im thinking of selling my 92 masterace surf 2wd due to bad mileage i have tried all sorts of things to cure this problem it passed mot no problems with smoke test. but on a run to cornwall i only got 200 miles out of £42 of diesel!!! any ideas or offers for my townie let me know.

- (#10400) Russell, 25 Apr 04 07:53

Hi Russell,

Don't know whats up with your Masterace, But I have exactly the same vehicle, 2wd, surf, but rare manual & we always get about 450 - 500 miles from £40 worth of diesel. Yours may be an auto, as most are, but It wouldn't make that much of a difference. Without going over your vehicle, impossible to tell whats going on.
Just a thought, you say yours passed its smoke test ok, so the fueling must be about right, so I would be looking at worn/sticking brakes &/or wheel bearings etc

HTH, Tony.

- (#10400) Tony Lloyd-Jones, 25 Apr 04 08:03

I think there might be some confusion here.
Tony, Are you sure that you are getting 450 - 500 miles? the trip will normally read in Kilometres. If you are right then you are getting something like 46MPG which is almost unheard of for a Townace.
Russell, 200 miles on £42 of Diesel is 18 MPG which is bad for a 2WD. If the emissions test was passed recently then it would suggest a leak somewhere, on the injector pump possibly. Can you smell Diesel at all out side the van?

- (#10400) dave Bright (Bournemouth), 25 Apr 04 15:32

have had it on a ramp on leaks anywhere all dry no smell im stumped?

- (#10400) Russell, 26 Apr 04 10:17

Not being funny here, but how would you describe your driving, speed wise? I have found that by using a very gently right foot and not going much above sixty, lifting off well ahead of stops etc. gives me just a little above 31MPG. If I am in a hurry and give it a bit off well, kickdowns etc, the fuel gauge really races toward the empty like there is a hole in the tank. On our recent hols I got about 450 KMS on about 35 quids worth of fuel. Mine is Auto 4WD.

- (#10400) John Shaw, 26 Apr 04 12:51

Brakes and wheel bearings. Injection and cam timing both been checked?

- (#10400) David Miller, 26 Apr 04 14:23

How do i engine brake using an automatic transmission. In a manual, i can stop suddenly by lowwering the gears upto gear 1.

- (#10400) Robert Okudi, 27 Apr 04 10:42

Robert
There is no way without stressing the gearbox, if going downhill you could put it into low range but I would rather dab the brakes than stress them delicate bits myself, I have started to drive far more thoughtfully than before which does bug other motorists but hey I pay my road tax so stuff em.

- (#10400) Master_Simon, 27 Apr 04 12:05

Have had a new cam belt fitted so persume this ok will get it checked. brakes & wheel bearings fine. can anyone email me a rough diagram of the timeing marks and where they should line up to as id like to check myself. but the way mines a 2wd auto. 1992 masterace surf.

- (#10400) Russell, 30 Apr 04 13:18

no, the injection timing is checked with a dial gauge like any other Bosch VE pump. Belt timing marks are pin on oil pump with notch on crank pulley, mark on cam pulley with cyl head surface at 3o'clock, mark on injection pump pulley with notch in waterpump housing at around 3-4 o'clock...

- (#10400) David Miller, 30 Apr 04 15:39

Just a quick message for Dave Bright, there's no confusion - I get 450 - 500 MILES, NOT KM from £40 worth of diesel. Don't forget, I have a 2wd manual Masterace, so no auto transmission to lower fuel con & no 4x4 gearing to further reduce fuel con. I've had the bus for 3 years now & she's always given this fuel economy. I do keep the engine etc top line using only the best quality fully synthetic oil, fluids etc, she's always serviced every 3000 miles, religiously!
So Dave, maybe this is why we get 46 MPG.

Regards, Tony.

- (#10400) Tony Lloyd-Jones, 1 May 04 06:46

mine is also 2wd manual and usually get 42 mpg of mixed motoring, also keep mine regularly serviced....

- (#10400) neil (torbay), 1 May 04 11:33

Tony,
I queried the mileage because it has been known for people to mistakenly read the trip in miles when in fact it reads in Kilometres. It is considered that 30MPG is good for these vans. 4wd usually get between 25 and 30 whilst the 2wd return between 30 to 35, so your 46 MPG is about the highest I have heard of, although I know some get more than this because they use lpg duel fuel or veggie oil. I don't think its just down to servicing though because I, like most owners regularly service my van with all new filters and good quality oil. I have also recently cleaned out the inlet manifold, disabled the EGR valve and had the injectors reconditioned. Even so I still only get 27 MPG at best on round town motoring, so your 46MPG should indeed make you very pleased.

- (#10400) dave Bright (Bournemouth), 1 May 04 11:42

To add my little bit of input here, I think that the way these vehicles are driven does affect fuel consumption, sometimes to a marked degree. My view is that they were designed to be "plodders" and the power to weight ratio, ie, a relatively small engine in a heavy body, requires a lot of extra fuel to travel, consistently, at speeds above 60 mph. I get an average of 30 mpg from my Masterace auto, taking in all types of driving, excluding at the legal limit on motorways. I am sure that I can get around 33/35 mpg on my longer journeys, especially if I am careful with the acceleration and gear selection. I find 46 mpg hard to believe but obviously, Tony is sure of his facts and this must be a fine tribute to careful driving and careful servicing with premium products

- (#10400) John Davis (Leics), 1 May 04 13:24

Hi to all that have replied,

After all the replies about fuel con, you got me thinking that maybe I was being a little on the generous side when talking about our Masterace, but then I thought, what can't speak can't lie & remembered this.
In the week I work in Hampshire & at weekends I travel back to my house in South Wales. I mainly do this journey in my 1.9 diesel Citroen ZX.
The mileage to my house is 211 miles, so double this to get back again = 422 miles. Occasionally, I leave the Mrs the ZX & take the bus back down south, which I've done quite a few times & will be doing this w/e.
Usually about £40 will wedge the tank, I'll do the journey sat at about 70-75 mph on the motorway, when complete both ways I'm left with just under 1/4 tank showing on the fuel gauge.
With this in mind, I must get an average of 450 miles to £40 of diesel. Sorry to all the other bus owners who don't get this sort of fuel con, I'll count my blessings from now on!!

Regards to all, Tony.

- (#10400) Tony Lloyd-Jones, 2 May 04 10:23