oh i dont know, maybe a magical fairy told me so... how the hell do you think? honestly, some of these questions are pretty stupid. if you have to scientifically calculate things to work out basic issues then you shouldnt be anywhere near a car.
Holy crap I can't believe OP or this thread. 40mph in 5th? you're transmission hates you anyway. Keep guessing how much it is taking continuing the road to no where. Or do some damned math and figure out how exactly bad it is. If it's really not as bad as you think, could be something small. No need taking random advice on forums and blowing money on a big item for nothing, at least, not even without doing the math first. Not trying to be rude but, come on.....
The point is that you haven't, AFAIK, worked out what the 'basic issue' is-genuinely poor mpg or a faulty MFA reading - and you've been given the precise instructions in how to work it out tbf.
Sell the car to me for a Fiver, its obviously ****ed. Pro tip on trying to self diagnose an issue: Do the simple, cheap and basic tests first. Then do more indepth thing like taking parts off and changing random parts that might not be faulty. Learn some humility.
Quite possibly, yes. If air is being drawn in, it will make the lambda sensor think the engine's running lean, so will tell the ECU to pop in some more fuel. Patch/fix it and see if anything changes.
it doesnt take a genius to work out whether its drinking more fuel or not. the fuel gauge was going down pretty rapidly and the car stank of fuel. its not a big deal if the mfa is out by a bit, but when its 10+ mpg out (along with the fuel gauge and the smell) then its pretty obvious somethings wrong. maybe i didnt make it clear enough how i knew it was running rich. thanks pete i'll sort that out asap. oh could anyone tell me how to access the maf readings on vagcom?
The truth is you still haven't worked out the true mpg, if you're unable to do the maths, just fill the tank up, drive say 100 miles, then fill the tank to the top again and note how many litres you put in and exactly how many miles you have covered, post the results on here, and someone will work out your true mpg for you m'kay? The fact still remains if you do a lot of short runs with your right foot buried in the carpet (in 4th gear) 20mpg from a VR6 is probably not too far wrong anyway...
what is your obsession with working out the mpg? it wont help me in any way, i already know its running rich!
How do you know its running rich? Because you say its "drinking like a fish". Not exactly scientific proof is it? Vr6's tend to do that. I know I have always had one! Working out its true MPG will confirm that for certain, and/or allow people you have asked for help from whether what it is doing is a true representation of a VR6 in town, or if it is fecked. Jesus, in the ammount of time passed since you started the thread you must have filled up at least once. We'd have had the answer by now and been able to move on.
ive stated why i know its running rich. its drinking more, it smells of fuel, and the mfa says less than 20mpg. do you really need more proof? is my judgement not good enough or would you prefer to check it out yourself to confirm what ive told you countless times?
Just to add confusion to the post...It could be leaking fuel. Would give you those symptoms but without knowing your mpg....
From your opening post; So which is it? As above, if you`d just worked out the actual consumption at the beginning then the very helpful people here would have given you the answer by now... It might be smelling richer due to the freer-flowing exhaust (my Mk2 smelt much richer with the 2.5" stainless on, with no change in consumption.)... Changes in weather will make differences to consumption, as will traffic levels, and myriad other factors... You`ve also been playing around swapping sensors, etc so it could simply be running better so consumption has increased due to it running at full power... Forget the MFA reading. It can never be trusted... But these are all wild guesses. Your actual consumption would give a steer in the right direction.
Your right. I don't need proof. You need to change your fuel Pressure regulator, your airflow meter, your lambda probe, your injectors, your main fuel pump, Your lift pump, Your fuel tank, your fuel lines, your fuel filter AND your ECU. Fact - I don't need proof to show why. But all or none of these may stop it smelling of fuel and may or may not stop it drinking fuel. Give us a break. You asked for help. We asked for additional information to help diagnose. Its how forums work as we can't be at your car to do these tests ourselves.
ok i see now, sorry. i'll get the info to you shortly. first thing i want to do is make sure the exhaust is totally sealed. its not a daily so it might take a week or so to get round to it, so bear with me. stumc - it doesnt smell terrible, but it does smell. it was smelling worse and i was getting around 15mpg before i changed the lambda sensor.
According to the MFA... A mate of mine has a Mk3 VR, and he was surprised at how `frugal` it was (for a VR anyway, having owned one previously), then discovered that he had forgotten to plug in the lambda sensor after a head swap, and once he had, noted that the consumption increased because it was now running properly. Also it turned out to only be running in five, due to a broken injector wire. Since that`s been replaced it`s way up on power (obviously), and consumption has increased again commensurately. So, as I put earlier it could simply be that you`ve had slightly lower consumption previously due to it not running correctly, and now you are at the `normal` VR fuel usage levels.
I don't care any more, the OP seems to know what he's talking about, I'm sure he'll figure out if its ok or not through guesswork eventually...
How many litres was that? Or how much were you paying per litre? Edit - Assuming 1.34/litre; That`s 15 litres or 3.33 gallons over 70 miles = 23mpg
Checked your blue water temp sensor is working as memory serves me that can impact the fueling? Also does your water temp gauge ever get up to full operating temp? My VR6 rarely did when the thermostat was stuck open and used to run rich as a result.
