Is220d Fuel Issue

Shahpor · August 9, 2015

Hello all.

Sorry for a asking for help so soon.

I have a 2008 220d that is having a problem I hope you good people can help me with :)

It is mainly a fuel consumption issue (I know, another thread. Sorry).

It is weird though. On a motorway run, it is absolutely fine and it does high 40's mpg. The problem is town driving. In town it drops to the low 20's, so this ruins the average since I do a mix of both type of journey.

The only other issue that seems to have appeared is that it feels like it is 'pulling back' between 1500-2000rpm in lower gears?

The EGR has been cleaned and I have put some BG244 in recently.

I am not sure whether the fuel filter has been changed, so that is my next option, along with maybe putting some V-Power fuel in it?

Anyway ideas would be greatly be appreciated.

Thanks.

Bluesman · August 9, 2015

Hi and welcome to the LOC, we are a
friendly bunch and some of us even know how to pull them to bits and
put them back together again, with of course the one bolt and washer
left over. Someone will come along fairly quickly to help you out. Regards Mike.

August 9, 2015

I use a performance chip in mine and it does work wonders - mine is in the 40+mpg mainly motorway but some city too.

I have the 148kg/m version and use 5w30 B1 oil as recommended in manual.

I only top up in reputable fuel pumps (Texaco i find is best) used to do super fuel but didnt make a difference i found- standard meets the required spec for engine.

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Shahpor · August 9, 2015

Thanks for that.

Which chip do you use?

Yeah, thought the same about the fuel, but the Lexus tech I spoke to recommended I try it.

As for the oil, it is whichever Lexus use to service it :)

I just can't believe that my car is supposed to do 22ish mpg in town without something being wrong? Especially since it does ok on the motorway run.

August 9, 2015

Tuning box from http://www.tdi-tuning.co.uk installed (prices on site)

You can feel the difference in performance as it does help with the lag. Fuel consumption is much better after a few runs.

Lexus use part-synthetic but i prefer full. You can check if there is a water build up on the fuelfilter quite easily and also see if the condition of the fuel too.

There is a toyota-branded fuel treatment that i used during a service.

Reset the average fuel indicators (mpg/speed) to see if any does make a difference. Changing driving styles helps too.

You will never get great mpg out of a Lexus i found (compared to other cars) but you should be able to increase the mpg by making small changes.

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Shahpor · August 9, 2015

I will investigate the Tuning Box you linked.

Yeah, there is a water sediment filter next to the fuel filter, isn't there? Will drain it when I get the filter done.

At this point, I will settle for ok mpg out of it :) Lexus guy reckoned I should get 35mpg urban out of it! I wish! :)

Perhaps this will help with the dragging/pulling feeling I am getting too? Hope so.

Thanks for your help I_786_i

Shahpor · August 10, 2015

Well, I have ordered a new air, pollen and fuel filter from Lexus, so hopefully I will see some improvement.

Now to find a local mechanic that is willing to change my fuel filter :)

ahmedali44 · August 10, 2015

Changing fuel filter is a mission as it's in a awkward place hope u can get a mechanic who's willing to do it if screw on it jammed it's worse to take plastic cover off make sure u drain it first. Then use v power for a while u should see difference in power what is mileage???? Another thing is get dpf cleaned that could b your problem, since I had mine cleaned it made difference get it done before light comes on, I didn't realise it until lights came on and went in limp mode should have done it first time lights came on but then it was ok. So didn't really bother until it blocked completely it happened on m25 got it home in limp mode.had mine serviced used 5w30 oil and getting 30ish mpg round town

Shahpor · August 10, 2015

Yeah, I have read how awkward changing the filter is, which is why I hope a friendly mechanic can help me out :)

The mileage is currently 110,000 miles. It seems to have spent most of its time on the motorway, so it's possible the dpf is not too bad.

30ish mpg around town would do me nicely at this point. :)

Thanks for the info :)

August 10, 2015

I would recommend a specialist as they know the car best. I always recommend using genuine parts as the car will continuing driving as it should.

Around town is easily in the 30+ even when you put your foot down. Make sure your tyre pressure is correct, no extra weight and regularly maintained and you should be able to reach those figures.

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Shahpor · August 10, 2015

Unfortunately, I don't know of any specialists around here. Having said that, I do have a garage that I trust and have used for a long time, so hopefully they will agree to do the job for me.

Yep, I have ordered the air, pollen and fuel filters from Lexus. Reasonably priced too.

Tyre pressures are fine, no extra weight carried and regularly maintained, so with any luck, after this filter change I should be seeing these 30+mpg figures you guys are talking about :)

Thanks.

IS200D · August 10, 2015

I'd also recommend a read of this excellent guide by Matus......http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/72447-increase-your-mileage-in-few-steps/

I average 35mpg around town, with M3 and M25 driving yesterday averaging 55mpg, actually hovering at 69mpg while going up through the 50mph M3 roadworks! Its still a case of work in progress with me, but its a case of adjusting to the car's gearing (as in Matus's guide), and avoiding entering higher gears too early.

Shahpor · August 10, 2015

Thanks for the link Paul. Already read it, and I agree it is very useful.

I have already adopted what he mentions with the except of the fuel, which I will do at next fill up.

I actually drive on the motorway at around 60-65 at the moment, partly because I am getting a vibration through the car between 70-75, and also to see how well I can do on fuel. I do this in 5th, which is somewhere around the 2000rpm mark. Seems to work well.

IS200D · August 12, 2015

Hope things are improving mpg wise, and just thought I'd mention an additional item I bought which keeps an eye on your car's innards.

I got an obd2 off of amazon, along with the torque pro app from google play, and the fuel economy addon to go with torque which I mainly use - total cost for the lot being around a tenner. The obd2 tool can be a bit hit and miss setting up, but once the bluetooth's connected to torque on your mobile device it remains a good connection, so just takes a bit of patience at first. oh, and delivery of it can take a while.

On the the fuel addon you have a bar indicating your fuel efficiency with the current mpg displayed (as well as other info), with a solid green bar being most efficient. Its helped me recognise when I need to change up or down but mainly tells me I'm in too high a gear!

link to obd2 (about £5).........http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FPCHNBW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

link to torque website (£2.95)........ http://torque-bhp.com

Shahpor · August 14, 2015

That looks really handy, thanks very much!

For that price, seems silly not to get one. Will see what it reads when it arrives.

I am also on V-Power fuel now, and I am scheduled at the mechanics for Thursday to change my fuel filter, so hopefully my mpg will improve soon.

Thanks again for the advise Paul, much appreciated. :)

IS200D · August 14, 2015

No prob Shahpor, hope its as useful for you as it is for me, and yes at that price its a no-brainer really.

By the way, plugging the obd2 into the socket can be a bit tricky, as I found out! Its under the steering wheel and usually has a plastic cover, although mine was hanging off it after the last time person connected to it - this just pulls off. I ended up getting myself (well my head and shoulders) into the footwell so I could actually see it, as merely feel alone was impossible.However, you may find you have none of the forementioned messing around and it plugs in dead easy for you!!

Shahpor · August 15, 2015

Yeah, already had a look and found it. It is rather inconveniently placed :)

Funnily enough, mine also had the cover hanging off, and it didn't seem to want to go back on.

I will probably have to do some acrobatics to get the thing plugged in too, but I am very interested to see what it has to say.

Will keep you posted.

Thanks :)

Shahpor · August 24, 2015

Well, I finally found someone willing to change my fuel filter. Bugger of a job! Took him 8 hours to get it done, although he did say that it would take him about 2-3 hours to do it again if necessary.

So I now have new air, pollen and fuel filters along with a drained fuel sediment filter. It is too soon to say what the fuel consumption is now like, but I would say it feels smoother. Of course this could just a placebo effect, so will wait and see.

I took some snaps of the old filters. Not a pleasant sight: