I don't know what else I can do?!? Help me please...

[VR4sum]

Im going to start with the figure:
24.72L/100Km (average after last three tanks)

Now I will move onto the facts;

Car is COMPLETELY STOCK (removed ATV BOV last week):thumbdown:
and recently returned from Meek where it recieved a full service and all fluids flushed. The 02 sensor was checked atthis point and deemed perfectly operational.
NGK spark plugs (BN...whatever the CORRECT type model no. is, I have them)
Prior to this visit to meek I was averaging 14.87L/100Km and it was due in part to this figure that I visited Meek in the first place.

I thought the fuel economy was supposed to IMPROVE after a service?!?
:cursing:
Anyway, I am at the end of my tether and I REALLY NEED HELP from the cvr4 and Ozvr4 community on this one.

Could you all put your collective juices together and come up with something?

THe only thing I have had suggested (by Qball , thanks Dave) is that I should *hope i have the right ECU (7202?) and then get Chris Meek to flash it and reconfigure the fuel whilst he ups my boost (why not, can one get WORSE fuel economy?)

Apart from that I have tried all the usual including:

All tyres at correct pressure, wheels aligned and balanced
driving rather like my grandfather.
Tried a whole tank in tiptronic and one in full auto, no difference.

Have I just bought a lemon or is there something terribly amiss that NOONE can spot?!

Thanks in advance guys, I really am rather despondent about this whole thing, almost to the point that I no longer enjoy my VR4 (yes, you heard that right folks, sacreligious as it may be, that's how desperate its getting)

SO HELP ME (HELP ME NOW) 1800 MY FUEL SUX:cursing::cursing::cursing:

 

[Scottie]

First i would check air systems...

Exhaust for leaks
Cat converter (can come loose and block exhaust)
I/C pipes
Vacuum lines (BOV etc)

Then electrics...

Diagnostic Check
MAF
o2
Plugs
Battery Voltage
Alternator

 

[naughtika]

I'd have to ask what weight the you've used in your car.. oil viscosity also contribute to fuel economy.. not a very huge difference, but you'll never know..

what kind of service did you receive from Meek? just oil flush and/or general overall check up?

I'd say a considerable amount of air leak would have to cause that very poor economy, but then if there's air leak somewhere (and a whole heaps of air leaking out) I'd imagine the engine would stall.. ?!

*edit*

have you thought of getting compression test on all 6 chambers?

 

[sart0ri]

cracked/leaking fuel line, or fuel tank?

 

[ygoslo]

Something completely out of left field, but have you checked that you don't have a brake or several brakes dragging?

 

[Buckas]

my car alsp had all new fluids, leads, plugs, air filter, o2 sensor and a cat back with high flow cat and i was getting 15l/100km no matter what i did. when i had my interceptor installed i was told the closed loop fuel controller(or something along those lines) in my ecu was dead or dying and that was flooding the engine and also killing power. i was suggested to get a new ecu if it wasnt for taking it out with the interceptor. so possibly ecu?

 

[BuzzPuppy]

Alex, are you getting any error/flashing codes when you short the ECU with the paper-clip trick?

 

[jungle]

Firstly, id take it back to MEEK and tell them how annoyed you are with the car's fuel economy after its service. I'd be telling them the fuel economy before and after their service and ask WTF?

A few things. Did meek tune the interceptor during the service? If so they've either had a shocker, which i doubt or there really is something wrong with the ECU/AFM combined.

Do you know someone else near you that would be happy to swap out their ECU for a bit to test?
Does the car drive normally?
Is the exhaust really black- blacker than normal? If you wipe you finders directly above the exhaust, is there a film of black crud on them?

For the car to get that bad economy it's 1 of 3 things. The ECU, the AFM the O2 sensor in that order.
Is the engine light on when you drive? More to the point does it light up with all the other dash lights when the ignition is turned on?

When i originally installed my interceptor, i didn't have the o2 sensor wired correctly, i used half a tank of fuel in ~100km. yes the engine light was on, but I knew what the problem was.

I'd start there and see what happens.

Just re-read your problem, sounds to me like MEEK have told you the problem although they or you may not have placed enough emphasis on the closed loop thing. Change the ECU for another, I suspect the bad fuel consumption will disappear. I'd then return it to meek and get them to retune it. I hope they didn't charge you for tuning??

 

[montgomery]

Sell it.

 

[VR4sum]

Thanks guys

Firstly, thanks for the insight guys, you're all VR4Awesome!, few things I can now go and check.

BuzzPuppy: have not even taken the ecu out yet, but that is happening tomorrow now, this way I can see if I have the 7202 or 3 and go from there. I'll search for the paper clip thingy on the forum and try that too.

Sartori: Fark Id kick myself (and laugh/cry) if it was a leak in the fuel tank!

Naughtika: Received rear and front diff transfer oil (RS Diff - not GAYC), engine, ATF PS etc and checked 02 sensor, so mainly oils and not so much a service in the 'tune' sense.

Buckas: Thanks and yeah I think Im def. going the ECU route as my next port of call.

ygoslo: I love left field! How does one check for this brake dragging problem? and what exactly do you mean?

Jungle: Hey mate, great information there, but the post about interceptor and catback was Buckas, as I said Im stock as, but the post was still awesome because the first thing monday I am calling Meek with a WTF? "For the car to get that bad economy it's 1 of 3 things. The ECU, the AFM, the O2 sensor in that order." is a perfect guidleine, thanks Simon (I assumethis refers to all carsand not related to the 'interceptor'?)

And to answer a few of the questions, and adding 'SO MUCH FUN' to this mystery is that not one single light comes on, the car runs beautifully all the time and there is no surges, drops in power etc (Don't get me wrong this is AWESOME! but doesnt help diagnose ... ANYTHING!

Thanks again for all your input, I'll keep you posted on what I do and what figures i get as a result.

Who knows, might end up serving as a good guide for those members who 'read the post about a 10.2l fuel figure and weep queitly...yes I'm talking to you, you know who you are LOL)

PS: anyone see cheap fuel in sydney, holla!

 

[jungle]

Doh sorry got carried away

 

[SiliconAngel]

Alex, you car won't have the 7202 ECU, so forget about that option.

You definitely have a issue, whatever it is. Considering it was just serviced, I suspect one of their guys did something minor which is causing your problems, like not installing a plug correctly, leaving something disconnected, maybe they dropped something somewhere it shouldn't be which is causing some issue? It just seems like too much of a coincidence. Have you called Meek to discuss your issues? If so, I'm surprised they haven't done everything in their power to look over the car and try to sort it out for you...

It sounds to me like your injectors are at max duty cycle ALL the time - what is the actual driving experience like? Does the car feel really sluggish? If it's overfuelling it will definitely have a negative effect on performance, so you should be able to tell.

As Chris said, if you have an air leak large enough to cause this problem, I'd expect to see other issues like complete stalling. But an air leak may still be the cause, or one of the vacuum lines disconnected or something...

Also Tim's point is a good one, as it could be as simple as that.

EDIT: Sorry, wrote this hours ago before Simon posted, but got distracted and didn't send it though

 

[godzilla]

The 02 sensor was checked atthis point and deemed perfectly operational.

I would have to say, unless you have just put a brand new one in recently, how can you tell by looking at it that it is in perfect working order? If it is the age of the car, piss it off and put a brand new one in.

PS, sorry if i have missed you saying that you have done it already.

 

[cyber_scriber]

I agree with Trevor.

It's a $30 part that can rule one potential issue out of the equation.

BTW. Alex, you're not morbidly obese, right?

 

[SiliconAngel]

You can test the O2 sensor to see if it's outputting the correct range and it's not that difficult to clean them. So it IS valid to test and clean instead of replace, especially given the price of a genuine part. However as these have been (and occasionally still are) available for such a low price, I don't see any reason you wouldn't replace it.

 

[ygoslo]

ygoslo: I love left field! How does one check for this brake dragging problem? and what exactly do you mean?

I know of two instances (one being my own) where this problem caused excessive fuel consumption in Celsiors. Basically it is just having the brakes or a brake slightly on the whole time, causing constant resistance. As for checking it, probably a simple check for a brake place to do.

 

[naughtika]

I know of two instances (one being my own) where this problem caused excessive fuel consumption in Celsiors. Basically it is just having the brakes or a brake slightly on the whole time, causing constant resistance. As for checking it, probably a simple check for a brake place to do.

I was gonna suggest this too but thought if brakes were slight on.. then while driving, you'd probably see a bit of smoke or feel that your brake is fading due to heat, wouldn't you?!

 

[snickells]

Not always Christian, it might be only one pad actually contacting the disk.

 

[smitty]

I agree with Trevor.

It's a $30 part that can rule one potential issue out of the equation.

BTW. Alex, you're not morbidly obese, right?

Jesus, where can you get one for $30?? cheapest i've been quoted was 110! I thought the discontinued ones (cheap ones) had run out?

 

[Guest]

Another couple things to check are, water temperature sensor. If it is working inncorrect it could be holding the cold start map on causing it to run rich. Another thing maybe worth checking is the blow by the engine is producing. if it is rather excesive may also cause your high fuel usage.