Poor MPG ??

[JJD1]

2003 : 2.4 none turbo .


Checked a few things .But struggling to get more than 19 mpg even on semi long runs according to display driving north LOndon . .Have not done a long journey via motorway yet .

Spark plugs /oil and filters etc all VERY good and genuine Volvo . But I am wondering if it could be the filter under the rear >......? Car runs fine .Have had one issue with not starting .Had to add more petrol .In tank pump/sensor thing .Had same on D5 and had to make sure it was not parked at a slant with less than 1 notch above the red in the gauge . Any clues ? !

[stuart bowes]

19-20 ish is about right for mixed, you should get somewhere from 24-28 ish on good long long run depending how you drive

I got mine up from 17(!?) to about 20 ish on mixed drives by pumping up the tyres to 36, using a bit of redex and cataclean, cleaning the maf sensor, changing the O2 sensor just as a total shot to nothing (not really sure it made much difference) plus all the usual stuff, new sparks, new air filter

[JJD1]

stuck head under.... The filter is a volvo one.BUT , Its been there a long time !! Why dont they change these things every service ?

Ordered one .And I think i can change it with the back wheel lifted a little bit .

[stuart bowes]

Im waiting for my fuel filter to turn up in the post as well funny enough

but I dont think it'll make any difference to mpg.. more just a matter of general maintenance for me really. and it's cheap so why not

is yours the 140bhp or the 170bhp? i seem to recall in previous discussions the 170 seems to get slightly better mileage, maybe because you spend less time at high revs? or maybe it was just a newer car that runs a bit more smoothly. I priced up a remap but it was about £400 so it's earmarked for later as a maybe

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by JJD1

2003 : 2.4 none turbo .


Checked a few things .But struggling to get more than 19 mpg even on semi long runs according to display driving north LOndon . .Have not done a long journey via motorway yet .
!

That does seem rather low, 'JJD1'.

In comparison, my 2000 2.4 none turbo petrol 140 auto with 131K up has consistently averaged 29 +/- 1 MPG on my spreadsheet (29.5 - 30.3 on the car's computer) over 5 years and 13K miles of very mixed driving with few motorway runs.

I'm retired now and live in rural Leicestershire. Could it be the London traffic, or even a leak? This happened to me once when I was running a 940, which I had serviced while away from home, as the result of an incorrectly fitted fuel filter. My fuel consumption increased from an average of 29 MPG to 25 overnight!

Regards, John.

[stuart bowes]

I've also keep a spreadsheet for the last year and mine doesn't get anywhere near that

there's definitely no faults, no leaks, nothing at all wrong with it, 21 at a push if I drive like an old lady all week (urban)

in fairness yes this is London where we stop every 2 minutes for traffic lights and slow down all the time for speedbumps so our versions of urban are obviously very different. and not being retired this is 90% in medium to heavy traffic

[stuart bowes]

we need to be careful though, soon Rolvo will turn up and tell us we're boring for being so specific lol

ref https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showt...hlight=economy

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by stuart bowes

I've also keep a spreadsheet for the last year and mine doesn't get anywhere near that

there's definitely no faults, no leaks, nothing at all wrong with it, 21 at a push if I drive like an old lady all week (urban)

in fairness yes this is London where we stop every 2 minutes for traffic lights and slow down all the time for speedbumps so our versions of urban are obviously very different

You obviously never met my late MIL, Stuart! She had a Saab 900 and was still driving at over 90 - age and speed - given half a chance!!

Fuel consumption is very subjective. We once had a 240 which consistently returned 23 MPG at home. On our first visit to Sweden - much to our amazement - it topped 30. It is surprising what an effect 500 KM at 90KPH journeys have on it.

Regards, John.

[stuart bowes]

lol ok .. if I drive like my mum all week

who gets scared when you take a roundabout at anything like a hearty pace

the best I've seen yet was the long run up the lakes and back, including all the driving around the lanes for a week, and having a huge load in the boot and on the roof, I saw about 28mpg IIRC

[T5R92011]

My 2.4 170 auto (albeite in P80 car, but same engine) was getting similar very poor 17-19mpg upon purchase.

- Cleaned the Denso MAF sensor with electrical contact cleaner (you should really use dedicated MAF sensor cleaner that specifically doesnt leave any residue)

I also changed the fuel filter, which looked like it was the original from the factory.

Either way, after 1-2 days of driving, average MPG jumped up from 17mpg to 24-25mpg and its never dropped down since.