus the seafoam you did (kinda harsh chemicals on your baby, just saying).
So, AIR, regarding all the tiny little rubber O-rings THROUGHOUT the fuel system that the seafoam could have broken, thus letting in air. I am speaking L300 only: L300 has a teeny tiny o ring (too small for my girly baby finger to wear) on the base of the fuel filter housing (nooooo don't touch your settings, just because you have a spanner doesn't mean you are authorized ... no more tech support from me for self-inflicted results). So take a clean cloth, clean the connector area at the base of the housing then watch for tiny leaks, maybe zap-strap a white paper towel around it.
Can u watch your exhaust as u go up a hill? Get fun-friend to drive nicely (just slowly normally up the the hill, don't floor the pedal as if it was a gas engine), up a hill (just 1 block distance is enuf) whilst u follow in another car. Is the exhaust smoke clearish on the flat, then billows out black on the hill (described as bad air/fuel ratio when under load). Versus clear on the flat and on the hill. versus black billows always. Yes, when you first start the engine, it billows, but within a few seconds it should clear. Has the starting billows changed since seafoam?
Nice to show the receipt, confirm you filled with diesel not gas; I also use Superstore diesel (at the Renfrew and Rupert location) and never had problems.
Oh oh, on L300 fuel filter housing, we have to tighten the connectors and the adjusting screw and tighten the pumpy-thingy on the top of the housing after a seafoam.
Maybe Diesel Poo is stuck clogging one of the fuel sprayhead thingys (injectors), get a mechanic (CVI has all the equipment). I once had a chunka diesel poo BEFORE the fuel pump (from 20 years of crud in my fuel tank). Find a fun-friend as this is a 2 person job, just disconnect the hose (on L300 located at the exit from the fuel pump, at the far end of the line, several inches away from the pump) and hold hose end into a safe container (glass jar), turn the igniton key just momentarily to pulse the fuel pump on and off, on and off (don't start the engine), does a chunk of diesel poo sqirt into the glass jar?
So that is the easy things. Think: If you don't have billowing smoke exhaust of raw diesel fuel, where is the fuel going? Leaking or burning, only 2 choices. If leaking, you might not see it, unless you keep the low part of the hoses clean, cuz when it leaks the most will be when engine is running, when it will all blow back into the slush under the van (or onto the trailer you're towing). Well, actually 3, is someone siphoning it out? (note, difficult to do, as there is a filter the filler tube). If yr engine is running fine, no chugalug (ie running on 3 cylinders instead of 4), not smoke billows (unburnt fuel / wrong air vs fuel ratio, then not a fuel pump related issue. Any other clues a driver would notice (turn off the stereo and wipers and listen while driving.
Onto other things:
Big Bird gave good advice as always. a compression test will tell you if you have a problem with one of the cylinders (clogged or stuck etc), but is done by pro (if they strip threads, or don't tighten things up to the EXACT amount).
Park on uphill, on cool car, gently run a garden hose into rear of muffler, and gently flush to remove crud from exhaust. This crud becomes exhaust particulate (noticed by icbc aircare) which might affect how much smoke you get. This is not part of yr fuel usage problem, but might affect yr smoking muffler and thus lead the detective work down a wrong route.
Low Fuel warning light: On the L300's diesel automatics (ie 2 fuel tanks, not 1 tank as on the standards) many of us have determined that there is 15 liters of fuel remaining when light comes on (but you can't drive 15 litres worth of distance, as the fuel pickup device inside the tank cannot suck up all the way to bottom of tank), which on the automatics is when you need 60 litres of fuel to refill. The light will come on intermittently when fuel is low and you do a fast right hand turn, as centrifugal force will slosh the fuel around. But I am told that driving with low fuel levels, (enuf for the light to come on) is just asking for problems, ie diesel poo being sucked into the system.
Fuel tank itself: what if it has lots of diesel poo (water, painted tank liner, remants of fish n chips from veggie oil)? you might consider draining the tank, if L400 has a screw in the bottom of the tank (dunno about L400). then put some clean fuel into the filler, and let it run through. You could then filter this back through a paper coffee filter, let settle in clear veg oil container to see if water in, then reuse in fuel tank ... don't put it on the grass, nor on the driveway it will eat the asphalt. Very messy, even if you think tank is nearly empty, the FORCE of the fuel comes out on yr face and mouth and eyes and neck and arms, and it always fills more than the container you calculated, and the low height means you can't use big containers, etc. WARNING: the tank is thin, the screw is strong, man is impulsive; if you strip the screw, or worse, strip the actual tank threads, you will have a big problem as no fuel will stay in your van -- but hey your mileage will be superb as it sits in the backyard ... I should say leave this to a mechanic.
Cheers Christine.
Christine
Of The TardisDeli My TardisDeli travels thru time and space. Our house is nicknamed the TardisDeli Motel, as so many delii owners visit to share delii stories.
Thanks for your reply Christine, I will take some time to read over it a few times and digest the info
I stopped by CVI on Friday after work and tried to get a new air filter. I showed Butch the filter and he thought that it was still fine (I'm pretty sure there is less than 5k km's on it) so I took off the filter from my list
I am going to fill up again on Monday and see if my mileage is still the same after driving around all week.
I don't notice any smoke at all, except a little puff on start up. I will keep a closer watch on it today
I wouldn't jump right into measuring the compression and faulting the injectors or injector pump. Start by trying to determine what else is different about the vehicle other than fuel consumption. Compression and injector problems also come with other issues such as poor cold starts, misfires, loss of power, smoke... If you have none of these symptoms, don't look in that direction yet.
Try to think about what else is different about the vehicle. Is there anything other than the fuel consumption that is wrong?
For an air filter to effect fuel economy it mist be plugged up badly. But it doesn't hurt to at least take some compressed air and blow out the dust stuck in it.
I would take a look at the brakes to see if a caliper is not seized or sticking. After a drive check the wheels/hubs/brake calipers if one or more are abnormally hot. Calipers can sometime seize and continuously put pressure on the disks, if this is happening then you will have and abnormally hot brake or brakes and reduced fuel consumption. If the calipers as sticking then you will also loose speed quite a bit quicker.
Long story short my problem ended up being seizing front calipers!
After speaking with Butch and another reliable Delica guru they both mentioned that seizing calipers can cause horrible fuel economy.
I changed my pads and rotors, and inspected the calipers. I thought the calipers were ok to keep using but I was wrong. I changed the front calipers the next day with brand new OEM calipers and my fuel consumption has never been better!
I ended up getting 11L/100km doing 110-115km/hour on the American road ways.
I am still going to slowly investigate the other things mentioned in this thread to get my fuel efficiency as low as possible
stever1000 wrote:Long story short my problem ended up being seizing front calipers!
After speaking with Butch and another reliable Delica guru they both mentioned that seizing calipers can cause horrible fuel economy.
I changed my pads and rotors, and inspected the calipers. I thought the calipers were ok to keep using but I was wrong. I changed the front calipers the next day with brand new OEM calipers and my fuel consumption has never been better!
I ended up getting 11L/100km doing 110-115km/hour on the American road ways.
I am still going to slowly investigate the other things mentioned in this thread to get my fuel efficiency as low as possible
Thanks for all the help!
This sadly, is a really common problem on the l400. I had one of my discs glow cherry red on the way home as I could not unseize it. Fixed, it just started locking up again
