Fuel question

[peterx]

Hey All,

I've just picked up the Nav.. it's the first diesel I've owned.. I see that Gull sell what they call BioD.. is it any good and should I put it in my Nav? I'm going to fill up regular Diesel for our trip to Geraldton tonight, but was just wondering about it.

- paul

 

[Old.Tony]

I made a thread on biodiesel here back when we were being led to believe that if we used it, the car would start spitting chiko rolls out the exhaust until the thing choked up on it.

Since then, I've refuelled at Kings Creek Station in the middle of summer (off-peak season) and that HAD to have some vege in it, it could NOT have been pure dinosaur. I've also filled at Metro and Liberty, and have had no adverse effects.

I'm not saying that we should race out and shove cabbages and scallops and chicken nuggets into the fuel tank - our cars do run nicely enough on dinosaur! I would refrain from using used vegetable oil (cooking oil) no matter how well refined, as the fats might cause filter problems and Nissan won't warrant that.

If you just buy from service stations (and the general advice is to choose truck stops where possible) and get a dose of bio it shouldn't be bad - but if it is, and causes problems that require Nissan to repair it - keep your receipt and make sure you take a sample of the fuel in the tank, and as soon as possible get another sample from the service station that you suspect gave you the bad fuel. You will have to pay Nissan for the repairs, but you will use this other evidence to claim those costs back from the service station.

 

[peterx]

Thanks for the run down mate, I appreciate it. We used 47L for the 400km journey to Geraldton this afternoon.. which was a bit more than I was expecting, I was hoping to get under 10L per 100km as we weren't towing and only have a camera bag & a duffle bag of clothes on board.

I only picked the car up today and it's nearly due for a service.. just wondering if you have any tips on what to check out before I get it back to Perth for a service? I'm going to pull the air filter off in the morning and make sure it's all good. Is there anything else you recommend?

I had a Subaru before this and I'd run a fuel injection cleaner & a top engine cleaner from Subaru thru whenit was using extra fuel.. is there anything like that for the Nav?

Sorry for all the noob questions!!

 

[Old.Tony]

Don't worry about asking questions, they're the only way to get answers without wading through a minefield of info!

The first service is little more than a check that nothing fell off the car. They don't change any fluids or filters. It's not like the old days, where a new motor would shed some of the excess metal from casting/machining and the oil had to be changed out after a small run-in. Now they just make sure it's still holding together and they send you on your way.

Brand new engines still need to be treated gently, so they ship the car with a rich fuel setting - this prevents the engine from getting too hot. Tolerances are still fairly tight inside the motor and a diesel won't loosen up for a good 10,000km - considering they can last several hundred thousand km that ought to be expected. This, combined with the tightness, will make the vehicle seem a little thirsty.

After your first REAL service (@ 10,000km) they SHOULD reset the fuel map to factory default. This will reduce your fuel consumption. I wouldn't reset it yourself just yet - let the engine settle as normal, get the first 10,000km out of the way and if they don't reset it for you, just take the battery negative lead off and press the foot brake for a second or two.

Other than that, there's little to do except enjoy the vehicle.

 

[peterx]

Oh sorry Tony, I should have given more info, I bought a 2nd hand Navara, a 2008 2.5L ST-R, it's already done just over 100,000 kms. It's been a country car so it's covered in red dirt

 

[Old.Tony]

No worries Paul, someone might find that info of use. In your case I'd grab some injector cleaner - perhaps some Chemtech Diesel Power - and run that through a couple of tanks. Take her out on a suitably-speed-zoned stretch of road and give her some stick to blow out the dust.

You might find the air filter is full of that dust. D22's inner guards aren't air or water tight (so watch out for water puddles too).