Just had mine tuned and went from 4.5KM to liter to 6.9 KM to litre around town
EF Tickford Factory System

No, your shocks will affect ride, braking and turning.

For your LPG system a good place to start would be replace the O2 sensor. Go to Auto Barn as they have them at a good price. Expect around $70 (+/- $10). DO NOT go to Repco you will pay double that. Take the sensor and your car to a local mechanic and ask him to install this and this only (he may do it for free or charge for a half hour, around $40).

If you have a spanner set you can do it yourself. You only unclip one plug and then loosen the sensor itself with the spanner ( I think it is 19mm). Do it when the car is cold aso you don't burn yourself and it should only take you 10mins. It is located on the drivers side of the engine, down low poking out from the exhaust pipe. Just beside the coolant tank but down low.

The O2 sensor tells the computer that runs the engine how much gas the engine needs. If yours is stuffed or slow to respond you will chew through the gas. This would be the first step unless you car was back firing (going bang and stopping). This would mean spark plugs and leads.

My EF wagon with 250,000K's gets around 10.5L per 100K's on the highway and anywhere from 14-18L per 100k's in the city.

Another thing to try that wont cost a cent is switching economy off. I don't know why but on some EF's economy works great and you use less fuel but on my car economy sucks. Flip the switch next to the shifter and see if that makes a difference.

cheers
Scott

Scott, thank you for such detailed advice and to all you guys for taking the time to respond to me. I already love this place and have only been here a short time.
The mechanic who quoted me for shocks was quite stunned at the temp of the guard and bay near the engine as it was very hot. I know this may have nothing to do with the o2 sensor but it may have. In regards to backfiring no it runs great. It does have a rattle at when I start the engine, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the timing chain.

I will do as you have advised and see how I go.

Cheers to you all

Tiffany

Premier Auto Centre Sunblest Ave Mt Druitt is a good gas specialist. He tunes mine and doesnt rip me off.
I have had a few problems working mine out but thats not through anyones incompetance its more trying to make something work that by rights has no chance of working.
Had a mixture tune and replacement of the vapour line today. They played with it for a bit over an hour sorting it out and only charged $50.
Runs awesome now
Im only getting around 4kms/litre but that is in a 2400kg Maverick 4x4 with a 5.0 Windsor V8 on 35" tyres. Still running standard gearing too.
These figures are around town. Will know next week what it gets on a run.

HI,

If my exhaust system is in a bad way, rust wise will that affect the mileage?

Tiffany

No, with a but.......Generally speaking a simply rusted out exhaust will not effect your economy. But, if your cat (catalytic converter) is blocked then yes this will effect your economy.

No real easy way you can tell this. Speculatively does the car feel like it has good power? When you floor it and take the revs up around 4000+ does the car feel like it is struggling or is it smooth?

If it feels sluggish or struggles up high then yes maybe your cat is blocked. A mechanic can do a dynamic compression test and this will tell if your cat is blocked but this is pretty old school and most mechanics today would look at you cross eyed if you asked them to perform one.

The other way is to pull the exhaust and visually check.

Most exhaust shops will check and or just replace when they quote on an exhaust for you.

cheers
Scott

Scott, There is no power at all when I push the accelerator to the floor. It takes a while to pick up speed but does cruise well after initial flooring. Does this indicate a cat a (what ever you called it) change is needed? The car does not shake, or splutter. I have noticed a smell at times not exactly like fuel but something smell rich.

sounds like it just needs a good tune, check the gas fitting under bonnet in case their freezing over.

Smell is common to most gas cars i have been in. (because the tank is inside the car)

Hi Tiffany,
Scott is right on the money with the oxygen sensor. When I replaced mine I improved mileage by nearly 100klm per tank.
They are pretty hard to get out if it has been in a long time but I got a couple more newish looking spares from pick-a-part wreckers and they came undone pretty easy. I got mine (NGK) from Bursons for $80 2 years ago and with virtually no other changes the results jumped immediately.
Good luck
Richard

It is kind of hard to say. If the car has no power and is chewing through the fuel then it could just be way out of tune. But then if the cat is really blocked you could get the same symptoms. Here come a few ifs.....If the exhaust is really bad, it needs doing, if the car has travelled more than 200,000k's then the O2 is guaranteed to be stuffed and if you have the money (who does, I don't), but if you do then I would go to Auto Barn or the like and buy an O2 sensor. I would then go to a few Ma and Pa exhaust shops and have a chat with the guys there. Which ever one gives you the best feel I would ask them to fix the exhaust, check the cat and replace if blocked or collapsed and fit the O2 sensor.

You will know a good shop because they wont just replace everything. They will put the car up on the hoist and check it and say if the mufflers need replacing or if they can be reused, if the resonator can be reused, etc. If you are lucky and the exhaust is not completely rooted then I would think you may get change from $300 (including buying the O2 sensor). Worst case would be $500 I would think.

Food for thought.

Cheers
Scott

Do you mind offering your thoughts on cleaning the O2 sensor Macgyver?

[p.s. another motto similar to yours, "If you can't force it get a bigger hammer", but i've come across these with mechanics, not engineers.]

I can't really comment on cleaning them. Most times they fail is because of a breakdown in the chemicals that cause the electrical reaction. Once the chemical has brocken down or gets contaminated by say running leaded petrol in an unleaded vehicle then no amount of cleaning will help.

A good O2 sensor has a life expectancy of 80,000K's. After this they may still work but the reaction time is slow, they all eventually fail.

cheers
Scott

Thank you all, especially scott.

I am now checking prices on all you have mentioned.

Tiff

it should not,but be noisy.do you do all city driving and heavy traffic? have you fixed the gas problem yet?

Hello, didnt know anyone actually read my posts