oil changes, additives and K&N filters all to gain MPG

[hellhawk]

Hi all,
Hope this is in the right section.

First off i only get 23 MPG from my terrano (manual box) never more, round town 17.9 mpg at the last fill up (trying fuel from Texaco now Bri). My Terrano drive fantastically, sounds great and is a joy to behold. I have no problems with the mpg at the moment except some others get a lot more, and if i couldn't afford to run my truck i shouldn't have bought it in the first place.

But in an effort to further the knowledge of mankind and do a bit for the environment. Also gives me an reason to tinker with my car.

I have decided to try a few things with a major service and keep an ongoing record about changes if any.
so the costs are :-

Molyslip additive for engine, gearbox/tranfer,power steering and diffs £43
(thanks Richard for the excellent service, advice and answering emails at midnight,i was on nights)
Semi synthetic oil £38
Gear oil £41.11
oil filter £3.36
pollen filter £7.55
K&N 57i air filter (with free cleaning kit) £60.49
Miller diesel power £11.99
Garden spray bottle £14.99

Total cost £220.49 and about 4 hours work. Not bad considering i just paid £447 for my wifes honda jazz service and mot (they replaced the rear brake shoes £29+vat a wheel £60+vat labour 8O )

Fuel filter was changed 3000 miles ago and at the same time auto lockers stripped and cleaned. Engine was flushed at last oil change.

Next week we go on holiday to the Dordogne, round trip thats 1602 miles (auto route) then i will be driving around for two weeks, so total milage will be around 2000 miles. this is all done with the 550 litre roof box on (In the not too distant future i can see this having an accident, then the wife can't fill it).

I will be keeping fuel records for the trip and also record any changes to the feel of the terrano.

If anyone has any suggestions for increased mpg let me know. If all those that have fitted manual lockers could tell me if they get more mpg i may order a set. :smile:

 

[supertaff]

Have you had your fuel/air mixture checked( is she running rich or lean ? ) . On the 21st. Feb. I had my Mistral (Automatic transmission with automatic hubs ) M.O.T tested, and the Exhaust emissions test results were quite interesting.

Description Limits Actual value
Acceleration 1: 0.67 1/m
Oil temp. Min 60*c 64*c

Test results :
Mean value 0.67 1/m
Test type Fast Pass
Zero drift 0.00 1/m pass
Turbo.eng.result < 3.00 1/m 0.67 1/m pass
Fast Pass res. < 1.50 1/m 0.67 1/m pass
Overall Result : Exhaust Emissions Test PASSED

Now what that means is that as long as the emissions were under 3.00 1/m she should pass the exhaust test, and at 0.67 1/m she is WELL within the limit.
She is pretty good on M.P.G. for an automatic returning about 27 on a run and about 21 around town.

 

[wildbri]

Hi hellhawk, hope all that investment pays off. We often stay in that area of France on our travels, we like Brantome and Sarlat, but we find all the small towns in that area very nice. The last time we were in that area in March it was rather cool, frost on the caravan in the morning! Just had a run to Blackpool to see the Riverdance, the ship sat on the beach, recon it will still be there in the summer, they are still trying to empty it between tides....

filled up when I set off and filled up when I came back. 107miles, 15.5l so thats just over 31mpg if Iv done my sums right. Motorway to Lancaster and then the backroads across the marshes coming into Blackpool at Cleveleys which is where the ship is lying.

Have a good trip to France, and of course, the fuel is cheaper although the Euro is stronger against the pound this year.....regards bri :smile:

 

[CHASTER]

Hi hellhawk.
I like your maxim -- "if I couldn't afford it I wouldn't have bought it". I say that to myself every time someone calls me a bloated plutocrat (or worse) just for having a bit bigger car.

I feel sorry for your wife having to travel in the roof box---or did I read that wrongly :lol: :wink:

But; to the point----my bus had fairly recent MOT and got just about the same results as those of superstaff's car. I get 27mpg on trips but around town it drops off to about 20.

The fuel to air ratio seems to be important. I have been told by one who knows better than I, that slight overfueling does not make visible smoke but drops the mpg significantly. So, the clues might lie in an emissions test. Keep at it , you'll squeeze more out of it .

Hope your holiday goes well. :smile:

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

a good and fairly cheap MPG boost, manual hubs, and dont be tempted by too heavy a tread patern on you tyres as they also sap fuel at an alarming rate

 

[hellhawk]

Have now fitted 4 new scorpion st tyres £320 from kwikfit all in
and they have regassed the aircon for £25
it has been tracked so hopefully these tyres will last.

This morning i was washing the Terrano down (the wife went all faint, cheeky cow), and found the front near side tyre scrubbed and since it had three different types of tyre i decided to bite the bullet. Kwikfit had an offer on, when i rung they had no Bridgstones in stock but for an extra tenner i could have pirellis. if i spent over £100 aircon recharge was £25, i don't use the aircon much but at this price

So the one good tyre is now on the spare replacing the slick. :smile:

Does anybody know how good the scorpions are?

 

[leo23]

hope ive done the right thing...put 20/50 oil in the engine now its higher milege hope this wont hurt....

 

[Terranosaurus]

hope ive done the right thing...put 20/50 oil in the engine now its higher milege hope this wont hurt....

I run my 2.4 petrol on 20W/50, as you say relatively high mileage and it tends to get pretty hot at times crawling around in low box.

I use Valvoline Racing, a quality mineral oil recommended by many a competition engine builder for older engines, I'd go for a quality mineral oil over a cheapish synthetic anyday.

 

[leo23]

crikey!!!ive done something right for a change :lol: :lol:

 

[JonathanM]

Have now fitted 4 new scorpion st tyres £320 from kwikfit all in
and they have regassed the aircon for £25
it has been tracked so hopefully these tyres will last.

This morning i was washing the Terrano down (the wife went all faint, cheeky cow), and found the front near side tyre scrubbed and since it had three different types of tyre i decided to bite the bullet. Kwikfit had an offer on, when i rung they had no Bridgstones in stock but for an extra tenner i could have pirellis. if i spent over £100 aircon recharge was £25, i don't use the aircon much but at this price

So the one good tyre is now on the spare replacing the slick. :smile:

Does anybody know how good the scorpions are?

Scorpions are a good quality tyre, road biased but then that is what you need if you want to try & get the best MPG from it. Got a feeling that Nissan fitted Pirelli Scorpions at some points as standard, I got my Terrano when it was 3 1/2 years old and the spare was an unused scorpion.

 

[hellhawk]

I did want road tyres and am very pleased with the scorpions.

i have also just removed the springs and snap rings from hubs, if i get an improved mpg will fit manual hubs. I've just spent £600 on it so the hubs may have to wait.

I also noticed when i was under it that it could do with waxoyling front to back. :|

Will be setting off for Abjat-sur-Bandiat on thursday so hopefully i will notice a difference.

 

[supertaff]

That's one heck of a way to try and get more MPG. My old tub would have a major brainstorm if I spent that much on her to improve MPG.

Matt.

 

[guyz]

imho the bits n pieces youve done are not going to give you any mpg gains.
Good bit of maintenance tho.
i think mine gives me around 30 on a run witch isnt bad .
I know k&n state slight mpg increase but all the cars iv had fitted with a k&n seem to be driven with a slightly heavier right foot just to here the improved noise. :lol:
I recently changed the run off pipes between the injectors , i wouldnt of thought they would of worn so much being a 53 plate car, they were nearly all damp.so diesel was leaking .. maybe check yours mate.

 

[hellhawk]

I did the injector return pipes 6 months ago along with all the diesel hoses under the bonet.
Drum brakes were even stripped and cleaned last month.

 

[guyz]

do you keep the roof box on all the time? carry anything you dont need to? over sized tyres?

 

[hellhawk]

Roof box only on when we are going to france.
I don't carry anything around unless we go to france.

If it does not get any better i'll go to DieselBobs.

Thanks for all the suggestions, keep em coming and i may get it up to 25mpg :wink:

 

[JonathanM]

imho the bits n pieces youve done are not going to give you any mpg gains.
Good bit of maintenance tho.
i think mine gives me around 30 on a run witch isnt bad .
I know k&n state slight mpg increase but all the cars iv had fitted with a k&n seem to be driven with a slightly heavier right foot just to here the improved noise. :lol:
I recently changed the run off pipes between the injectors , i wouldnt of thought they would of worn so much being a 53 plate car, they were nearly all damp.so diesel was leaking .. maybe check yours mate.

I've just replaced the run off pipes again on my 2001 wagon - last did them in October

IMHO the rubber that is used is just too prone to cracking probably through heat, especially in the position that they are in, tucked away under the intercooler and next to the pipework leading to the heater. Its probably the 6th or 7th time I've had to replace the piping in the three years I've had the wagon. I'm thinking of trying to source some silicone piping (as per Samco type stuff) to see if that remains in better shape.

I don't think this would contribute to a decreased MPG though, as the leak would have to be very significant for Hellhawk to be reporting the MPG that he is, which is about 25% down on what most of us achieve. That would need maybe 15 litres of fuel to be lost per tank - big wet patch on the drive! One thing to say is that my fuel returns usually start to leak at no 4 injector, and if the fuel is allowed to run down the back of the block it does seem to cause clutch slip - has the clutch been checked to ensure it is healthy?

And regarding emissions, MOT was last week, 0.6 emissions on my wagon - still had petrodiesel in at that point, not a veggie mix, but hadn't used Millers diesel clean for a couple of weeks.

 

[leo23]

im getting 17.4 mpg!!!! :lol: :lol: do only short trips tho

 

[hellhawk]

Clutch seems fine, it does not slip. There is no smoke from the exahust.
The car accelerates very well for something that weights two tons (much better than the disco i owned).

The gearboxes are quiet, i don't race it or thrash it. i have not had it offroad. it's great to drive. My new MP3 player works great.

keep up the suggestions and i may get more MPG

thanks guys

 

[JonathanM]

I can usually get 25 mpg round town without trying, and 30+mpg on a run - up to 32 mpg, that is the best I've ever had on one or two occasions. MPG is much better when on road tyres than mud terrains. I suppose some of it is the vehicle, some the driver, but in your case I'd also wonder terrain - how often are you up & down the hills in your area?


You describe driving it gently, I wonder if sometimes driving too gently worsens mpg - gentle acceleration means longer periods of acceleration, or labouring in lower gears, using the gearbox & accelerating harder means shorter more intense periods of acceleration, but then reaching "cruising speed" earlier - just a thought I often have, as when I try to drive "nicely" the car doesn't respond with any significantly better mpg.