What does all this add up to?

It is likely that if you had not been practicing these 12 tips and you applied them consistently, you could expect an increase in fuel economy of around 15%.

To put that into something that you may relate to better, if someone spent on average $100 per week or $5,200 per year on petrol, a 15% saving would equal a saving of $780 per year!

These savings could be used to cover a large percentage of your cars insurance cost, registration, car service, car repair or general maintenance costs.

Of course the saving could be put to use anywhere.

Enjoy your improved fuel economy.

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#12 Gear On or Roll On?

Many people coast along while driving, with the view of saving fuel which is a great idea.

The trick is to let the car coast in a high gear instead of using neutral. When a car is in coasting in neutral, the engine continues to idle and will consume more fuel.

Today, most cars will shut off the fuel supply to the engine completely if you coast in gear, saving you fuel while coasting. A great example is coasting in a high gear while going downhill.

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Gear Changing to Improve Fuel Economy

#11 Skipping Gear Changes

Compared to an automatic gearbox, manual cars already enjoy an advantage of a slightly better fuel economy.

In relation to gear changes there is a technique called block gear changing that can assist drivers of manual cars to further improve fuel consumption. It may not be easy at the start, but with practice will become earlier and second nature. This technique is commonly used by motorcyclists.

What is Block Gear Changing?

Block gear changing is where you carefully skip gears when changing up through the gears. That is you may go from 1st to 3rd to 5th, skipping 2nd and 4th gears. There is a trick to this. Make sure you don’t go too high up in the RPM range in the lower gear, or too low down in the upper gear. If you go too high in the lower gear, then excess petrol is consumed for marginal benefit. If you go too low in the higher and the engine will labour and consume more petrol.

The good news is that for newer cars with 6 and 7 speed boxes, block gear changing is much easier.

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Change your cars oil and oil filter

#9 Higher Viscosity, Lower Friction

We have discussed friction and air and tyre resistance earlier. Generally the less friction the better. Even though it is unlikely there will be significant improvements in fuel economy, changing the car’s oil and oil filter will assist to keep the engine well lubricated and minimise internal engine friction, resistance and the need for a costly car repair bill.

Refer to your car’s owner manual for details of the type of oil recommended for your car and the frequency for flushing and replacement. Most manufacturers recommend the oil and oil filter being replaced every service or every second service.

Call 13 20 42 for ACE Mobile Mechanics should your car be due for a service.

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Spark Plug Inginition

#8 Keep Your Spark Fresh

Spark plugs delivering spark to the combustion chamber need to provide sufficient spark at the right time. Spark plugs are located within the engine, operating in a hostile environment that is extremely hot and pressured. Carbon deposits and impurities build up through use and time which reduce the effectiveness of the spark plugs and the effectiveness of the engine to produce power.

There are a variety of spark plugs for a number of applications and vehicles. Standard spark plugs usually maintain their performance for 10,000km to 20,000km. These should be checked and replaced during a regular car service, which your car owners manual should have recommendations. However, there are some premium (non-standard) spark plugs, like platinum spark plugs, that last longer such as up to 100,000km.

Call 13 20 42 for your ACE Mobile Mechanics should your vehicle be due for its car service.

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ACE Mobile Mechanics
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Car Fuel Injectors

#7 Fuel Injection – Time for a Bath?

To have better fuel economy, a more predictable and efficient burn in the cylinder is needed and therefore clean fuel injectors that provide a more even fuel-air mix are needed. To illustrate this refer to the photos:

• The top picture shows the spray pattern of a dirty fuel injector
• The bottom picture shows the full flow spray pattern from a clean injector

How do fuel injectors become dirty?

Contrary to air filters and what would seem logical, fuel injectors become dirty mostly from the fuel itself and not from dirt or debris in the fuel (unless the car’s fuel filter has not been performing or has not been replaced regularly).

Petrol contains waxy compounds that can leave varnish deposits at the injector pintle when the fuel evaporates. This commonly occurs after the engine is turned off. The heat that is generated from the engine evaporates the residual fuel in the injector tips, leaving a deposit of varnish. These deposits in the nozzle build up and restrict fuel flow or disrupt the injector’s spray pattern (as seen above). On many late-model engines, the shape and direction of the spray pattern is critical for clean combustion and good performance. If the injector nozzle is dirty, the pattern may be distorted or deflected to one side, causing a lean spot in the combustion chamber that can cause misfire, or even pre-ignition or detonation and can cause car engine problems.

What tolerance is there for injectors? The simple answer is it does not very much of a restriction in an injector to lean out the fuel mixture. To put a measure on it, an 8% to 10% restriction in a single fuel injector can be enough to upset the air/fuel mixture and cause a misfire.

There are two main methods of cleaning fuel injectors. The fuel injectors can be cleaned on an inline basis (on car) or better still by having them removed and given and ultrasonic bath. If your injectors have performed close to or over 100,000 km without being thoroughly cleaned, your fuel economy will certainly improve once services and cleaned, translating into direct savings.

Call 13 20 42 for your ACE Mobile Mechanics should your fuel injectors are due for a clean and service.

About the Author
ACE Mobile Mechanics
Car Service | Roadside Assistance | Vehicle Inspection
CALL 13 20 42
www.acemobile.com.au