May 2007
I was watching Top Gear on Sunday and they had the Merc SLR on. JC said that it could empty it's 21 gallon tank in 19 minutes, that's 66.3 gallons/hr under full load for a 626 hp motor.
At work we have a machine with a 360 hp Cat C9 (8.8 litre) and it works at between 94-100% for 12 hours at a time and consumes about 10 gallons each hour at this loading. So it has just over half the power and uses a 6th of the fuel. What gives?
So why does the Merc SLR use so much fuel (assuming my maths is correct and JC's figure are accurate)?
What is the specific fuel consumption of a typical car? 210g/kw/hr ish?
How much does unleaded weigh?
Is it just heavey duty engine that are at peak effiency (sp) under full load/torque?
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Hello,
Where to i begin? I have a 1997 (R reg) vauxhall vectra with 119000 miles on the clock (still a few miles left in her surely?!).
The problem started with the EML light coming on while starting from cold, the light would flash for around 5 minutes and then go off. While the light was flashing the car had no power (0 to 60 in 3 days kinda thing!).
The EML light is now permanently on. I have changed the MAF sensor, which made little difference, and the EGR solenoid, which again, made very little difference. I also cleaned the EGR valve, it was coated in gunge, which did make a difference (i can now go VERY slowly up hills). The car drives Ok but there is a lack of power and the car will not rev beyon 4000 - 4500 Revs (Could this be the Cam sensor?)
I had the codes read by the RAC which indicated a turbo boost pressure sensor issue, i also cleaned this sensor (again full of gunge) which seemed to make a difference to the power but still EML light is on.
However, i purchased a code reader and it does not show any codes at all, since i changed the MAF and the EGR solenoid, however, the EML light is still on? My code reader does tell me that the EGR monitor continous check is incomplete?
I am completely baffled by all this and would really appreciate some help from some knowelgable person.
Thanks,
Peter Read more
Andrew,
Thanks for your reply. I need all the help i can get ;O) I will try your suggestion at the weekend when i can get the gauge etc. However i have tried disconnecting the vacuum hose from the EGR valve and (very scientific) the vaccuum from this hose when held to my finger does not feel vert strong. I have just replaced the EGR solenoid (is this the same as the vacuum pump? It is located beside the battery.) so i think this component is OK. Thanks for your help. I am not much of a mechanic but am currently skint so i need to figure this out with some help!!
thanks,
Peter
My wife's Focus is suffering from very noticable knock which has come on over the last month. She tends to only do short journeys so I suspect that this is due to carbon build-up. I'm tempted to try an additive such as STP Complete Fuel System Cleaner for Diesel Engines and give the car a good long motorway drive. STP (and other similar) claim that their products are suitable for common rail diesels and cats. Grateful for any comments, suggestions, experiences, etc. Car has done just over 100k - want to avoid expensive options like new injectors which involves Ford main dealer programming, etc.
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kith - thanks, but afraid it's just had an oil change
dear all
where does one go to find affordable insurance?
my boy is 19 has just passed his test and wants to get his first car but insurance quotes are ridiculous, like 2 grand what advice have you on the best car for first time insurance and what companies provide it
thanks fellers. Read more
Companies good for young males:
- ecar insurance (Google it)
- Liverpool Victoria
- Quinn Direct
I am with Quinn this year, 21, 2 years NCB, £475 on a 1.9TD. About the cheapest I could get, I did hundreds of quotes.
When I was 20 and 1 year's NCB, I got a quote of £575 for a 1.25 Fiesta (Liv Vic), again not bad and the best quote I could get.
However, the first year when you have no NCB will ALWAYS be expensive. They figure that of you're going to crash, you'll do it in the first year.
Confused.com does not really seem good for the young male, they do not even check ecar, Quinn or Liverpool Victoria, or didn't the last time I checked.
Endsleigh is another good one for young males but you need to have had a licence for 2 years.
hi all
can anyone help on how to remove a power steering rack on a Vectra?
removed the wheels and undone all the bolts, its loose but wont come out, is something else to be removed?
TIA Read more
cheers topbloke, job done :-)
Hit a pothole the other day and damaged a wheel, here are a couple of pictures of the damage.
tinyurl.com/2kcrhk
tinyurl.com/39jxq9
A few quick inquires suggest alloy wheel repairs locally are rare to non-existent, one suggestion was that a new wheel would be cheaper, unfortunately these wheels are no longer available so that is not an option. Another option is to send the wheel away for repair, I have a number in Maidstone some 250 miles away!
So, as getting the wheel repaired appears to be an almighty pain, my question is how serious is the damage likely to be in terms of invisible weakening of the wheel likely to cause failure at a later date?
I have been trying to assess if there is vibration from the wheel but the roads are so carp it is difficult to tell, even at 70. Is it too risky to just leave the damage unrepaired? Read more
Thanks for the suggestion wayne, but Fenwick currently only cover the north of England, I'm in Devon. But I have found a couple of local possibilties that I shall check out.
how long will a 1994 - 1997 LR discovery 2.5tdi go for. i know it all depends on how it has been looked after etc etc, but what realisticly are they capable of? Read more
Can't remember, too long ago. If that was the reason then they might as well have forgotten about the engine altogether and just supplied a poggo stick - it would have made better progress.
What is the reason that now more and more cars come with digital odometers?
What was the wrong with analog ones?
If battery is disconnected, what happens to the digital odo reading?
I assume cars manufacturers are wise enough [?] to probably supply a backup energy source. But what if that alternative power dies? Will it reset to 0 miles then?
Mine is analog though. Read more
I first became aware of electronic speedos with my Dads K-reg Rover 820Si. A dodgy sensor meant that you could intermittently accelerate from an indicated 0-100 in 0.5 secs.
Other times you could be driving in traffic and the needle would drop to zero for a few seconds or sometimes until the end of the journey. You had to memorise your speeds in different gears at different engine revs to avoid getting 'done'.
He had a V-reg Alfa 166 that had a similar problem also.
;o)
I am sure some of you have been in the same situation, so just wanting to see if I am correct with what I think....
colleague had a crash with another car, his (my colleagues) fault & car insured TPO
although no-one injured, police got involved & 'kindly' arranged for car to be towed away
now it is in some garages' yard, £150-odd fee for removal plus £12/day storage
need to get shot of the car ASAP as don't want to incur any extra charges than the frankly horrendous charges so far.
Need to get access to the car to retrieve personal effects, e.g. umbrella & suchlike
once done, the car can then be scrapped.
Is it perfectly reasonable for the garage to allow access to the car whilst it is in their possession ?
cheers,
Stu Read more
Oh yes ICE equipment is most definately "personal effects"
That would depend on whether it's the factory fit ICE, or stuff you've since fitted. And even if you do reclaim the stuff you've since fitted, you're supposed to put the standard ICE back in.
A friend of mine is relocating from France back to the UK. He'll be getting a nice shiny new LR Discovery as a company car back in England. Problem is: how does he get shot of his 3yr-old left-hand drive French-registered Vectra GSi?
It's worth more in France, but he hasn't got the time or patience or language-skills to try to sell it privately before he leaves France. Any suggestions on how to minimise the loss on the Vectra?
Thks, Read more
MY sister and brother-in-law have a house in France and have been looking for ages to find a left hand drive to keep over there. Taking a car from the UK and reregistering and converting headlamps etc is relatively uneconomic whilst finding something over there is fraught with language and procedural difficulties. My suggestion would be to put it on eBay in the UK in english with the car in the UK for viewing purposes and see what sort of response you get. A sensible reserve would offer protection against downside risk of low/few bids. I know something like this would solve a problem for my sister and I imagine there must be many in similar circumstances. There are also expat websites that may be of use.
Good luck, MGs
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That equates to roughly 3-4 mpg. Not unexpected for that much power fighting that much drag.
An industrial diesel is designed to minimise it's fuel consumption; 10g/ph is about right for a constant revs engine of that power.