ZX-TD Drinking Diesel

citroenbx · Post by **citroenbx** » 17 Apr 2006, 20:40

Hi there on my recently aquired ZX it was its first run out this week to work and back....It seems to drinking Diesel at a fast rate.

Compared to my other ZX-TD it seems to be about 100 miles down on the same amount of fuel put in ?

Could someone of messed with the PUMP or TURBO Unit ? How can i tell ?
The car doesn't smoke when starting and seems to go well under load.
The Car has just had a big service with all its filters done.
I have checked the brakes are not binding.

Is there a easy visual test looking at the Pump/Turbo to see it hasn't been tampered with ? What about having a Diesel Car Tuned/Setup i know theres a Krypton System for Petrol Engines ?
Thanks

Post by **Peter.N.** » 17 Apr 2006, 22:18

If there is anything out of adjustment on the fuel side, it will cause the car to smoke, thats where the excess fuel goes. Is the performance the same as your other one? If yes, and it doesn't smoke it should be OK. Have you actually tested it by brimming the tank and then again to calculate the fuel consumption. Fuel gauges are notoriously inaccurate and non linear, could be that this gauge is differently calibrated to your old one.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 17 Apr 2006, 22:21

A diesel works on the principle of free air - and is simply controlled by the amount of fuel injected into the engine. The timing is critical and both quantity and timing are incontrolled by the injection pump.

So where's it going - is it leaking? leakoff pipes on those engines with Roto-diesel pumps, and else where.

Does it start well and sound 'right' - ie not unnaturally quiet or noisy?

Does it smoke excessively

How much is it actually using?

citroenbx · Post by **citroenbx** » 18 Apr 2006, 09:06

Hi..I have not brimmed the tank to check from there,but i usually put £25 of fuel in the tanks of both cars.
My first ZX does high fortys but the Second ZX at this stage seems to be doing High thirtys to the gallon.

The thirsty car is quicker than the high forty car but the thirsty car doesn't start up very well on a morning...I have another post about this and will deal with this repair at the weekend (Bought a Kit to change all pipework-Suspect Air leak) Could these be related ?

Neither cars smoke
Thanks

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 18 Apr 2006, 09:18

Leaks - possibly - depends if the leak is air getting in or fuel getting out (yes I should have been a politician!)

Another thought - have a look at your fuel tank from underneath - is it wet? When I got our ZX the fuel tank was wet and it turned out to be a vent hose right on top of the tank which had split. Fun to get at and I cut a small hole in the floor over it, replaced the pipe and clipped it and then pop riveted a plate over the hole with loads of seam sealer under it.

citroenbx · Post by **citroenbx** » 18 Apr 2006, 09:26

jeremy: well it sure does have an air leak somewhere...not seen any fuel around but havn't yet checked the tank area.

this will be a job at the weekend...i have been advised in order to find the air leak to check back from the fuel tank............so i'll keep my eyes peeled.

This second car was an Ebay purchase very cheap but its got so many problems compared to my other 2 ZX's.well i'm getting them sorted slowly but only with the help of the Forum (No way would i have under taken keeping thse cars running without all this help) Cheers

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 18 Apr 2006, 23:31

this sounds like a classic case of timing being off. Makes a massive difference to fuel consumption for only a very small change in performance. Get a DTI and time the pump to the engine.

Timing being off can also cause poor starting and a small amount of smoke too, as the combustion isn't as clean as it should be.

citroenbx · Post by **citroenbx** » 19 Apr 2006, 09:08

Hi F&F Well the cars performace seems fine,theres no smoke and the car starts first time throughout the day but its just on a morning i need to pump the bulb to start.
But it sure likes a drink (Me too)
Is the DTI a kind of diesel timing tool ? Thanks

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 19 Apr 2006, 13:07

Information towards the bottom of this thread, with a link about DTI's.

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... ht=#116178

citroenbx · Post by **citroenbx** » 19 Apr 2006, 22:37

Whats the cost of all this. Is there any where i can take my ZX to have the pump (bosch) timing checked ?

Cheers

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 19 Apr 2006, 23:07

Good old yellow pages may hold the answer. There are many small independant diesel specialists who will probably be able to check it for you at a surprisingly reasonable price. If you want to do it yourself you will find that you can purchase dial test indicators for about £15 from places like Machine Mart. The gauge is the easy bit - holding it in place is the fun bit and will probably involve you making up a bracket and clamp.

Instructions are in Haynes.

f00lzz · Post by **f00lzz** » 20 Apr 2006, 09:27

[quote="fastandfurryous"]this sounds like a classic case of timing being off. Makes a massive difference to fuel consumption for only a very small change in performance. Get a DTI and time the pump to the engine. /quote]

What do you think would cause the timing to be off....

citroenbx · Post by **citroenbx** » 20 Apr 2006, 09:58

Not done anything myself but the car has had 5 owners ?
Could someone of tinkered ? I dont have a clue yet about timing a diesel pump just doing some research.

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 20 Apr 2006, 21:38

citroenbx wrote:... I dont have a clue yet about timing a diesel pump just doing some research.

You never tinkered with the carb in one of your first petrol cars ? Doing a carb overhaul and complete adjustment ?
Tinkering with diesel timing is a completely different job - but still compares in "spanner rating" and labour hours.
Have yet to try it myself. Looking for a reasonable priced local DTI gauge supplier.