Hi chaps, i am new to the forum hoping some one can help me with an on going problem... I have a 08 stx diesel 6 spd manual from new and noticed my fuel economy was going down hill after my first major service at 40k. It went from 9lt 9.5lt 100kms 750kms to fuel light to 11.5 12lt 100kms 600kms to fuel light country drive only. Had the ecu and fuel relearn done 3 times and the injectors done at 90k. Only difference is it has more power after the injectors had been done. It blows black smoke at every gear change. The service manager basically said the economy is normal and the black smoke is in with reason. Sounds familiar to other same owners...
smoky d40
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KraftyPg
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The only reason the economy is "normal" is because there is no magical figure that any car should get, the figures they claim on the window stickers are purely for end user comparison they are not real world and are calculated in a lab not on the road so you can't base right or wrong on such figures.
That being said your ute has obviously been getting worse as it gets older and my first port of call would be changing service manager. It's no real secret that some dealers are worse than others, some try to fix problems others either don't know or don't care enough to fix the problem. Some people think that not buying a car from a particular dealer means not getting good service from them but that's not 100% true, there is good and bad dealers and a good dealer doesn't care if you brought the car from the. The big problem is finding that dealer, where are you located maybe someone on here can recommend another dealer to take it too, or failing that a good independent mechanic who you can trust.
And welcome to the forums.
That being said your ute has obviously been getting worse as it gets older and my first port of call would be changing service manager. It's no real secret that some dealers are worse than others, some try to fix problems others either don't know or don't care enough to fix the problem. Some people think that not buying a car from a particular dealer means not getting good service from them but that's not 100% true, there is good and bad dealers and a good dealer doesn't care if you brought the car from the. The big problem is finding that dealer, where are you located maybe someone on here can recommend another dealer to take it too, or failing that a good independent mechanic who you can trust.
And welcome to the forums.
Welcome to the forum.
Another thing you might consider is the EGR mod. In the D40 it's as easy as replacing the gasket on the inlet manifold side with a similar-shaped gasket fabricated from stainless steel. It will (to a small extent) improve your fuel economy and will provide a very small amount of extra power in the low rev range and will very mildly assist in turbo spool-up in mid-range acceleration. These might not be noticeable at all - but the reduction in smoke ought to be.
Another thing you might consider is the EGR mod. In the D40 it's as easy as replacing the gasket on the inlet manifold side with a similar-shaped gasket fabricated from stainless steel. It will (to a small extent) improve your fuel economy and will provide a very small amount of extra power in the low rev range and will very mildly assist in turbo spool-up in mid-range acceleration. These might not be noticeable at all - but the reduction in smoke ought to be.
K
KraftyPg
Guest
But does that solve the smoking problem (if it is a problem) or just hide it?
Depends, if the smoke is black it's soot - incompletely burnt diesel - and the EGR mod definitely has an impact on that, allowing the temperatures and enough air for more complete combustion.
If the smoke's any other colour, I guess it won't, but it's pretty obvious if there are clouds of blue smoke behind your car, it needs some serious work. If the smoke's white, it's unburnt diesel (atomised fuel), which could indicate a missing DPF/CAT or at least the filter in either is missing.
Okay, so to the OP - what is the colour of the smoke?
If the smoke's any other colour, I guess it won't, but it's pretty obvious if there are clouds of blue smoke behind your car, it needs some serious work. If the smoke's white, it's unburnt diesel (atomised fuel), which could indicate a missing DPF/CAT or at least the filter in either is missing.
Okay, so to the OP - what is the colour of the smoke?
K
KraftyPg
Guest
I'm just thinking that he's suggesting it is a problem, smoke and rising fuel economy, and while an EGR mod can do some things for him it's not really solving a possible problem which probably should be looked at. No problems with the mod just the possibility of it masking a problem.
If the injectors had been cleaned recently you'd expect that they were also inspected, so I discounted an injector problem.
Could be an overfuelling caused by too high a fuel rail pressure, which is either a fuel rail pressure sender (likely) or an over-exuberant fuel pump (unlikely as the ECU would see the increased pressure from the sensor).
Let's wait and see what colour the smoke is.
Could be an overfuelling caused by too high a fuel rail pressure, which is either a fuel rail pressure sender (likely) or an over-exuberant fuel pump (unlikely as the ECU would see the increased pressure from the sensor).
Let's wait and see what colour the smoke is.
Thanks for your reply.. I bought it form Dandenong Nissan in VIC. It seemed to me their customer care ended when the sale was complete. Dandenong did the first major service and following numerous attempts to get them to look into the excessive fuel consumption after that service. I went to Traralgon (closer to home) where i went with the problem and came away with another problem. From there went to Berwick Nissan who do make an effort, replaced the injectors and reset the ECU 3 times. But the economy is still high compared with what it did in the first 40k.
K
KraftyPg
Guest
Ok my first bit of advice is ignore Wights for anything other than simple warranty work they can't stuff up and check your car for dents when you get it back.
Berwick used to be good and there are a few members here who still use them. Personally I have only had good service off Malcolm (but he may not be there now) but when buying the Nav the dealer principal there refused to even bargain on price despite the sales droid trying to get some form of ball rolling.
Dandenong I know nothing about other than the fact I grew up in and around that area and wouldn't really expect much from anyone there.
The service manager at Warragul is a mate of a mate and does know his stuff, although he's not very good at communicating it to people (in fact he can be downright rude) however their mechanics are competent enough and really the only ones I'd trust to do anything major in the area, but I don't use any dealer for my work so that's probably easy for me to say.
Low fuel economy figures still relies alot of the driver, for some reason KC's don't appear to get as good economy as DC's (we still haven't really found a reason for that) but the one recurring issue many with higher economy seems to have is the right foot. How do you drive it, are you heavy footed, race to the lights, do the brake accelerator brake combo instead of cruising and preparing to slow for lights etc. Any one of those can have a big impact on economy and cause excessive smoke. Mods and extra weight will also do the same.
Berwick used to be good and there are a few members here who still use them. Personally I have only had good service off Malcolm (but he may not be there now) but when buying the Nav the dealer principal there refused to even bargain on price despite the sales droid trying to get some form of ball rolling.
Dandenong I know nothing about other than the fact I grew up in and around that area and wouldn't really expect much from anyone there.
The service manager at Warragul is a mate of a mate and does know his stuff, although he's not very good at communicating it to people (in fact he can be downright rude) however their mechanics are competent enough and really the only ones I'd trust to do anything major in the area, but I don't use any dealer for my work so that's probably easy for me to say.
Low fuel economy figures still relies alot of the driver, for some reason KC's don't appear to get as good economy as DC's (we still haven't really found a reason for that) but the one recurring issue many with higher economy seems to have is the right foot. How do you drive it, are you heavy footed, race to the lights, do the brake accelerator brake combo instead of cruising and preparing to slow for lights etc. Any one of those can have a big impact on economy and cause excessive smoke. Mods and extra weight will also do the same.
Drive the couple of km's down to berwick nissan - they are doing a shit hot job of looking after my navara. Ask for Stuart, he is the service manager there - a really down to earth bloke.
He doesn't bullshit you, he tells it to you straight when its worth putting a warrantee claim in, and when it aint worth the effort - and why its not worth the effort too. (my front diff explosion as an example). But he went to town trying to get my front radiator shroud replaced for me, including fan and all belts.
He doesn't bullshit you, he tells it to you straight when its worth putting a warrantee claim in, and when it aint worth the effort - and why its not worth the effort too. (my front diff explosion as an example). But he went to town trying to get my front radiator shroud replaced for me, including fan and all belts.
^+1 on driving style.
Here's a way to see if it is your driving style that's at fault ...
1) Get in the car.
2) Imagine that next to you in the passenger seat is a driving examiner who is watching your every move and if you muck it up, you'll not get your license.
3) Put the key in the ignition ...
You might amaze yourself, if you do the exercise honestly, at how different the fuel usage is.
Another exercise that you can try is to put a ceramic mug on the dash that's 3/4 filled with battery acid and go for a drive. $10 says you drive a LOT gentler!
Here's a way to see if it is your driving style that's at fault ...
1) Get in the car.
2) Imagine that next to you in the passenger seat is a driving examiner who is watching your every move and if you muck it up, you'll not get your license.
3) Put the key in the ignition ...
You might amaze yourself, if you do the exercise honestly, at how different the fuel usage is.
Another exercise that you can try is to put a ceramic mug on the dash that's 3/4 filled with battery acid and go for a drive. $10 says you drive a LOT gentler!
K
KraftyPg
Guest
Another wanky way to do it is buy a set of fluffy dice and hang them from the mirror and watch their movement. Erratic movement in any direction shows a driver that isn't as smooth as they could be, doesn't really show that 100kph + chews a bucket load more diesel than 95kph but you can't look cool and prove everything 
Hey Krafty I drive to South Melbourne every week day which is 282 kms a day over 1400kms for the 5 days. Public transport doesn't suit because of their timetable. I use my cruise when the speed is either 100 or 110kms and rev sits on about 2200 RPM at 110kms. My gear changes don't go past 3000 RPM. I still have the original brake pads from new and now have done 108000kms. My driving habit hasn't changed. The only change i have made is the tyres, 265 75 16 ATR Pirelli scorpion, from the original 255 70 16, which were done at 75000 kms. No weight is carried other than me. In saying all this, when I was working for myself as a plumber I was carrying tools and ladders on the racks and still getting 11.5lt 12lt 100 kms driving to Melbourne. I might sound a bit picky it doesn't make sense.
Leprechaun
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You ride a push bike?
Hey Tony smoke is black. I notice even more when i drive at night
Ha Ha I like horse power not pedal power. That would solve my economy problems though......
Leprechaun
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Cafe Racer is a cafe in StKilda where all the fat middle aged push bike riders drink latte's on a Sat morning.
Glad your not one of them!
Glad your not one of them!
K
KraftyPg
Guest
110kph on the highway cruise or not is the biggest killer of your economy, these 2 tonne bricks just aren't that aerodynamic. The difference between about 97kph and 110kph was discussed in another thread somewhere, it's something like 200RPM and over that kind of distance every day 200RPM extra is a lot.
I go down to Oakleigh fairly often and usually average mid 10's by driving at about 97kph, the extra time is negligible but the fuel saving is quite substantial over the year.
I go down to Oakleigh fairly often and usually average mid 10's by driving at about 97kph, the extra time is negligible but the fuel saving is quite substantial over the year.
Yep, 110km/h chews way more fuel - the torque curve climbs up starting at about 1800rpm and the torque rise halts at 2000rpm with only a minor rise beyond that - so anything over 2000rpm means you're pouring extra fuel in to get less effect.
