fuel consumption??

[Warren]

phil williams
Member
Posts : 14
Location : auckland nz   fuel consumption??

hi, given holden black motor (186),trimatic, vauxhall cresta diff, and holley 350 carb. and gentle driving, is 18 mpg right, I thought that was only v8 consumption. Any ideas of what i should expect. p.s. c/w 400 kg tools and gear inside.; with a trailer drops to 6 - 18 mpg, depending on weight and number of uphills.
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 07 Jun 2004 @ 10:18         
Bree
Member
Posts : 104
Location : Main Arm NSW
 
18 mpg would be about 6-7 km/litre....
Hmmm...my 308 holley 500 carb, would be worse but not much worse...i run it on gas for half the cost..but your engine sounds thirsty...but weight and hills can have a huge effect on consumption.. 
 08 Jun 2004 @ 06:26         
Chris Ryan
Moderator
Posts : 655
Location : Dubbo NSW
 
G'day

Possible reasons for bad fuel economy:
A witch has cursed you and your van for running down that black cat.
The motor is not to specification: down on compression, worn valve train, timing etc.

Hints:
Get a white witch to lift the curse.
Get a good tuneup done.
Fit a Commodore electronic ignition
Fit extractors.
Fit a better carby, such as a downdraught Weber.
The automatic may need a service.

Another reason for poor fuel economy is the wrong gearing.
Holden motors work best at about 2000rpm. They are not efficient when overreved. The problem is that the Bedford gearing is wrong.

Solutions include fitting any of the following:
Chevy 12 bolt diff,
Ford 9" diff,
T400 automatic,(oops, I mean a T700, the with the 0.7 overdrive)
tall overdrive eg 0.7.

I have run Holden 6's in Cf's for years and have been very happy with the performance and economy.

The Holden motors work best with about 3.25 to 1 on 14" wheels

I triped over to Sydney through the Blue Mountains in my CFL van last week. Lots of big hills including Victoria Pass ( 2.5 km ascent at 1 in 8; that's steep and a sheer drop on both sides in some places). I stopped off at a few spots on the way to do a bit of scavenging ( a hobby of mine) and by the time I got to Sydney I had a fair load on. I travelled 390 kms on 63 litres of gas.

The van has a standard Holden motor setup for gas/petrol, Toyota Supra 5 speed and dual wheel diff converted to a Borg Warner 3.25 to 1 centre.


It costs me the same amount as a modern car to run, I can keep up with the traffic, and I have room to pick up any goodies on the way.


 
 08 Jun 2004 @ 22:53         
phil williams
Member
Posts : 14
Location : auckland nz  fuel thirst

sounds like a dream, i forgot to say, went ok when i got it 8 weeks or so ago, now is pretty gutless as well.will check compression over weekend i think.
ps reading holden manual 186 has btw 90- 130 hp, i think i've got the same as 60 at the moment.
not quite as bad as atoyota hiace van, but close
 
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 10 Jun 2004 @ 08:19         
phil williams
Member
Posts : 14
Location : auckland nz 
saga of fuel thirst: compression to 70 psi hot, at least relatively even over 6 cyls, 140 psi with oil on rings- which is to spec.(still think it's blown btw cyls as well.)
carb main body absolutely warped, new gaskets here helped.
off to collect 'new' engine, and will fit weber, hope this helps.has to be better than 50 cents a kilometre anyway.
will post improvements here, for interests sake.
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 31 Jul 2004 @ 08:34         
roi
Member
Posts : 16
Location : North Wales Uk
 
Hi guys.
I've got a holden in mine and I get an average of 25mpg. I have had much better [coming downhill from Scotland back to Wales with a tailwind].
How does this compare.
mine is in a wadham stringer ex ambi LWB
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