excessive consumption

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goose
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excessive consumption

Post by goose »

i am getting very bad fuel reterns from my citroen zx 2.0l 16v
i know the fuel pump is knackered due to the starting problems that occured a couple of months ago!
but when u have to put £10 in everyother day just to go back and forth to work (16 miles all in)it does start to cause some concern
would it be due to the knackered fuel pump or something else
u can smell the petrol all the time as it is running extremelly rich
please help!!!
mbunting
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Post by mbunting »

Surely it will not have properly warmed up by the time you get to work, hence the ECU is running rich to heat the cat up, plus the choke effect of the ECU etc...
What do you get on a long run, ie. over 50 miles - such as a motorway.
With short journeys like that you really ought to get a diesel, or catch the bus !
Jon

Post by Jon »

If its running rich, I'd get the Lambda probe checked out.
It could also be that the water temp sensor is faulty, fooling the ECU into thinking the engine is cold (when it is hot) and giving it "choke".
Might be an idea to get the fault codes read first.
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uhn113x
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Post by uhn113x »

A knackered fuel pump should not make it richer - if it is sufficiently knackered it will deliver no fuel at all! [:(]
Stuart McB
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Post by Stuart McB »

Must agree some time ago my Xsara was running too fast when hot / warm . It also took ages for the cold start (choke) to come off. I replaced that ECU temp sensor £16 from Citroen and it cured the problem straight away. Cold start off after a couple of mins now instaed of about 10. You'll be needing new plugs with all that unburnt fuel being used as well as possibly damaging the cat if fitted.
goose
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Post by goose »

well theres no cat there anyway
even when the cars warmed up and been running for a while it still smells rich!!
also the car idles on about 900rpm's at normal running temp wud this hhave anything to do with the problem
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uhn113x
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Post by uhn113x »

Hi Goose
The idle speed being too high would only have a slight effect on consumption, but there must be a reason for it to be so.
What sort of airflow meter does this model have? It may be a bit gummy
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TomH
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Post by TomH »

does the car get hot? could be a duff thermostat if not?
mbunting
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Post by mbunting »

If the coolant temperature was knackered, then you'd expect problems warm-starting ( as experienced in our AX 1.0i ).
A very faulty sensor would have it's values substituted by the ECU for a medium, meaning it will probably run rich to guarantee a start when cold, however, starting it warm will be a bugger, and the performance - well, you'd be quicker walking.
VisaGTi16v
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Post by VisaGTi16v »

May be totally wrong but have you checked the pipes from the filler cap to the tank? Reason I say this is in typical citroen fashion its a total joke on the zx 16v (dont know if other zx's the same) and theres like 3 pipes and what I presume are baffle areas etc.
Anyway, on my 16v I had the same, constant smell of petrol, looked underneath and petrol all down the inside of the wheel arch and on the tyre (which could make you spin). One of the plastic sections of pipe that went into one of the larger plastic bits had broken so petrol was coming out of there when cornering left as it surged over that way.
Yours sounds more drastic than that as I didnt see much of a loss in economy and it doesnt take much to notice the smell but yours could be broken further down and is worth checking none the less
goose
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Post by goose »

i did have dodgy clip on the fuel filter before when i floored it petrol pissed out everywhere!!
would it be due to the fact that there is no cat on the car and the lambda sensor could be over compensating??
i have been told its a wise idea to get the car set up properly on a rolling rd or maybee a live road map (where possible)
Stuart McB
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Post by Stuart McB »

What you need is one of those guys like Mr.Tune, who come to your house and do a full tune up for about £40 or so. Should be some one in your yellow pages.
goose
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Post by goose »

will look into it as soon as possible.
also another fault ive found is wen the car has been used arounds town for the duration of the day it seems to lightly loose power and very quietly misfire. not like the fault i had before where it wud just run off 3 cylinders. its very quiet and almost un noticeable unless your like me and notice everything. any ideas
NiSk
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Post by NiSk »

THAT sounds like sooted plugs - which corresponds with over-rich fuelling.
//NiSk
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