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foxtrot.tango
P Plater
86 Posts
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 Posted - 09 Apr 2006 : 11:54:12 AM
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| Righto well thats good at least now i know there's nothing seriously wrong with my car!. Back to the TB, i've noticed that my accelerator pedal is a bit sticky and that it wont move smoothly. It will build up pressure without moving then bump forward. Could this also be because of a dirty TB and could it also be bad for my fuel economy? |
VN Executive 1988 - Auto 3.8V6 |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 09 Apr 2006 : 2:11:18 PM
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Could be a 'dirty' pivot point on the pedal itself, or maybe the throttle cable is sticking slightly. That said, mine isn't all that smooth either, it works fine, and doens't stick wide open (any more!), but it feels like it takes a bit to get it to move.
A dirty t/b MAY do it, but it's be looking at the cable itself. A good way to test it is to just try and open the t/b valve by hand, if it feels sticky at the t/b then you know it isn't your cable.
Would it be bad for fuel economy? I can't see why, unless it was preventing the t/b closing all the way and causing idle to be higher than normal. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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James Mongan
P Plater
78 Posts
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Posted - 10 Apr 2006 : 12:51:44 PM
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hey guys i've just brought a nv and i've read through ur site, and i've just found out that my fuel guage up the **** because i drive about 100k's a day 2 work n back. and it drops just over 1/4 but when she reaches empty on the guage it wil always only take 45-48 litres. so maybe these cars have patheric fuel guages but when i calculated it out i ended up getting similar fuel ecomony as my mums astra about 9.86km/100k's which i thing is pritty good for a stock series 1 vn manual especially the way i drive it.
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 10 Apr 2006 : 1:45:12 PM
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9.86l/100km is the BEST I've ever gotten around town, out on the open road you should be able to do better than that. Also, keep in mind that the manual will use less fuel than the auto (even when you give it a bit).
And yes, you're dead right, the fuel gauges in the VN/VP (any car for that matter) are only a rough guide at best. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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James Mongan
P Plater
78 Posts
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Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 12:42:39 PM
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| yeh its probably cause the closest town is 40k's form where i love so there isn't much stopping and starting which also uses less fuel. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 9:45:27 PM
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| Hell...a 40km cruise each way would make things much nicer in terms of fuel usage. Luck you. I go less than 2km and hit my first set of traffic lights, god it sucks. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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johnny cade
On a small holiday
338 Posts
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Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 01:40:50 AM
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| lol 2km? ive got traffic lights no more then 300 meters from my house in every direction. im doin a tank a week :P |
He sees an old man and says “See we’ll part with your hard,
Earned cash or rest in peace we can start with your heart.
Some girl steps not afraid she’s gonna cop it sweet,
And gets decked before she made it even on her feet,
The old man leaped to her aid and to his horror he’d,
Thrusted his chest into the blade of his robber s piece,
He grabbed the wallet, dropped the knife as he fled the car,
Concerned about the loss of life he’d never went this far,
What’s done is done, he’d got the prize and he’d spent his half,
Of two dollars in change and a pension card. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 1:25:51 PM
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| Hey, a tank a week isn't too bad, I'm a tank every 4 days. Well...I used to be before I got my bike licence. Now that I ride the bike occasionally, I can go for three weeks without filling the commodore. The commodore gets about 11.5L/100km. The bike I ride...4L/100km. Now THAT's how to save money. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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James Mongan
P Plater
78 Posts
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Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 7:51:06 PM
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| gee traffic lights every 300m would suck but it sounds like a grea drag strip thou, and the only thing about my long drive to work is to see how fast i can do it nxt time. and also a tank per week is really good i'm like mouce i've gotta fill the bottomless pit evry 4 days, which accounts to about 120-130 bucks a week |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 8:32:54 PM
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The best 'drag strip' that I ever come across on my drives around Melbourne are on the on-ramps to the Eastern Fwy. For anyone who doesn't know about it, they have 'traffic control lights' half way down the on ramp.
Essentially these are traffic lights, which are on about a 6 second cycle (ie. one green every 6 seconds), this is setup to allow traffic to merge better during peak hours. Only problem is that from the lights to the merge point is about 150-200 meters. Which means that you need to get to 100kph as FAST and as hard as you can, and most people see that as a good excuse to drag whoever they are lined up next to.
The only thing that's ever managed to beat me pants down was a supercharged BMW. Then again, mainly I end up next to grandparents who would break a hip if they hit the accelerator too hard. Only problem is the amount of fuel it takes to do one 'launch' onto the freeway. Still chirping into third is a nice feeling. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
Edited by - mouce on 12 Apr 2006 8:33:40 PM |
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baalamb20
Fully Licenced
115 Posts
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Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 8:58:31 PM
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Hi,
Did a test on my fuel ec aswell
I wanna know tho if they have a 63ltr tank why does only 44 to 45ltrs
go in, After it clicks i keep going i can get about 4 or 5 litrs more before some comes out of the bottom, I reset the meter normally the needle points bang on half a tank around 250-270km
then drops a little after that and I knew when to fill up when she jerked a little going up a steep hill when the needle points right to the empty and as soon as i saw the red light i filled up but normally around 520km per tank, But that was only one test i never let it get that low, already replaced my fuel filter so i don't so it anymore
sean
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 9:22:57 PM
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Okay, first up, going up hill means that the fuel that IS in the tank will go to the back of the tank, ie. away from the pickup, so if you stand your car on it's end, such that the back is on the ground and the front of the car is sticking straight up, you can have 50ltrs in the tank and it will starve.
Also, just because it's a 63ltr tank doesn't mean that you can use ALL the fuel in there. Typically there is somewhere between 5 and 15 ltrs left in the tank even when it's 'empty' and starved of fuel.
Depends on the car, and the tank and where the pickup is located.
The only way to know that it's as empty as it's going to get is to just pick a nice flat circuit and keep driving it until the engine dies. Hills will throw it out a bit.
Hell...I didn't even know that the VN's had a 'red light' in them warning of low fuel levels. I've never seen mine light up. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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johnny cade
On a small holiday
338 Posts
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Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 10:45:05 PM
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| mine doesnt have a redlight either :S ive never seen that b4 in a VN. Mine just has that stupid little red highlighted area on the gauge...totally useless to me cause the gause is about as accurate as john howards government ideas |
He sees an old man and says “See we’ll part with your hard,
Earned cash or rest in peace we can start with your heart.
Some girl steps not afraid she’s gonna cop it sweet,
And gets decked before she made it even on her feet,
The old man leaped to her aid and to his horror he’d,
Thrusted his chest into the blade of his robber s piece,
He grabbed the wallet, dropped the knife as he fled the car,
Concerned about the loss of life he’d never went this far,
What’s done is done, he’d got the prize and he’d spent his half,
Of two dollars in change and a pension card. |
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baalamb20
Fully Licenced
115 Posts
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Posted - 13 Apr 2006 : 01:19:01 AM
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I thought all Vn's Were the same, if the tank gets low and i'm going up a hill or coming down it will flash sometimes, Because my car has low mileage got it to 127,000km now, it's good to hear from people and what sort of common problems accur with the VN's as they reach 300,000 a few people i know who have vn's the clock seems to stop on them like my best friends clock stopped st 250,000. I don't have Electric windows/areial or cruise control, If mine is a may90 model is that series 1 or 2.
sean
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 13 Apr 2006 : 09:06:17 AM
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may 90? Not 100% sure, easy way to tell is your fuel rails.
If they are little black pipes then it's S1, if they are large silver metal blocks, then it's S2.
There's a few other differences, but that's the easiest to describe. Damn 127,000km on a VN, that thing's only just run-in LOL. Look after it really well and you'll never have any serious problems with it. I know one guy who (with a VP) has got more than 500,000 on the original motor. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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Jennings
Starting in the driveway
1 Posts
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Posted - 01 May 2006 : 4:27:45 PM
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yeh here i was thinking my car was the only 1 with **** fuel economy
i usually get 300Ks out of a tank, is that bad is what i was wondering, by other standards its ****in ridiculous
i got a 1990 VN exec
also sometimes, it idles way too fast, and it can rarely accelerate slowly without pushing the accelerator, ideas? |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 01 May 2006 : 10:10:31 PM
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Depends...what sort of driving do you do (city/country), do you drive hard or like a grandma or somewhere in between? And most importantly, are you getting 300km to a TANK or 300km to a gauge? When I first got my car I couldn't believe how fast the gauge dropped, then I realised that when my gauge was on empty, I still had more than 15 ltrs left in the tank.
Oh...is it auto or manual?
As for the idle, clean out your throttle body, and take the idle air control valve out and clean that up too, that may explain your fast idle. Either that or you may have a split vacuum hose or (heaven forbid) a blown gasket.
Now, I know it's a VN and that idle is always rough. But when you say it's slow to accelerate, do you mean that idle is REALLY lumpy (even by VN standards) and that it takes a bit to get going, but once it's going, it flies? |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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baalamb20
Fully Licenced
115 Posts
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Posted - 02 May 2006 : 12:55:06 PM
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Because of the Petrol prices now 154.8 for 98 octane, i have to use regular unleaded and I am only getting 410-440km per tank and it sux when i was getting over 500 on 98,and when i drove up north to coffs Harbour i was getting 600, every 5000km i use those fuel injector cleaner things from BP, Do they really work?
I have a couple of time driven hard at 4am down pacific hwy west Gosford i got it to 100k in 7 seconds, But it doesn't seem to change whether I drive fast or slow it doesn't make that much difference on my fuel.
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 02 May 2006 : 10:08:16 PM
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Think about those figures for a little bit....
Okay, now that has all sunk in. Why are you using regular unleaded? I'm going to do the following calculations based on a 50L amount of fuel:
PULP=9.09L/100km
ULP=12.2L/100km
That's a difference of 25.5%
The price difference between ULP and PULP is only (approx) 6% You're much better off paying the little bit extra per Ltr at the servo. It will actually SAVE you money because of the difference in fuel usage.
If you couldn't follow that here it is without the numbers (just the logic). You go further on PULP than you do on the same volume of unleaded (not true for all cars, but it is for this case), the extra distance you get out of the PULP more than makes up for the increase in the price per litre. The more expensive the fuel gets, the better off you are buying PULP. If fuel was out at $2 per ltr for ULP and $2.10 for PULP that's about a 5% difference. Now the performance of you car isn't going to change *hopefully*. I've worked it out that for my car, unless ulp fuel goes back down to less than 91.8cpl I'm better off buying PULP. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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James Mongan
P Plater
78 Posts
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Posted - 09 May 2006 : 2:07:51 PM
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hey guys, havnt been on 4 a while cause i was crusin round that horrible city we call melbourne. its crazy!!! any way my initial trip down was good, except for when i stopped, i got out of my car and then next thing i hear is a hissing noise and lots of steam blowing out from under the bonet. it didnt turn out to be as bad it just got to hot and the pressure cap let go. about a week later i figured out that it got hot cause my thermo wasnt working, so i went and brought this magic switch from repco and hey presto it works again. but with a big difference, for some unknown reason i am getting 50-100km more per tank than what i was getting before the incident. any way ill be filling up with premium now and give it a go at seeing how many more k's i can get. i tried it on optimax for a few tanks before it got expensive, but i had poor results.
any way i'll catch ya. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 09 May 2006 : 7:10:27 PM
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Go easy on Melbourne, it's a hell of a lot easier to get around in that Sydney. Hobart is worse than that! So Melbourne ain't too bad (except for the cops).
As for having the switch to control the thermofan...It's not a great way to do it, it's okay for a short term limp-home kinda fix, but long term, one day you're just gunna forget and cook your motor. Fix it up properly.
Oh...your comment about Optimax getting expensive...read my previous post. The small amount extra you pay per litre is actually saving you money in the gains you get in economy (unless there is something really wrong with your car). And if you're having poor results with Optimax, try Caltex Vortex, I've had some really good figures with that stuff. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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James Mongan
P Plater
78 Posts
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Posted - 24 May 2006 : 10:36:14 AM
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| this switch is like an extra thermostat, it goes off the temp in the top radiatior hose then it has an adjustable box so that it can activate the thermo fan at whatever temperature you set it at, its a handy little item. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 24 May 2006 : 12:16:09 PM
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okay, that switch sounds kinda handy, how much did it set you back and what's it called? It's not just a standard thermostat is it? I know people who have wired it up to a switch in the cabin, and forgotten about it one day...oops. Time for a new engine.
But that switch you've got sounds like it could be really handy to have, set it a bit cooler and have the fan run a bit more often, might make things a little easier on the engine. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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baalamb20
Fully Licenced
115 Posts
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Posted - 25 May 2006 : 01:05:39 AM
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Hi Mouce and guys,
well today I did another fuel test, usually my tyres were at 28ps cause inside of my bonnet the chart says heavy load pump to 34, so anyway i pumped up to 36 as you said, used Shell Optimax, haven't used that since my VK, I've driven for most of the day mostly on 70 -80klm roads, I've done 293km and the needle is spot on half tank.
I don't know what's doing it but i am very happy and will use optimax in future. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 25 May 2006 : 09:38:03 AM
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The tyres would have had the most impact, but the optimax helps. The ride might be a little rougher, and you need to watch it a bit in a wet (hell...it's a VN you have to anyway), but the fuel figures are quite alright.
You'll crap yourself when you see the figures if you get the chance to cruise along on a freeway or a highway all day. You'll do 293km to a third as a gauge. Bloody unreal. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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lolo
Fully Licenced
503 Posts
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Posted - 28 May 2006 : 10:24:25 PM
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| How the hell do you get so much fuel in and so much mileage.....My series 2 only takes 35 litres before it overflows and im lucky to get 220ks out of a full tank and mind you its a bit better since i started using Caltex Vortex... Im starting to think that I have some serious problems with my engine, anyone agree??? |
Marcus Rogulic R.I.P (1980-2007)
"The Good Die Young" |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 29 May 2006 : 12:14:32 PM
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Sounds like your fuel gauge is lying to you. There's no way in hell that you are only getting 35L in to an 'empty' tank. The tank holds about 62L, so you're looking at only about 55% of the tank, which means that you've either got a MASSIVE dent in the tank which takes up about 30L (which can't be the case surely), or your fuel gauge is that far gone that when it shows empty it's still got about half a tank left.
Just so you know a fuel consumption of 15.909l/100km (going on your figures above) would indicate that you like doing 60 in first gear all the time, or your O2 sensor is FU&KED! Replace your O2 sensor, about $60 and five minutes (once the manifolds have cooled down), reset your ECU and see what happens to fuel figures.
As for the fuel tank problem, with all things being equal when my fuel gauge hits 1/4 I can get only about 35-40L in before it's at the top of the filler tube. But that's getting somewhere between 300-400km typically. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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baalamb20
Fully Licenced
115 Posts
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Posted - 29 May 2006 : 5:10:20 PM
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Hey Mouce,
been doing alot of driving this week trying different petrols, Caltex Vortex 98 has given me the most, i filled 'er up to the top,well till it started leaking alittle under the car, once the clicker thing stops you can get at least 5 more litres, I drove the car all week till my fuel light came on and got 580km, so i think that will be the petrol for me. so how many litres would i use per 100km then, i hate maths. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 29 May 2006 : 8:45:26 PM
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You let me know how many liters you used in that 580km and I can tell you.
BTW: what spec VN have you got? I've never seen a fuel light on mine before and it's an exec with a L2 cluster in it. You must have a calais cluster. Fuel consumption would work out to be ROUGHLY 10l/100km. Which makes me think that you do a lot of highway driving, lucky you. At least you found a good fuel. Helps doesn't it? |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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lolo
Fully Licenced
503 Posts
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Posted - 31 May 2006 : 10:22:57 PM
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| Hooray Ive mannaged to get 261km out of 32.88l of vortex doing mostly city driving but i have a suspicion it had something to do with my return trip up the westgate and western ring road to st. albans and back to the city... is this kind of consumption consistent with anyone else doing mainly city driving??? also my engine light was off most of the time.... |
Marcus Rogulic R.I.P (1980-2007)
"The Good Die Young" |
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