19 replies to this topic

[sreeve8]

hi all, i have been driving my mini for 4/5 months now, i i have a problem with petrol, i dont no wether its the gauge, the sender unit or something with the engine, put i seemed to use an awfull lot of petrol, in a short distance, i even carry around a can of petrol in case i run out, im i do not dare take it on long journeys, for exampe this week i filled the tank up from near empty with £20 tank 3/4 full 5 days later i have to fill it up again as the tank is showing nearly empty( i think the sender unit isnt brilliant but if i check the tank, visually i have used alot of fuel), now when im driving im never constantly with my foot to the floor, and the engine is on a low tick over, i just cant understand why it use so much fuel, is there anything i can to find out whta is causing this problem,
any help would be grateful
thanks simon

[Mini_Magic]

You don't say how much mileage you do in that time.

If you are used to a "normal" car then the Minis fuel tank is rather small, 7.5 gallons to be exact.

[liirge]

You don't say how much mileage you do in that time.

If you are used to a "normal" car then the Minis fuel tank is rather small, 7.5 gallons to be exact.

Think thats bad, the mokes 5.5 Gallons!

[sreeve8]

You don't say how much mileage you do in that time.

If you are used to a "normal" car then the Minis fuel tank is rather small, 7.5 gallons to be exact.

Think thats bad, the mokes 5.5 Gallons!

i do very little mileage 30miles at the most, and its only around town,

[ginigwunkle]

gees thats quite bad!

has it been serviced in a while?

also take the plugs out and see what colour they are?

[minipac]

gees thats quite bad!

has it been serviced in a while?

also take the plugs out and see what colour they are?

hi filled my tanks not so long ago and done a 120miles and there was still 1/4 of a tank left. check for fuel leaks and see if your fuel is adjusted right.

[Bevan]

check the air filter, its its cloged buy a new one, they are only a few quid.
On the tip of the spark plugs, white indicates a weak mixture, if black and sooty its too rich.
It should be light tan/grey-brown color

Hope this helps!

[ginigwunkle]

just a thought and dont start or drive the car till you check, check your oil! does it smell of petrol?

the fuel pump seal may have gone and be leaking into the oil.......big bang on the cards if it is! so make sure

id jack the car up and check for leaks too, more than likely leaky than seal!

better to be sure though!

[mk=john]

Hi
As mentioned, check the colour of the spark plugs. When they are a greyish brown (tea biscuit colour), the mixture setting is correct. If the fuel consumtion is still high, check for leaks all along the fuel lines, and also the fuel tank.

With the plu colour correct, such eccessive fuel consumption can only mean the fuel delivery system is leaking

[sreeve8]

ok thank you for that advice i will check it all over, and get back to you all for more advice,
thanks simon

[In-a-mini]

also things like ignition timing can cause excessive fuel use may be worth doing a full service on the car

[mini_turbo_pete]

You don't say how much mileage you do in that time.

If you are used to a "normal" car then the Minis fuel tank is rather small, 7.5 gallons to be exact.

Think thats bad, the mokes 5.5 Gallons!

i do very little mileage 30miles at the most, and its only around town,

That equates to about 7.5 miles to the gallon, i think you must have a leak or someone is syphoning your tank, if it was running that rich to do 7.5 miles to a gallon.. well it wouldn't run... even on my turbo being driven excessivly hard i could get about 10 miles to the gallon

[sreeve8]

thanks all for the advice, very helpful, i have done what you all have said,
3 of the spark plugs a brown ish colour, and are slighty sooty,
however 1 spark plug was very bad, very sooty and black, this came out of cylinder 2, in comparison it was extremely bad compare to the others,
additionaly i checked the oil and it doesnt smell of petrol, and i cant find any leaks, currently
and i do believe it could with a new air filter, the one on isnt bad but its not great and for a couple of quid, a new might make all the difference.
its clear i need a new set of plugs but these plugs havent been in long, so does any one have any ideas?
thanks simon

[ginigwunkle]

is it oily to touch?

could be the head gasket

[sreeve8]

is it oily to touch?

could be the head gasket

do you mean the spark plug, if so, no, its just very sooty, and a lot worse than all the others, its strange as the car runs fine and after its warmed up, it runs nearly perfectly, its just so poor on fuel. i know the gauge isnt fully acurate, but i can see how much i have used.
do you think engine could be on the way out?