[dr0ne]

Hi Guys!

I've had my Pajero now for 3 weeks. I am very happy with my purchase - it's an excellent car!

One thing that is concerning me is the fuel consumption I am getting in town with minimum traffic. On the last two full tanks I cannot manage 400km! That is driving with economy in mind - not going over 2000rpm etc. I'm now just under 3/4 full and havent even done 100km. Onboard Computer also tell's me around 22l/100km.

Another thing that might be connected is that after a drive, there is a very strong smell of fuel. I have crawled around under the car but there are no visible fuel leaks. Maybe it's running rich?

I've seen post on where guys refer to two temperature sensors, o2 sensor and the MAF sensor. I saw where the Temperature sensors are and the MAF, but where is the o2 sensor? I'll clean the MAF with Lectroclean this afternoon. I will also try cleaning the throttle body and see if it makes a difference.

Are the sensors expensive to replace?

I'm also having my CAT taken out today, maybe after 210 000km it's partially blocked.

Not wanting to sound if I'm just complaining - I've received excellent fuel consumption two weeks ago to Klerksdorp - 9.1KM/l keeping to the speed limit!

I'm guessing town fuel consumption to be around 4.5km/l. (havent done an exact measurement yet.)

Some advice what to look at/for would be appreciated!
Thanks!

[Davidvan]

Hi Doc,

I have got a 2001 Gen3 3.5 Petrol as well, my gauge indicates around 15-16L per 100km, and that is when loaded but on open road. 22l sounds a little high, I have seen this once when we were doing some serious offroad work in thick sand and Low Range. I don't trust the gauge I believe it is a little corrupt especially on the petrol. Have you measured consumption manually to see what the result is? Mine also drops to about 3/4 after +- 100Km, unfortunately I have no idea around the other items, but would suggest doing a good manual check first to see if the gauge is accurate.

The Paj is a great vehicle so enjoy, but the petrol is a little thirsty. I usually get around 500km per tank before I fill up, which is just below quarter on most occassions.

Hope that helps in some way

[Theunsb]

6km/L in town and 6.9km/L open road. 1999 3.5 blister fender manual.
However M/T tires really plays havoc with fuel consumption. MO
Great ride.

[dr0ne]

Thanks David & Theuns. The big thing is I've made peace with the consumption before I purchased the car, I was expecting around 5-6 in town and 7-8 open road. Now my open road is better than expected, but my in-town matches a Cruisers! But I will sort it out! This is not my daily drive so it's also not the most important thing in the world!

Went to Supa Quick this afternoon and apparently mine doesn't have a CAT, only 3 silencer boxes. Did the 3.5 V6's released in SA have CAT's installed?

Cleaned the MAF sensor and the contacts for the two temperature sensors on the intake manifold. I also cleaned up the throttle body as good as I could without removing it - must say it was dirty!

I also found the oxygen sensor, I will check stock and pricing tomorrow. I suspect that might be the problem.

Went for a drive and did not smell petrol afterwards, but time will tell.

I will keep this thread up to date with any developments.

I wouldn't mind 6 km/l in town!!

[pierreandre]

My onboard computer is relativeliy accurate. I normally get 17-18 l/100km in town and 12-15 l/100km highway. My overall consumption for the last 30000 km is 15 l/100km.

I also have the petrol smell after driving. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I'll do some cleaning this weekend and see if it helps.

[Scubadude]

I've averaged 15.3 l/100km over about 40 000km. Filling up on a Friday before a weekend of town driving is never a good idea ... I have also seen 20+ under those conditions. Best ever is under 12 (filling up next to the highway and dricign a full tank at 110 ... feels like watching a five day cricket test). My consumption gauge is accurate to within +/- 5% .... never out by more than 0.7 l/100km.

[dr0ne]

So after the last tank of petrol giving me 5.2km/l, I decided to change the sensors.

Off I went to Mitsubishi with my VIN in hand. WinCaps couldnt pick up my car, so we did a manual search.

Temp sensor - In Stock. R290.00
Temp Gauge Sensor - Out of Stock

I got the temp sensor and replaced it. Too early to tell but I'm sure I will notice when the petrol smell is gone.

I unplugged the Temp gauge sensor, looks to me that all it does is control the temp gauge on the instrument cluster. Would it really make a difference if I leave the old one in? Probably wouldnt hurt to change - not expensive.

Then we started looking for the Oxygen sensor (O2), but the parts guy told me that my car doesnt have one?! Could that be?

[dr0ne]

I'm running out of ideas now!

Just spent some time under the car. Where I previously saw the location of the oxygen sensor on a workshop manual, I have none there!

They must be talking the truth.

So far I've changed the Temp Sensor and cleaned the MAF. I guess there is not much more I can do. Lets see what happens!

[Nismo]

I just filled now.... 17l/100km.

I have 3.2di-d....

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[pierreandre]

I replace the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) three weeks ago. Made a huge difference. The engine is no longer running too rich, so half the fuel smell is gone (still a bit of a smell at the filler cap).

Filled up next to the highway last weekend and did 150 km (including some town driving), averaging 120-130km/h on the highway. The computer claimed I was at 11.8 l/100km! After another 150km, which was mostly in town, the computer is now at 14.2. I've never seen it this good.

The other major improvement is in the throttle response. The engine is smoother and quieter (might be my imagination) and definately pulls better. Never though a simple sensor can make that much difference.