ford escort van fuel economy

hi i have a ford escort van that is not doing many mpg. 28 on a run at 50 mph. it is the endura engine 1.8 litre,non turbo. i have seen a friend who reckons a new set of injectors would help as they could be letting fuel through to quickly not a a spray. he checked the air filter and says thats ok it is also very slugish, any ideas on this matter. regards andy

Reply to
andy
Loading thread data ...

Worn out injectors will have a small effect on mpg, but not reduce it to below 30mpg!!!

Either you have injector pump advance / retard problems, or cam / pump timing out by a tooth (very common) or binding brakes.

You dont say if its harder to start or more sluggish than usual (these things are slow to begin with !)

Tim..

Reply to
Tim..

Pump up the tyres and clean the brakes.

Reply to
Stuart Gray

Yup. First of all get it serviced - are the fuel filter and air filter recent? Has the oil and filter been recently changed? If not, do them first.

Then put some ATF in the fuel. Someone called Huw on here will recommend how much to use, as he knows and I don't. That does a bloody good job of cleaning out the injectors. Though you can get them professionally cleaned for around 15 quid each. Get them tested first though for spray pattern etc.

Reply to
AstraVanMan

As others have said the main possibilities are timing and brakes.

Check both timing belts are fitted correctly, using the proper procedure (ie. pins/bar not using tippex). Front brakes are notorious for binding. Pads stick in the calipers, and also the caliper retaining pin seizes where it passes through the caliper (where it passes through the caliper, there is a stainless steel shim. Remove the shim and clean out all the rust underneath it, then refit it and check that the retaining pin can pass through it freely. If it doesn't, you've not cleaned it well enough). Rear brakes sometimes bind due to the handbrake seizing. Remove the rear drums one at a time and with someone working the handbrake on and off, check that the brake shoe levers are returning to their stop properly. If not find out what's sticking.

Provided the engine is running smoothly (ie no excessive knocking, and no misfires), and isn't smoking, I would doubt there is anything wrong with the injectors.

Reply to
Moray Cuthill

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.