Fuel consumption

Hi,

I own a 1997 Discovery V8i ES Manual. By all accounts the vehicle is still in good condition at 163000 km's and I service it in accordance with specifications. However, the consumption is appalling at about 4.49 km/l or 22.25 l/100km. Admittedly the vehicle does mostly city driving and not much open road, so the consumption figures are based on the former. I have spoken with several other owners of similar vehicles and their consumption is a lot better. Is my consumption normal and if not, what is there that I could do?

Thanks!

[ilovemydisco]

Hi there. I am not familiar with kms, do you know what that equals in miles per gallon? I average about 13.5 city, which according to an LR tech, if you are getting 13-14, that's the best you'll probably ever get. I have a K&N filter as well as a Flowmaster, which both help a little bit, nothing amazing.

[texasrover]

That sounds about right. I would not know what to do with anything better than that... I bet I would take a trip or just drive around for the fun of it.

[01001010]

One can aslo pour one bottle of Red Line Fuel System cleaner every 4 fillups, and this will keep the lines clean, as well as the injectors clean, and this will keep the engine running smoothly, which in turn saves fuel, plus lets you take advantage of the engines HP more. Mix that with the K&N and a well working exhaust system and you should be lookin at improved mileage. I have a 96 D1 Auto by the way. And I have CERTAINLY noticed the difference. Last weekend I went up to West Palm Beach from Miami ( about 80-100 miles away from where I am ) and I consumed 1/4th of the full tank

[chuckles]

yeah i got my 97 disco last fall and my gas mileage is much better than i had expected it to be a can go about 130 miles and use only 1/4 of a tank but mine burns through about a quart of oil on the same 130 miles.

[LANDY96]

[chuckles.....], you burn ONE QUART of oil every 130 miles!!??!!?? Wow, something is wrong. I think you have something stopped up? Have you checked all of your pcv hoses? Get back to me!

[roverX]

I routinely get 300 miles out of a tank of gas (23.4gallons I think). Last week, with mostly freeway driving, I got 330 miles out of the tank. I am also running 265/75/16 MT's.
If I drank beer like she drinks gas, I'd be an alcoholic....oh...wait...nevermind..

[Adam in NYC USA]

I would ask for a compression check on your cylinders so you can find if your piston rings are on the way out. Lift the truck up on some real ramps and look and wipe for any oil trying to leave. Is it time to change some oil rings?

Excessive oil consumption is indicative of some oncoming major work. You are also doing a lot of stop-and-go driving which is a lot harder on the engine. Try some Motor-Honey or Lucas Oil Stabiliser, let it idle, and then see if there is a performance difference.

For the time being:

Think of getting a oil one-shot to the top of the engine. It is a gadget, a reservior that pours motor oil onto the top and then you start the vehicle with it fully lubed. They put it in vintage collector vehicles.

Since you are already doing that, why not think of putting one in?

[chuckles]

Landy 96 and Adam in NYC USA. I talked to a couple more people about the excesive burning of oil. Since the car had been sitting around they said it quite possibly is the pcv valve, but i went to auto zone to check the price for a new one and they told me it was a nonservicable part so i then called the dealership and they told me to treat the oil and gas with marvel mystery oil.

[Adam in NYC USA]

I dunno if it is a "non-servicable" part.

What if it clogs? If you can find it, you can remove it and test it.

It is a one-way valve. Some of them you can probe with a pen, some you can test by cleaning and then blowing one end and then the other. If you can't blow from either end, it is clogged.

You need to hear it from a Land Rover Horse. Anyone who is a Landy mechanic can chime in, lets answer it once and for all.

Secondly, I trust the Land Rover dealer as far as I can throw him/her.

Adam in the NYC summer

[Bogatyr]

I'm not a LR mechanic, especially when you consider these modern trucks, but I ran a search for PCV at ABs site and came up with this:

http://www.roverparts.com/ProductLis...umber=&x=0&y=0

So it looks like you can get something. The usual test for a PCV is to remove it and shake it. If it rattles, it'll let air get by and it's still good. Best prolly to stay away from AutoZoned when searching for Rover parts...

Bogatyr

[Andre-Georg]

Disco I, 1995 average 330 miles per tank (City and highway)
City driving in 3 gear (automatic) always.
Super unleaded gas + clean ignition and sparkplugs including air filter.
Vehicle is idling at 600 rpm.
Over fifty, so no floring at intersection not in rush to go anywhere.
I beleive this will be a good average gas consumption for this type of MPV.
Just my two pennies.

[Jaco]

I own a 1996 Disco 1 V8, city driving gives me about 6km/l and open road at 110km/h it gives me about 7.3km/l. The best i got was 7.7km/l.

[appstatedisco]

roverX, i'm running 265's also, interco trxus M/T's, and a 2" OME lift, i get about 9-10 mpg, with a light foot.

[roverX]

I drive it like a bat out of hell. I have found, strange as it seems, that the more I rev up the engine, the better mileage I get. When I baby it, I get 250 miles out of a tank and shit always breaks on me. If I drive it ruff and offroad it ruff, she seems to like it. Now if I can only find a woman like that I might consider getting married again....

I am also using a synthetic blend with Lucas stabilizer in the engine. Don't know if this contributes at all.

[aussie disco97]

If you are worried about fuel economy go for the diesel you get about 10.5 km/ltr. But you don't have the same get up and go .Horses for courses I suppose.