Boxer 1900cc Symbol fuel consumption

I am new to autosleepers but I believe I am not getting very good mpg. The exhaust pipe outlet is quite black. Is this a symptom that engine is running too rich. Can anyone give me any help on improving please. Thank You

Hi, What sort of \mpg are you getting? We get around 24 ish with our harmony on petrol and around 20 on LPG. The first thing to check is the air filter as it may be clogged up.

Hi Gordon, welcome to the forum, I have a 99 symbol, 1.9 petrol, last time I checked I was getting 23 mpg, I normally stick to 60 mph on motorways, if we are  going down your way I will push to 70 to get some miles out the way, once we get past Bristol we relax a bit, hope you enjoy your symbol as much as we do, I like to keep her moving through the winter, keeps the batteries charged up., all the best to everyone on the forum and give us a wave, johnandeva 

Hi there,

I presume that it is a diesel engine and if it is then having a black exhaust pipe is normal.

If the engine runs smoothly, there is no thick black smoke coming out of the exhaust when starting and accelerating hard (the sign of a blocked fuel jet or a broken piston ring) and there is no major oil consumption (the sign of broken or worn piston rings) then the chances are that the engine is still okay; and it is my experience that diesel engines fall into the category of "if it ain't broke don't fix it".

Whatever type of engine, this AA site gives dozens of tips with regard to improving fuel economy and it is definitely worth the trouble.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

With "Petal" the difference between our normal sedate driving pace and "clogging it" is dramatic.  Trundling along at 45mph we often get 34mpg but if we run at higher speeds (especially if we are towing a trailer) this can drop to 26mpg.

On the 12,000 mile average that we do each year, and with diesel at £6.25 a gallon, these differences are:

o  At 26mpg - 462 gallons - 200 hours of driving - £2,887.50

o  At 34mpg - 352 gallons - 267 hours of driving - £2,200.00

The extra 67 hours I drive to save £687.50 equals £10.26 per hour; which is over one and a half times the UK Minimum Wage.     

Hope this helps.   

Best regards,
 


PS

Other Posts indicate it is a petrol engine (mia culpa!) and my engine comments are therefore slightly different.

The reasons for an exhaust smoking stay the same but I would expect a petrol engine exhaust to be black but not noticeably "sooty" (too rich) or white/grey (too lean).

Best regards,
 

To the best of my knowledge, there isn't a 1.9 Boxer petrol engine, it's 2ltr. There is/was a 1.9 diesel though.

Frank

Hi everyone and a happy new year to you all. Thank you for all your responses. I should have said its a diesel engine. I am not sure what \I am getting mpg but will check more carefully when we do our next decent run. Thank you all

A blackened exhaust on a diesel is usually normal, however, if black SMOKE is produced whilst driving, then it suggests the injectors, pump or even the engine is worn. It takes a lot to wear out a diesel engine, so the injectors would be the first thing i'd look at.
Also, fuel & air filters can have a detrimental effect on the 'cleanliness' of a diesel, & even an oil-change can be beneficial.

modelman wrote:A blackened exhaust on a diesel is usually normal, however, if black SMOKE is produced whilst driving, then it suggests the injectors, pump or even the engine is worn.

In the case of Transits with the 2.5 DI engine (and yes I know that the OP doesn't have a Tranny), the most usual cause of black smoke is a malfunctioning EGR valve. This is very easily cured by blanking off the 'suck' pipe to the valve with a small ball-bearing, or screw.

Does this apply to the 1.9 diesel engine?

Spospe wrote:This is very easily cured by blanking off the 'suck' pipe to the valve with a small ball-bearing, or screw.

This doesn't work in all cases - it didn't with mine, which would stick partly open, irrespective of whether vacuum was present or not. The only cure that worked on mine was to physically blank it off (I also completely removed it, as it made access to the top of the engine easier).

Hi everyone, after checking consumption over about 300 miles I spear to be getting about 22 miles to the gallon from out 1.9 boxer diesel. It seems by reading the various posts this seems to be about average or maybe slightly below average. I should mention the vehicle has about 52,000 on the clock. Best wishes to all. Another quickie. In all this rain we have found water dripping down behind our fiammi wind out awning. Found on ebay there is a rubber strip at £7 per metre which you can fit above and behind fiammi stops all the drips. Note: haven't put it on yet it only came yesterday!

Gordon Galsworthy wrote:after checking consumption over about 300 miles I spear to be getting about 22 miles to the gallon from out 1.9 boxer diesel.

I confess I've never owned a Boxer, but 22 mpg from a 1.9l diesel does not seem at all good. My last diesel van - a 2.5Tdi SWB Transit - never gave less than 28 mpg around town and 32 mpg or better on long runs.

A couple of things that might make your mileage more "normal" - either lots of short town journeys, or a very high motorway cruising speed. Otherwise I suspect that there's something wrong...

I have a 2000cc diesel Harmony Boxer, I don't know the difference between it and the Symbol but I get about 28 miles to the gallon checked recently over a 700 mile trip. 3/4 of this was M/Way travel at 70 mph.

Gordon Galsworthy wrote:Hi everyone, after checking consumption over about 300 miles I spear to be getting about 22 miles to the gallon from out 1.9 boxer diesel. 

That's a bit low. My 1.9 delivers about 28 average.

PB

My petrol Symphony did 23/24 so 22 on a diesel does seem low.

Hi

Just finished my first long run test on my Harmony 1.9 and did 190 miles mixed driving towns villages dual carriageways etc and a bit of stop start traffic jams, and refilled to the brim with 21.23 ltrs giving around 40.77 mpg.
I was pleased with that.

I have always managed to get better fuel economy than normal stated figures on my vehicles with my style of driving.

Although having motor raced I wasnt trying to beat too many GTIs away from the lights or flashing BMWs in the fast lane at 85mph!

Lets see what the next trip brings.

F4

FannyFour wrote:Hi

Just finished my first long run test on my Harmony 1.9 and did 190 miles mixed driving towns villages dual carriageways etc and a bit of stop start traffic jams, and refilled to the brim with 21.23 ltrs giving around 40.77 mpg.
I was pleased with that.

I'd be more than pleased if mine did that - I'd be spellbound!
Do you realise this thread is over 18 months old? and the other thread you put the same post on was over 12 months old? Or do you just want to tell everyone what a good driver you are?

Frank

Just searched to see if anyone was chatting about mpg and there this one was !

Sadly, you can't infer much from a 190 mile drive! There are too many variables - for example just a slightly different slope on the forecourt where you fill up can make a difference of several litres, because it changes the amount of air "airlocked" at the top of the tank. You need to run for a few thousand miles and then the figures will start to average out to something meaningful.

As an example, the first full tank when I originally bought my current van showed a fuel consumption of 23 MPG, but my running average over 40+ months is just over 37 MPG...

I keep a record of my van's consumption on a spreadsheet with *23 'rolling' rows.
Consumption per fill up varies from 14.53 mpg to 33.93 mpg but the average over the 23 rows = 20.58 mpg.

*23 just fit nicely on the laptop screen

Frank

Hi

I filled up initially until fuel could just be seen in the filler neck and used the same garage at the same pump to refill to the exact same level.

I am not doubting my mpg will move around a bit but for this trip this was as accurate a reading as you could get under the conditions described.

Perhaps I can increase my mpg with a few thoughts I have had but lets wait and see what further trips bring.

F4

FannyFour wrote:Hi

I filled up initially until fuel could just be seen in the filler neck and used the same garage at the same pump to refill to the exact same level

Do diesels not have that spring loaded flap thing in the filler neck? there's no way I could see the fuel level in mine, because of the flap.

Frank

Can see mine if I wish to.

boxerman wrote:

Do diesels not have that spring loaded flap thing in the filler neck? 

Frank

My 1.9d Harmony doesn't.
I've never looked inside whilst filling, just keep going to round up the next litre.

I get about 28 mpg and I'm not too light on the gas pedal either!

PB

Thanks PB - that's what I wanted to know    I wondered if the fillers were different. I know that petrol fuel tanks are designed to always have a slight vacuum - hence the spring loaded flap. Didn't know if it applied to diesels.

@Al - there's nothing precise about my calculations. When the orange light comes on steadily, rather than coming on & going off, I note the mileage on the trip and reset it.

Frank