Fuel filter change
 

Hi y'all! I got my fuel filter changed last weekend since i figured that it was never changed since i got the car. Well, i got an oem fuel filter from the agent here and had her install them in my car. They showed me the fuel pouring out of the old fuel filter. It was like the coffee i had this morning.

The car runs brilliantly, no hesitation off the line not running sluggishly. I did notice though that the fuel consumption had increased dramatically! on a full tank of gas (bout B$26) i can run around with normal use for approx. 450km. dats was with the old fuel filter and general use with no street racing and with the a/c on. Now, with the new filter i'm down to a quarter tank and its just 280km mileage...

The engine oil been changed, new plugs. Wat gives???

Ahh, maintenance. It pays my bills.

you might have been starving the car of fuel before, thus ure improved mileage. thats just speculation tho.

Could be...I do feel an increase in the engine's response. Gonna get the injector's checked out and take a look at the fuel delivery system. So far the car is running fine. "if it ain't broke don't fix it?"

I just replaced the filter on my car and it made a HUGE difference, much more response to the throttle..we ll see how the milage goes tho.

anybody got a DIY on this?

helo billy,

There's a good write up from www.pelicanparts.com. its a relatively simple process but if you choose to do this on yr own remember not to smoke since since there will be fuel leaking all over the place. the best thing is to let your car run almost empty so that way, all that fuel will not gush out. The mechanic changed mine in under 15 minutes.

This has made a huge difference in the way the car respond to throttle command. Btw, if anyone had been reading my story where I bitch about the dramatic decline in the fuel economy, i have some very good news!!!

I am now on my full second tank down to a quarter right now. I've got 468km from her. This is with the a/c on and city driving with i normally don't do. Figure i can get another 15-30km from her, but it proves to me that the engine took time to readjust to more, cleaner fuel. That's just me.

I think thats possible too, engine was being starved but now its got alot more respose right?

The computer probably took a little time to adjust to the change. Before it had to open the injectors more to compensate for the lower fuel pressure at the fuel rail. Now that there is a higher pressure at the fuel rail, the computer can back off the injector pulse width (amount of time and magnitude that the injector is open). Changes like that can sometimes take some time to come back to equilibrium.

Also, could it be possible that the new found throttle response cause you to drive extra spirited for a little while until you realized how much gas you were burning? Just a thought.

^^^
very possible. i know if my car felt peppier i would drive a little harder.

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk...could be...

That was one of those things i paid for which i didn't regret to replace in the car. The car's purring along nicely, just that over here in the tropics its been raining really hard so its impossible to keep the car clean (on the outside anyway).

Btw, when i took the car for a look see to see if the injector's were clogged, the mechanic told me to wait for the next tank of gas and come back if the problem persists. I never did came back since it was back to driving a much snappier car with better mileage.

any other fuel saving tips?

Shift sooner
Accelerate slower
Inflate your tires a few more PSI
Conserve your momentum by not racing up to red lights, and by slightly accelerating before you come to a hill
Don't use A/C
Cruise in a higher gear

I very much agree with maintaining momentum, i.e. avoiding the energy loss (and fuel consumption) that you have to regain by reaccelerating and using the lower gears. Other tips: get rid of unnecessary weight in the trunk and back seat; shut off engine at long stop lights or in heavy traffic (perhaps easier to do with a manual transmission); this is rather picky, but keep the car clean and waxed; windows closed at anything above 45 mph or so (open sunroof seems to be less of an issue); and this may not be kosher, but when driving conditions permit, put the car in neutral and take advantage of that downward slope in the road, I just love to see the OBC register 99.9 mpg, if even for 10 or 15 seconds, and it seems to make a small albeit significant improvement in fuel economy.