Ve Fuel Comsumption Too High

[johnni]

Hey all

Just posting on here to ask a question about my 2008 Ve Omega, for some reason my car loves to use alot of fuel as when im driving it normally i recon i can get only 400km out of a fuel tank ?

Does this seem normal as mine isnt the sidi range and i was told my oxy sensor might be faulty so is there anything i can do to possibly make the comsumption better ?

Thank you

[burleighboy86]

Hard to tell if 400km is poor, because we don't know what sort of traffic you encounter in your "normal" driving. As you live in Melbourne, I'd guess that is a figure not far from average? I get over 500km to a tank in my SIDI sv6, but I live in a moderately sized country town.

[vewht]

I get 470-550 out of my SS manual and I live in Sydney

[johnni]

Hard to tell if 400km is poor, because we don't know what sort of traffic you encounter in your "normal" driving. As you live in Melbourne, I'd guess that is a figure not far from average? I get over 500km to a tank in my SIDI sv6, but I live in a moderately sized country town.

I do live in melb and lets say its half highway driving and half stop start traffic so does 400km a tank seem average and is there any way i can maybe improve it ?

[glennho]

i get 550 to 600+ out of my ss.i drive 25 mins to and 25 back from work each day in traffic.so i guess your fuel consumption is bad for a six.

[johnni]

what options do i have to maybe fix my problem as it is pretty bad for a six, any help please ?

[glennho]

what fuel do you use? is it an auto or manual?how hard do you push the go pedal with your right foot? some of these contribute to poor fuel consumption.

[dmacey]

get a tune, that seems to help.

[johnni]

I use normal unleaded 91 and its a automatic. When im on the highway i like to push the go pedal here and there but not always flat to the floor.

Could my oxy sensor be a possible reason for this ?

[Phantom6 SportWagon]

i drive a mixture of 80km/ph zones and 60-50km/ph zones and i get 700-900kms out of a full tank of premium fuel and i have a wagon sidi

[johnni]

now im getting jelous from everyone getting easy 600km what are my next options to fix my problem ? anyone

[kuzman89]

Clean out the throttle-body, replace air filter (if it needs one), make sure your tyre pressure is decent (have mine on 40psi), does your car need a wheel alignment?

[xoom]

have you tried resetting the trip comp when u refill?

[johnni]

So far i know it doesnt need a wheel alignment, ill check the tyre pressure and the air filter.

I always reset the trip computer and i always get similar km such as 400, 450 and 490.

If i take the car to holden and they use the diagnostic equipment, can they find any faults in my car that relate to my fuel problem ?

[kuzman89]

A clean of your maf might help too, get some electrical contact cleaner from jaycar and spray abit on the maf, as for the diagnostics, best way would be to call up and ask. Could quite possibly be your oxygen sensors, I'd look at replacing them.

[db_notso]

wowowo nah

get the engine codes (dtc's read)

if there is a code or history code ofr something replace it even in stop start traffic i get 700 km's to a tank in vt v6 never rebuilt! and 248,000km's... so yeah that isnt enough fuel eceonomy)

if an o2 sensor is faulty it lowers the bank/side of the v6 with the dodgy sensor to its minimum basic settings
and ALSO the other bank/side to mathc the other bank to run smoothly,

hence a tune makes it feel better while actually masking the problem
... these motors go bang....one day....with the right fault combination

so if you know an 02 sensor is shagged replace it (it pays for itself) in fuel savings....

oh food for thought heated oxygen sensors (ve etc) have a "lifespan" in km's its recognised that at about 160,000km's a heated o2 sensor should be replaced as its failing to read correct mixtures and fails to meet ureo standards for emissions (use more fuel mor carbon emissions)
thanks to how they read oxygen content in exhaust reacting with the metal surface (short version)

not that anyone in here will care... unheated o2 sensors die (but no engine light) about 80,000km's......

[Anthssv]

It think 400km to a tank in a VE is very bad. Even more so for a Six. I could get that in my VH 202 on gas so you should be getting at least 500 - 600 even in stop start driving.
Best thing you can do is take it to someone you can trust and get them to check it out depending on how well you look after the car and by this mean servicing and the way you stove it the problem could be any number of things from plugs, leads air-filter, injector a sensor, one of the coil packs even a partly blocked exhaust just get it checked out as it could be just something small.

[Fekason]

Unless there is a lot of bumper to bumper traffic or a lead foot, I think 400 km to a tank is very poor.

I have had an MY09 SV6 manual (traded at 75,000 Km) and now an MY11 SV6 manual. The worst comsupmtion over a tank that I have seen is about 12L/100km, or over 500 Km for a tank. Best heavily laden on a long trip has been better than 8L/100Km, or over 800 Km for a tank.

My MY11 has just hit 8,000 Km, so still settling in. Last week, I filled up at Narellan, drove to Hawker (extreme west of Canberra), drove in ACT peak hour to Queanbeyan, back to Canberra Stadium (spending 45 minuters in bumper to bumper traffic to get to parking spot) and then to Penrith. At the end I had 3/8 of a tank remaining, and 295 Km to empty on the trip computer. Distance was nearly 600 Km. Even though this was not fully laden, there were still four adults and a boot full of soccer gear.

Now having said that your consumption is not good, I am at a loss to give corrective advice. I'll leave that to the Holden experts.

[StoneX]

johnni... What's your average speed?

Sounds like there's a fair few freakishly efficient cars in here! Or people are posting their absolute best fuel economy they've had. I would get 450-500km (got the same out of my old V6 VT same driving) out of a tank with my V8 but would have a average speed over 60km/h. If you have a really low average speed then your fuel economy might be normal, if you have a moderate or high average speed then your economy is poor.

[VTSS350]

Unless there is a lot of bumper to bumper traffic or a lead foot, I think 400 km to a tank is very poor.

I have had an MY09 SV6 manual (traded at 75,000 Km) and now an MY11 SV6 manual. The worst comsupmtion over a tank that I have seen is about 12L/100km, or over 500 Km for a tank. Best heavily laden on a long trip has been better than 8L/100Km, or over 800 Km for a tank.

My MY11 has just hit 8,000 Km, so still settling in. Last week, I filled up at Narellan, drove to Hawker (extreme west of Canberra), drove in ACT peak hour to Queanbeyan, back to Canberra Stadium (spending 45 minuters in bumper to bumper traffic to get to parking spot) and then to Penrith. At the end I had 3/8 of a tank remaining, and 295 Km to empty on the trip computer. Distance was nearly 600 Km. Even though this was not fully laden, there were still four adults and a boot full of soccer gear.

Now having said that your consumption is not good, I am at a loss to give corrective advice. I'll leave that to the Holden experts.

I have exactly the same car as your and get around 12L around Canberra but I wouldnt call much if any of canberras traffic city driving!

Around Sydney where I live our fuel econemy goes up to 14-15L per 100 in proper city traffic. Average speed for the tank is usually around 30-35km

What some people call city driving is completly different to others!

[Phantom6 SportWagon]

What i posted was my average, im already on 380+kms every time i hit half a tank remaining, i use only premium fuels which i find last longer, average speed is around 55-65km/ph, last 7 tanks have all been over 750kms before i hit petrol light

[RiCeY]

Could simply be an inaccurate fuel guage, how many litres does it take to fill from empty?

[RiCeY]

wowowo nah

get the engine codes (dtc's read)

if there is a code or history code ofr something replace it even in stop start traffic i get 700 km's to a tank in vt v6 never rebuilt! and 248,000km's... so yeah that isnt enough fuel eceonomy)

if an o2 sensor is faulty it lowers the bank/side of the v6 with the dodgy sensor to its minimum basic settings
and ALSO the other bank/side to mathc the other bank to run smoothly,

hence a tune makes it feel better while actually masking the problem
... these motors go bang....one day....with the right fault combination

so if you know an 02 sensor is shagged replace it (it pays for itself) in fuel savings....

oh food for thought heated oxygen sensors (ve etc) have a "lifespan" in km's its recognised that at about 160,000km's a heated o2 sensor should be replaced as its failing to read correct mixtures and fails to meet ureo standards for emissions (use more fuel mor carbon emissions)
thanks to how they read oxygen content in exhaust reacting with the metal surface (short version)

not that anyone in here will care... unheated o2 sensors die (but no engine light) about 80,000km's......

LOL 170k on my car still no dead o2 sensors and 500kms per tank city driving with a lot of spirited driving 315rwhp V8.

[db_notso]

LOL 170k on my car still no dead o2 sensors and 500kms per tank city driving with a lot of spirited driving 315rwhp V8.

they dont just die... they burn (basically) and read incorrectly but within range (as both are burnt or all 4) so as to not set codes, reducing fuel economy BY HUGELY REDUCING POWER...

the closer the O2 sensors are to the engine the quicker they burn

preheating them makes the surface less vulnerable to the variables of warm up affecting the sensor
(hence Heated o2 sensors)

500 per tank, v8 mafless tune??? as in runs leaner than normal tune by a little and it you probs over service it ill bet

[RiCeY]

V8 MAF tune, catback only, serviced every 5000kms. Recently dynod at 315rwhp so it certainly hasnt lost any power.