Drinking problem!!!!!!!!

Submitted: Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 18:41
ThreadID: 109864 Views:2270 Replies:14 FollowUps:5
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There ... now that I've got your attention, anyone here drive a V6 Pajero? We have a 2007 Exceed with about 84K on the clock and whilst it's a very nice vehicle to drive, it seems to have a serious problem with the drink. The best I've managed cruising along the highway at 100 is about 12l/100. Give it a boot full around town and its dipsomania really shows through. It's worse than our V8 Cruiser in the guzzling stakes.

So .... is this normal? I've considered dropping it off at an AA meeting, but thought I'd ask the Q first in case its problem is normal and to be expected.
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Reply By: turbo 1 - Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 18:46

Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 18:46
Sounds ok...we used to get about 600 from a tank in the same vehicle on the highway.
Cheers
AnswerID: 540558

Reply By: Member - Mark (Tamworth NSW) - Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 19:22

Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 19:22
We had an 02 model from new, sold it with 200 000km on it, about 750km on a 90L tank on the highway, about the same as you report. The V6 is an ordinary Petrol engine, possibly one reason why Pajeros have only been available in diesel for the past few years.
The diesel one (NW) I have now gets sub 9L/100km on the highway @ 100-110/km/hr

It's in it's genes, not a behaviour problem!
AnswerID: 540561

Reply By: Robin Miller - Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 20:11

Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 20:11
You should be able to get your cars rated fuel consumption if driving at 100kph when driving gently with tyres pumped up accelerating slowly, checking this is your best first guide.

Any mods / increased weight / different tyres etc will mean you won't achieve.

My 2010 petrol Patrol 4800 gives 23.2/12.5 = 16.4 lt/100km combined cycle and its close to standard and gets 17.5 combined which is a good guide.
(i.e. 6% worse than theoretical)
Robin Miller

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AnswerID: 540564

Reply By: Freshstart - Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 20:48

Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 20:48
Rosco I am wondering if you have changed tyres, put a chip in it, loaded the back up with some heavy drawers or eve added bull bar etc? Done anything like that?.

Any mods at all?
AnswerID: 540566

Follow Up By: Member - Rosco from way back - Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 20:55

Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 at 20:55
Mate

Bog standard from the ground up.
Even washed the mongrel bloody thing to reduce drag.
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FollowupID: 826473

Reply By: Bigfish - Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 07:42

Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 07:42
I enjoyed reading this thread. My v8 falcon uses about 14 lts per 100k aournd town and about 11 lt per 100k when cruising. 400 hp. I was thinking of unloading it and returning to another 4wd. It seems that diesel really is the better option if I do this.

My old man use to say...If your only paying to put fuel in your car you shouldn,t whinge....Its the upkeep and accessories that will kill you....I think he was right..

ps Rosco...Buy 2 Hi-Clones..apparently fantastic fuel saving devices..#$?!!!
AnswerID: 540576

Follow Up By: Member - Rosco from way back - Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 09:52

Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 09:52
I was thinking of going for 3 and putting one on the end of the exhaust pipe backwards as an extractor.
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FollowupID: 826488

Follow Up By: ian.g - Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 10:14

Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 10:14
You don't have to fit them, just buying them is sufficient to get the claimed results.
Have Fun
Ian
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FollowupID: 826490

Reply By: Ron N - Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 11:59

Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 11:59
The problem of excessive fuel consumption is one that's thorny for most people.
It pays to remember the following points.

1. If you want a vehicle that's economical, you buy one that is light. If you drive a 2.5 tonne 4WD, expect fuel consumption to match a 2.5 tonne truck. You can't have your cake and eat it too, as the old saying goes.

2. Petrol engines love drinking fuel. They need quantities of petrol to cool the combustion process. Lean your mixture right off and your exhaust gas temperature goes through the roof, and you'll end up with burnt valves or valve seats in short order.

3. You can minimise fuel consumption by not carrying around large amounts of excessive junk in the vehicle. Carrying spares, hi-lift jacks, de-bogging equipment, unnecessary tools and all the other junk we tend to cart around, when we don't really need it for that particular trip, all eats up fuel.

4. Keep your tyres inflated to correct pressures and even a little above recommended pressures if you're on good roads and travelling at speed.

5. Check wheel alignment and axle alignment and make sure that they fall within the precise manufacturers specs. If I had a dollar for every 4WD I've seen crabbing up the road, due to loose spring hanger U-bolts, or bent chassis, or bent axles - I'd have enough for a decent all-expenses paid holiday.
It's not the first time I've measured the wheelbase precisely on each side of a vehicle and found it was a different measurement each side.
A mate was restoring an old Chev and he couldn't get things to fit properly. He got in an old fella who had been a chassis aligner in his working career.
The old fella found the Chev chassis was 50mm out of alignment diagonally, probably because of a smash - and it had never been corrected or properly repaired.
Misalignment of wheels and axles will increase fuel consumption.

6. Check wheel bearing tightness and ease of wheel rotation. Wheel bearings should have zero clearance or just a very slight preload for the least rotational resistance.
You can easily get brake calipers that are not releasing properly because of rust on the caliper pistons. I've got a ute right now, suffering from this problem - badly. This creates unnecessary drag.

7. Tune the engine. That means ensuring the valve clearances are also regularly adjusted. You'll often be surprised at how adjusting valve clearances to specs can improve engine performance.

8. Use low-friction additives in your transmission and axles. These do help in reducing friction losses. Molybdenum disulphide (Molybond) and Moreys products all help in reducing friction. It's not a huge gain, but everything helps.
A bloke in Sydney used to sell MoS2 in the old Modern Motor magazines, he called it "Krause". It was great stuff for stopping whining diffs and gearboxes. Of course, he made a motza out of selling us a simple low-friction lubricant at exorbitant prices.
I've seen a bloke use Nulon in an International farm tractor transmission and before he used the Nulon you could fry an egg on the tranny in 30 seconds when it was working. After he put the Nulon in, you could hold your hand on the tranny when it had been working.

9. Don't EVER believe the BS fuel consumption figures posted by manufacturers. They bear no relationship to the real world. They are "adjusted" by pulling all kinds of stunts to get the figures to look good on paper. Tens of millions in sales profits rely on those figures, they HAVE to look good.
Talk to people who own the vehicles and ask about real world fuel consumption. It's always a lot worse than the advertised figures.

10. Finally, practise good driving techniques. Gunning it at the lights and then braking hard is just plain wasteful. Keep speeds down on the highway. Every 10 kmh increase in speed increases fuel consumption exponentially.

In conclusion, if the fuel consumption is still grating on you, buy a 1.5L runaround hatchback. I've got an 81 model $300 Laser Ghia that is superb for a city runabout. It runs for a week on a sniff of petrol, it goes like a train, nothing ever goes wrong with it, you can fit an unbelievable amount of stuff in the hatchback with the seats down - and if someone runs into it, I've only lost $300!
AnswerID: 540585

Reply By: Emerging I.T. - Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 14:19

Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 14:19
Most older model 4WD petrol engines are thirsty and the Pajero is no different. It's one of the reasons you see so many gas conversions. If you are wanting a more economical 4WD choose a later model diesel if you can afford it.
AnswerID: 540587

Reply By: Mazdave - Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 16:28

Monday, Oct 20, 2014 at 16:28
Mate of mine had one of these and towed a 22foot Jayco Van. Used to guzzle about 25 litres per 100kms and the worst he got was 40 litres per 100kms in the hilly areas of East NSW. Now that is a drinking problem!!!
AnswerID: 540590

Reply By: freedomseeka - Thursday, Oct 23, 2014 at 08:06

Thursday, Oct 23, 2014 at 08:06
Borrow a petrol GQ Patrol for a week. You will never complain again about fuel consumption haha
AnswerID: 540715

Reply By: Batt's - Friday, Oct 24, 2014 at 13:04

Friday, Oct 24, 2014 at 13:04
Serious drinking problem are you for real that's brilliant economy you must be a very light footed driver if your getting 12l/100. Is this the first petrol 4WD you have owned, I'm just wondering what sort of economy you would be happy with from a V6 petrol 4WD that probably weighs over 2t with the aerodynamics of a brick ? I would be very happy if I got economy that good from a petrol motor. Of course it will use more than a diesel V8 but at 12l/100 it would only be slightly more than the cruiser.
AnswerID: 540801

Follow Up By: Member - Rosco from way back - Friday, Oct 24, 2014 at 14:14

Friday, Oct 24, 2014 at 14:14
The Paj is a replacement for a V6 Pathfinder ... now that mongrel bloody thing was a worse dipso than the V8 Disco I had around the same time.

However I would have though that in the 15 or so years between the vehicles they may have been a tad less inclined to guzzle ... obviously not the case in this instance.
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FollowupID: 826693

Follow Up By: Batt's - Friday, Oct 24, 2014 at 23:11

Friday, Oct 24, 2014 at 23:11
The dealers may feed you full of info about how good petrols are on fuel but in the real world they never have been and are unlikely to make any real improvements unless you're happy at driving around at 90kph on the hwy. We usually by petrol vehicles for their quick response and good acceleration but once people actually realize how much fuel a 2t brick uses they are reluctant to put their foot down and dramatically adjust their driving habits that's where you can't beat the turbo diesel. Also if you gauge your economy of what the computer displays it will pay to check it occasionally with a calculator to see how accurate it is. I have found my wifes previous car and here current one's readouts to be incorrect and they actually have used at times up to 1 ltr per 100km more.
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FollowupID: 826718

Reply By: Member - Fab72 (Paradise SA) - Saturday, Oct 25, 2014 at 10:12

Saturday, Oct 25, 2014 at 10:12
Rosco,
You should be so lucky.
3 years ago I bought a Pajero io (very short wheel base - Rav 4 size) 1.8L petrol whith the mentality that it would be fuel efficient.
The best I could manage was 420kms from a (50L) tank of juice running it right down to the fuel light. I had to do some creative mods to get a sub 48L tank made and fitted just to increase my range.
I now get about 800kms between fuel stops around town but less on the highway due to the drag from the roof rack and "stuff".
So I'm getting around 11.5L/100 around town but only 15L/100 on the highway.

Yeah I could get rid of the rack and go back to the standard 28' tyres etc but all my mods have been based on necessity rather than aesthetics. Cargo area is limited so even travelling as a sole occupant, lots goes on the roof on long trips like Googs Track and the Simpson.

It is very well maintained and has been a outstandingly reliable vehicle considering what and where it's been through.

So you're getting 12L/100 out of a full size, comfortable vehicle? Still think yours is bad? Want to swap?

Fab.
AnswerID: 540845

Reply By: Member - Rosco from way back - Saturday, Oct 25, 2014 at 10:39

Saturday, Oct 25, 2014 at 10:39
Well chaps

From your numerous responses it would appear we're better off than some in the consumption stakes, though I'm surprised I can drive the V8 diesel 70 series like I stole it and still get a better deal fuel wise.

Just goes to show you, plus it does make a bit of a mockery of those punters with obviously rose tinted glasses who report what I consider exceptional fuel usage figures from sometimes heavier vehicles with bigger engines. Maybe they spend most of their time coasting down hill with a tail wind when they do their sums.
AnswerID: 540846

Reply By: Ron N - Sunday, Oct 26, 2014 at 01:24

Sunday, Oct 26, 2014 at 01:24
I've just driven a near-empty, 2.7L, 4 cyl., manual, 2WD traytop Hilux, from Alice Springs to Perth, via the GCR.
It weighs 1500 kgs because it's fitted with a pretty robust steel tray.

I sat on around 110 kmh on the bitumen with a few places a little faster for a while - and around 90-100 kmh on the gravel.
Some of the dirt sections of road were pretty heavy going, due to loose gravel and sand.

I wasn't trying to break any records for speed or fuel consumption, but I wasn't hanging around, either.
Just did all my final calculations - fuel consumption came out at 12.3L/100kms over 2,575kms.

I expect better fuel consumption with more careful driving and lower speeds on better roads, and once I've done an general overall tune up.
Factory rating is supposed to be 11L/100kms average, but I don't know if that's achievable in real life.

Cheers, Ron.
AnswerID: 540865

Reply By: Batt's - Monday, Oct 27, 2014 at 16:11

Monday, Oct 27, 2014 at 16:11
Petrol and diesel are completely different beasts my 1993 4.2ltr GQ turbo diesel extended chassis twin cab ute weighs over 2.5t with 33" tyres gets around 11.6 - 12.0 lph at around 100 - 105 kph. My previous petrol GQ 4.2 ltr with 32" tyres weighed around 2.1t kept in good tune got around 15 - 18lph at 100 -105 kph. I've travelled the same road to work and back every 4 days 320k round trip.
AnswerID: 540914

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