my car seems to be smelling a lot of rich fuel when started up is that normal? it could explain why I get like 260 to a tank full. of fuel?

my car seems to be smelling a lot of rich fuel when started up is that normal? it could explain why I get like 260 to a tank full. of fuel?

 

You certainly should be getting comfortably over 300 miles to a tankful, I get nearly 400 miles on a run and about 330 during mixed use.

 

Things to check:

 

You must only use super unleaded.

 

The car is warming up quickly and fully, the needle should sit on halfway and never move.

 

The ECT sensor has been replaced, if not do it, it's £15 from ECP.

 

The air filter is clean and not oiled up, if not replace it.

 

You can blow easily through the breather pipe and feel the crankcase pressurising as you blow into it.

 

You have reset the ECU by disconnecting the battery for some time, I usually take the battery out once a year in the winter to trickle charge it, this also resets the ECU.

 

The EGR valve is functioning correctly, no CEL or codes relating to low flow etc.

Super unleaded..check

Car warms up..i wouldnt say quickly and recently it doesnt sit at half..it sits under no matter where i drive

air filter has been replaced

where about is the breather pipe?

Super unleaded..check

Car warms up..i wouldnt say quickly and recently it doesnt sit at half..it sits under no matter where i drive

air filter has been replaced

where about is the breather pipe?

 

Your thermostat has broken, that's why your fuel consumption is poor, replace it, it's down low between the battery and the engine and is partially obstructed by one of the gear linkage cables, the thermostat itself is like a black plastic cartridge which you can remove with the housing released and moved to one side, I say this because removing the housing completely is almost impossible because the gear linkage is in the way.

Sounds good, where is the best place to get a replacement sensor from, tried eurocarparts but no luck

Eurocarparts, search part number 209440210.

 

That's the thermostat you need.

bit confused sep, I changed the power steering fluid the other day as it was bone dry and last night the temperature hit the mid point even in these winds?

bit confused sep, I changed the power steering fluid the other day as it was bone dry and last night the temperature hit the mid point even in these winds?

 

You must have a power steering hydraulic leak somewhere, check the hoses and connections and the rack gaiters for signs. External environmental factors will have little or no effect on engine temperature, I would still change that thermostat since it has a history of acting up even if it appears to be working now, the needle will sit steady in the middle across a whole range of temperatures once the engine has reached minimum operating temperature and will only climb further once it exceeds an ECU controlled maximum due to the ECU damping the output so heavily.

Hi Sepulchrave, tried looking at that sensor you mentioned..euro car parts says i need a different one - is this a fault in their site calling up the wrong one?

Hi Sepulchrave, tried looking at that sensor you mentioned..euro car parts says i need a different one - is this a fault in their site calling up the wrong one?

 

It is indeed a fault on their site, the one it's says you want is actually the old-fashioned pressed tin one for the MPI, remember the site is built and maintained by people who don't know anything about cars (Web designers are often Apple users and are therefore techno-luddites). Let me reassure you that the information I have given you is correct since I bought and fitted one to mine ages ago.

hi there going to get that sensor today, how is it fitted? does the coolant system need draining?

one more thing the breather pipe you mentioned, that's the larger pipe going into the air box? mine seems to always have this yellow substance inside it

hi there going to get that sensor today, how is it fitted? does the coolant system need draining?

 

Yes, there is a drain tap located at the bottom of the radiator on the left hand side, remove the coolant filler cap and drain into a washing-up bowl so you can simply pour the coolant back in when you're done.

 

one more thing the breather pipe you mentioned, that's the larger pipe going into the air box? mine seems to always have this yellow substance inside it

 

So does mine, it's condensation emulsion, the same stuff as under the oil filler cap, nothing to worry about.

Personally I don't see how a faulty thermostat can effect how the rich or lean the car is on start up.

but If it were me I would check the MAP sensor and coolant temperature sensors.

if the coolant temp sensor was faulty it could fool the ecu into thinking its -40 degrees Celsius and over fuel. Or if the MAP sensor is faulty it could be miss reading again causing the ecu to incorrectly fuel.

If possible get it scanned with vcds and see if there are any fault codes which are not yet causing an engine management light

Personally I don't see how a faulty thermostat can effect how the rich or lean the car is on start up.

but If it were me I would check the MAP sensor and coolant temperature sensors.

if the coolant temp sensor was faulty it could fool the ecu into thinking its -40 degrees Celsius and over fuel. Or if the MAP sensor is faulty it could be miss reading again causing the ecu to incorrectly fuel.

If possible get it scanned with vcds and see if there are any fault codes which are not yet causing an engine management light

 

It won't, however the OP states that he's only getting 260 miles to a tankful and that the car is not warming up properly, personally I'm surprised that you missed that part since it's the main point of the post.

Already have scanned with vcds it doesnt give any indication on what it could be, although a lot of the internal heating is flagging up errors for the recirculation mode, but ive got a sensor now it was only 4 pound so its worth replacing if its this causing the issue or not really