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Klompa

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Hi everyone I've been stalking the form for a while now got some good info here for a D I Y er like me.

I have a 2004 nav with a zd30 in it I haven't had it for too long and its been like this since I got it. The first issue is it uses a lot of fuel like getting 400km to 450km to a tank mind you it only does short trips to and from work about 8km x2 a day. When i take it on a longish trip i will get around close to 500km to a tank.

Is this normal or is something up ? The main reason I got a diesel was to get 500km 600km to a tank.


The next issue is after a run a second or so after I shut of I get what sounds like a flash of flame down the exhaust or manifold no bang ! That's the best I can describe the sound as a flash of flame.

Just seeing if anyone knows what could be causing this ?


The last issue is that there is a strong smell of diesel when running.

I don't know if the issues are related or not just after some ideas to start from. I am a big D I Y er but this is my first diesel and I'm a bit lost.

fuel filter is under 6000km old and oil and oil filter was done under 1000km ago. I've got consult 2 to usb cable and have had it hooked up to a laptop and found no fault codes just the accelerator full throttle switch is turn on half way down giving me full throttle at that spot and n.p.s. is dickey when the heat switch is on the rev's don't always go up I have to play with the gear stick to get it to stay at 1200rpm.


Ok that's my story thanks for having a read and looking forward to hear back from anyone.

Shit also to my knowledge egr has not been done I will be doing it , accelerator pedal and the N.P.S. in the next few weeks.

Thanks again Steve
 
Hey mate.

If the egr isn't blocked, it may be worth removing and cleaning the intake manifold, I'd probably also fit a catch can, which with the egr blocked off will keep the manifold reasonably clean. As for the fuel usage, it sounds about right for the length of the trips you do. Diesels really need a long run to get them warmed right up so they can run at their best, short trips aren't great, the glow plugs probably don't even shut off by the time you turn the motor off again. The reason you can smell diesel is probably because it isn't combusting completely. There's not really a lot you can do to help that, apart from taking it for a a decent drive every now and then...
 
yes as Bods said also is the aircleaner nice and clean ? another thing if you have some k,s on the clock it could be time to fit some new Injectors as they could be leaking internally or worn. i get approx 800 k,s per tank with my 2.5 cr.
 
Its definitely using too much fuel. I've always gotten about 600k per tank, +/- 50km depending if its an empty tray, grannying it down hill with a tail wind or flogging the shit out of it fully loaded. Thats running it down to about a 65l fill up.
 
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Thanks for the replies guys

The air filter got changed with the fuel filter so just under 6000km old. I have a catch can installed and I have about 114000km on the clock.

Regarding the fuel usage she doesn't really blow smoke. The only smoke I have noticed was at night and I could see it in the headlights of the car behind me but that's it. I thought I might have a leak until I found out the fuel line is under vacuum.

Does anyone know what the flash of flame sound could be?

Cheers for the help guys

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
 
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Perhaps you could elaborate more on this flash/flame issue. Not that I've got any idea but given the safety aspect of it you need to get that looked at in the first instance.
 
There are three issues that I can see requiring attention.

Driving pattern: 8km trips are, as pointed out above, barely enough to get the engine warm. Short trips in traffic are the worst for fuel economy: you use more fuel getting the vehicle moving than you do at cruise, so a city-based rig used as a daily commute will always use more fuel than a vehicle used for long trips. To make matters worse, because the car isn't getting to full temperature for a reasonable period, the water created during the combustion process doesn't all get converted to steam and ejected from the exhaust.

The diesel smell is of concern. If you can smell diesel fuel in the engine bay, you may have a leak - unlikely to be at the fuel filter because all of the piping from the tank to the pump is under vacuum, so a leak there will draw air into the fuel system rather than ejecting fuel into the engine bay. The return pipe though is a different story. Check from the fuel pump to the fuel rail and to the hosing that returns to the tank.

Another possibility is that diesel is landing back in the intake and is ejected towards the air filter as the engine is shutting down. This would produce the sound you're hearing and the diesel smell. It might be from a loose CAS (which in the ZD30 is actually on the camshaft, so its called a CPS if memory serves). That's harder to diagnose in the back yard but a mechanic could check it easily.
 
the flame noise you can hear i bet will be the shut down butterfly on the manifold, pop the bonnet and get someone to shut the car down while looking for the valve moving, mine makes a similar sound.

Cheers Bryan
 
Hi guys

I think it might be time to bite the bullet and take it to a shop. Anyone know a good one in Perth?

I know she will use more fuel on shot trips but it just seems to use an excessive amount. I do let her warm up before every trip, 10 mins with the heat switch on the temp gauge does get up a bit if not at running temp.

The flash of flame sound witch is just what it sounds like it might not be a flash of flame happens 2 to 3 seconds after the engine has stopped and I think its coming from the passengers side of the engine.

For the fuel leak check the zd30 has direct injection so I should have a return line from the pump to the tank right and line from the injectors out the side of the head to the pump ?

cheers guys
 
That running with the heat switch on to warm it up will massively increase fuel usage. You'd be better off just driving it and taking it for a decent drive somewhere once a fortnight or something, to give it a decent run
..

Where in Perth are you, north or south of the river?
 
Even if I have the heat switch on for the 10mins it will increase the fuel usage. I suppose that 15 to 20 mins idling with the heat switch on a day. I do take it for a decent run every 2 weeks or so.

I'm north of the river in Morley

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
 
Personally, I'd just drive it during the week, not leave it idling. At normal idle speed I'd guess it would use around 2 litres an hour of fuel. At fast idle that could be closer to 4 litres an hour, so over the week that is a fair bit more fuel that you're using for no gain really.

I can't recommend anyone around Morley because I'm down kwinana way, but there's a few Perth guys on here who may be able to recommend some up that way if you want to get anything else looked at.
 

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