Hey All, Just had a quick question about the fuel consumption of my Zed... I know its a 3.0 V6 which straight up isnt going to be supper fuel efficient however the last 1/4 of my tank (Half down to 1/4 full) got me 68km.. Is that about right or is something wrong? I would have thought a 70L tank could go more than 270km.. * Extra Note: My 5th cylinder is currently miss firing due to a wiring issue which I am going to be getting fixed, would this influence my fuel economy? Cheers!
Too many variables to get a proper comparison Hey First off the gauge is not accurate in that 1/4 on the gauge doesn't mean 1/4 of a tank - whilst is structured to be approximate, electrical resistance to a float level measures the value, so whilst the level may be accurate the value is not and is affected by wiring resistance, age of component etc. so in actual fact no two gauges would give the same reading even with the same amount of fuel - therefore the gauge is just a guide - not a specific amount of fuel left (i.e. in my car the fuel disappears in between 1/2 and 1/4 but lasts longer in the other quarters!) Consumption on a concrete freeway may be 5L /100klms whereas a rougher tar road may be 8-15L/100Klms, then add start stops in a city and you can do a whole tank in 50klms! Sure the fifth gear will make a significant change to consumption levels! So will driving habits/ Motor condition/ Tuning/ AFR conditions/ Tyre Pressure/ Wheel alignments etc. to name just some other factors What I am saying here, is there are just too many variables involved here to give you any worthy response and not enough variables included. Yes - you should be able to get more than 270KLMs with fifth gear and 70Litres but you need to check of the other variables you control (tyre pressure/ alignment/driving habits) as well as the ones you cannot (traffic lights/roads/wind) Start working on all the variables including your fifth gear then do a pre-set run and then ask for comparisons hen with conditions and traffic stops tyre pressures etc - the more you offer the better comparison /responses or advice you will get Cheers JC
How old is your Z? In all probability the fuel level sender is worn from decades of use. The fuel tank capacity is specified at 72 litres. 270 kilometres divided by 70 litres equals 3.75 kilometres per litre. Don't be disheartened, you could have driven another 7.5 kilometres before you ran out of petrol. Yes, an engine misfire will definitely cause excessive fuel consumption, however a single misfire is unlikely to increase fuel consumption to that level. Check engine compression, air filter, spark plugs, fuel pressure & injectors, O2 sensors, coolant temperature sensor, timing & also fuel lines & hoses for leaks for starters. :zlove:
Depends how heavy you are on the throttle too That slipping auto doesn't help either as the RPMs get pretty high.
You should also remember that when your(hopefully accurate)Fuel Gauge reads Empty, you should still have about 12 litres of usable fuel reserve in the tank. From Empty to Full(on the gauge)should be around 60 litres.
Don't bother using the fuel gauge. I have never had a car that's gauge has worked properly. My Z does almost the very same thing as yours. Quarter of a tank goes in a flash. Next quarter lasts a bit longer. My gauge will read empty at about 300km. If I refill at this point, I can put in about 45 litres in. Best thing to do is use the trip odometer. I get about 450km @ about 60 litres. You can also rely on your fuel gauge warning light. This will come on when you have 10 litres left.
The coatings or heater coil on the two 02 Sensors can loose there effect to cycle the correct voltage output to the ECU sometimes because of there age witch can trick the ECU to think it is running in open loop running cycle. You can use the UCU dianostic LEDs to check.
With the fuel Light, Does that only come on when i turn my head lights on? I was reading that the fuel light doesn't work when the Cluster lights have been changed with LED's which myne have been (previous owner) How do I know if my fuel light is working correctly? The needle is pretty much on E right now and I don't see any light? However from the sounds of it my gauge might be ****ed...
I've been doing exactly this^ until last week when I ran dry without the warning light coming on. That's life with a 20+ year old car .
