Outback fuel consumption (AUS)

Well that was clever ... a post with no content. Sorry!

Running a 99 Outback Limited 2.5L A/T. Fuel consumption is around

12.5L/100km urban (22.5mpg) (country town, 10-20km trips) and 11L/100km hwy (26mpg) keeping to posted limits and generally driving like a granny. Absolute best has been 9.7-9.9L/100km (nearly 30mpg - so IMO still not brilliant) over three consecutive tanks. It then dropped to current poor figure. (This compares with 10.5 and 8.5 on a manual 91 Liberty wagon on similar roads and service, driven more for enjoyment than with any real regard for fuel consumption). OB drives beautifully but fuel figures seem to be excessive for light driving usually with only one or two people. Anyone got any ideas?

We have correct oil grade, new filters, new plugs, good leads, O2 sensor is ok, tailpipe emissions perfect and no codes. I don't drive most cars specifically for economy(!) but this is the first time ever I have actually been unable to when trying! Figures are reasonably consistent over nearly 5000km, regardless of fuel, including ULP with or without ethanol and 98RON Premium, which gave the worst hwy figure to date (9Km/L). So what's next? Track the fuelling through the rev range on a dyno is about all I can think of! Or is this the best I should be expecting? All helpful suggestions welcome. Thanks

Reply to
hippo
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Apologies for this empty post. Please read the other one!

Reply to
hippo

Hippo,

This may be of some interest - I am also in AUS.

I have a MY00 Forester GT, which was getting sluggish and using more fuel. I was getting all services from the dealer as required, until the end of warranty, then I went to my local mechanic (top man!). He used a product made for/by Subaru to clean out the inlet manifolds - it's a spray pack which is fed into the manifold somewhere, you take the car for a big thrash, and it cleans all the gunk (oil from PCV, etc.) off the inlet passages. He also used the recommended synthetic oil - both of which should have been done by the dealer, but not done.

The result was miraculous!! The car regained all it's original great acceleration, and fuel consumption improved. I don't have figures, but I get about 80 -100 Km more per tank - using premium unleaded, well worthwhile!!

Might be worth a thought for your problem.

Regards

Dave

Reply to
Coggo

warranty, then I went to my local >mechanic (top man!). He used a product made for/by Subaru >to clean out the inlet manifolds - it's a spray pack

thrash, and it cleans all the gunk (oil >from PCV, etc.) off the inlet passages. He also used the >recommended synthetic oil - both of which should have been

Thanks very much. Food for thought. Spray has been done but not running synth oil. Last change (not by me) was wrong weight so changed it after about 2000km once I found out to see if any difference. Nothing to date. Car's doing South Coast-Sydney & back every couple of weeks but maybe we should run it harder for a while (i.e: drive for fun not economy) and keep the synth in mind for the next oil change. Just out of interest, which oil did you go for? Thanks again.

Reply to
hippo

My mechanic used Castrol R Synthetic 5W-30. I am in SE Qld - should be about the same in your area.

Cheers

Reply to
Coggo

about the same in your area.

Cool. Thanks. I'll try that on the next change. Happy driving

Reply to
hippo

I have the same car, same transmission (but mine is a GX, not a Ltd). Currently have 85,000km.

I'm getting around 11.5L/100km. I either use BP Ultimate 98 or Caltex Vortex

95 (waiting for Vortex 98 to arrive in Victoria next year). I get slightly better fuel economy with 98 octane, but the engine feels a little more "sprightly" with Vortex. My best highway figures are 8.92L/100km using Shell Optimax. The upper engine cleaner sounds like a good suggestion.

And btw, Castrol R 5w30 is NOT a synthetic.

Reply to
Losiho

I have the same exact vehicle, and my mileage is about the same as yours. Seems like I do get a little better numbers from mid-grade fuel. Keeping tire pressures at the high end of normal and all equal with each other helps a bit. Is your OB black? Maybe that's it. ;-)

-John O

Reply to
John O

No helpful suggestions but I do feel kinda jealous at your consumption figures. I took delivery a couple of days ago ( in Ireland ) of a new OB

2.5 with A/T and have so far put up around 400 miles. I have been quite refined in my driving as the book seems to suggest taking it easy for the first 1000 miles. A mixture of town and hills is averaging 24.9 MPG which is well short of your best. No decent motorway driving yet but next weekend .....

Cheers John

Reply to
John Hannigan

Well, I have the oil container here, and it say "CASTROL R SYNTHETIC 5W30" so I don't know what else I can say.

Reply to
Coggo

It's a Group 3 Hydrocracked oil, which in plain english means it's a highly refined mineral oil. It's not a PAO or ester based synthetic, which enthusiasts call "real" synthetic.

Welcome to the Castrol world of marketing :)

Reply to
Losiho

Tyres are 36psi all round and evenly worn. Aligned ok

It's not black (liked that one) but water restrictions ensure a sort of dirty brown with metallic maroon poking through here and there 9 days out of 10. On the other one we take it 12kms to the car wash in town and then drive back up a 300m dirt drive! Hmmmm .... Cheers & thanks

Reply to
hippo

For the archives [as I have nothing useful to suggest for hippo] my figures are about the same, i.e. 11.5 L/100 km urban and 10 L/100 km rural, using PULP which I would estimate saves me up to 1 L/100 km in urban travel, plus gives the engine better response at mid revs (2500-3500 rpm) - and, of course, has lower emissions [at least, that's how I justify to myself the extra $0.08 per litre!]

All this with an engine that's done almost 210,000 km and a clutch that needs replacing!!

Reply to
Damon McMahon

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