Why increased fuel consumption? Causes of increased fuel consumption

A car is a complex system where every element plays a huge role. Almost always drivers face different problems. Someone car leads to the side, others have problems with the battery or exhaust system. It also happens that the fuel consumption has increased , and suddenly. This introduces into the stupor almost every driver, especially the beginner. Let's talk in more detail about why this happens and how to deal with such a problem.

Some general information

There are a huge number of causes and factors that lead to increased fuel consumption. Usually they are divided into two large groups:

• Technical problems of auto related to wear, heating and other moments of units and assemblies;
• human factor. The most common fuel is spent because of aggressive driving style, overload, headlights, etc.

But regardless of why the fuel consumption has sharply increased, the problem should be solved as soon as possible. It's one thing if you drive a small car and the expense has increased from 5 to 5.5 liters per 100 kilometers. But it's completely different if it's an SUV or a powerful sedan that consumes more than 10 liters per hundred. In the latter case, an increase in consumption can significantly affect the pocket. Let's understand all the reasons and try to understand how to eliminate them.

Errors in electronics

If the sensors show incorrect information, then the fuel consumption can significantly increase. Here it is even difficult to name any figure, it can be as 2-3%, and 10-15%. Malfunction of the electronic control system of the motor can be caused by an elementary malfunction. As a result, the sensors show false information. In particular, this applies to devices that are responsible for calculating the air-fuel mixture. These include the throttle position sensor (DPDZ), as well as a temperature sensor. But this is not all. For example, a mass air flow sensor can also display incorrect data. But this is most often due to the late replacement of the air filter, resulting in increased fuel consumption. If the engine receives a "poor" fuel-air mixture, then the power is lost, and if "rich", the consumption is significantly increased. Solving all these problems is most often difficult, since without diagnostics this is a very time-consuming task. Therefore, if the fuel consumption has sharply increased, go to the SRT and solve the problem.

Faulty injector and catalyst

If the engine nozzles are not cleaned in time, the consumption will increase with time. The reason is that the efficiency is reduced, and in the worst case, the engine starts to trip. It is worth noting that, due to the contamination of the nozzles, the quality of spraying of the fuel deteriorates, which leads to an uneven air-fuel mixture. The problem is fixed quite simply. It is necessary to clean the injectors. In most cases, work can be done independently, without outside help.

The catalyst is sensitive to elevated temperature. In normal operation of all systems, this is a fairly long-lived element. But under any circumstances, the catalyst is clogged with time, which leads to the formation of a "rich" air-fuel mixture and an increase in catalyst heating. As a consequence, it can burn out, which significantly reduces engine power and increases fuel consumption.

Increased fuel consumption: causes and solutions

The temperature of the engine also plays a big role. And here there are two sides: insufficient temperature and overheating. We will consider each case. If the motor runs at 98-103 degrees Celsius, then this is normal. When the system overheats, the fuel mixture becomes discharged, because of this, engine power is reduced. Another point is the unheated engine. If the suction is turned on, a rich fuel mixture is fed into the cylinders in a larger amount, which contributes to a high rate of heating of the engine. That you understand, at a temperature of the motor of 80 degrees on Celsius the expense increases approximately on 20%. After all of the above, we can draw an obvious conclusion that the operation at short distances on a cold motor leads to higher costs than trips over long distances. If the working temperature is not achieved, then, most likely, the cause in the thermostat. This kind of malfunction is a serious increase in fuel consumption. The reasons are sometimes not so deep, for example, the wrong position of the throttle. It is treated very simply and quickly.

Why fuel consumption has increased

It is not always necessary to sin on the technical part, sometimes the drivers themselves are to blame. For example, aggressive driving, which involves sudden starts and braking, as well as dynamic rapid movement, can increase the total consumption by more than 30-40%. This applies to driving around the city, where every 300 meters there is a traffic light, on the road the situation is less tragic. By the way, if the wind on the road is oncoming, then the flow rate also increases. Most experts recommend closing windows if you drive at speeds above 50 km / h. This is due to the fact that the aerodynamic characteristics of the car are deteriorating and the consumption is increasing, by about 3-5%. In principle, it is rather difficult to unequivocally answer the question about why the fuel consumption has increased, because there are a lot of variants of the development of events. Let's look at a few more relevant reasons.

Headlight and light

Many people buy a vehicle not only to go to work and back, but also to transport various goods. It should be noted that in this case you can prepare for an increased consumption of gasoline. According to statistics, for every 100 kilograms of cargo accounts for about 10% of fuel consumption. If we are talking about the trunk on the roof, then its full load leads to a figure of 40%, which is very sad. Even worse things are with a loaded trailer, because of which instead of the declared 10 liters per hundred, you have to spend 15, or even all 16 liters. As you can see, there are various reasons for the increased fuel consumption. Another one is the headlights. If the ignition is switched off, the battery charges itself to the battery, then with the roaring engine, all of this goes to the generator. The latter greatly increases the appetite of the engine. So, constant work of a passing light leads to the excessive expense no more than on 5%, main light - on 10%.

A few more reasons and solving the problem

After replacing the silentblocks, all the motorists make the alignment. So, after this event, experts often pull the bearings of the hubs. This leads to the formation of a bad roll. Of course, the flow rate will not increase much in this case, but the phenomenon is very unpleasant, since it is noticeable when driving. Another important point is the under-inflated tires. In general, much is said about what should be the normal pressure in the wheels, in our case it should be no lower than the permissible minimum. It is better to pump a little, rather than ride on flat tires. Although both excessive and insufficient pressure leads to the fact that the tire wears out much faster. Here we, in principle, and considered the main causes of increased fuel consumption. Now a few important details.

How to normalize the flow

Many ask this question, because it becomes especially relevant, especially given today's fuel prices. There are several solutions that practically do not require any effort from the driver. One of them is to remove excess equipment, for example, a spoiler or a weather cloth, of course, if there is one. Here it is more likely not in the weight of all this, but in the fact that aerodynamic indicators are violated. Multimedia systems, as well as air conditioners operating at full capacity, also lead to an increased "appetite" of the engine. Thus, the testing of electronic systems, which for a long time worked at 70-100% capacity, led to an increase in fuel consumption by diesel by about 7%, and climatic systems made a larger expenditure of 13%. For many, these figures may not seem so great, and it's true. But if you combine several of the above factors, it will not be so unnoticed. Many people go by vehicles that, on average, consume 15% more fuel than they need, and do not pay any attention to it.

A few golden rules of economy

If fuel consumption has increased, the reasons for which we have already considered, it is necessary to remedy the problem, and then fulfill a number of requirements that will help to avoid this in the future. First, remove all unnecessary - it will improve the aerodynamics and reduce the amount of consumable gasoline. Secondly, try not to go too aggressively. Start and braking should be smooth. This is especially true on urban roads. Thirdly, maintain the optimum pressure in the tires, and you will be happy. Try to warm up the engine not at idle, but under load. So the engine warms up much faster, rather than on a standing vehicle.

Conclusion

Here we are and talked about what are the causes of increased fuel consumption. Injector or carburetor? There is not much difference here. The difference is that in the first case there is more electronics, for which it is necessary to constantly monitor. Although the carburettor is a mechanism that is sensitive enough to poor-quality fuel, and it is often clogged up too. For this simple reason, it is necessary to clean at least once a year, otherwise the machine can stall at idle speed, and without suction do not leave. Here, in principle, and all the useful information on this topic. As you can see, maintaining the optimal level of fuel consumption is not so difficult.