₦airaland Forum

ZickWorldNG:
I’ve noticed something common with many cars in Nigeria, after some years of use, the engine begins to drink fuel more than usual.

Some people say it’s because of poor maintenance, while others blame bad fuel quality in the country.

A few mechanics even claim that once an engine has been opened before, it will never remain the same again.

But is that really true?

Could it be the engine design?

Wear and tear of parts like injectors, plugs, or fuel pumps?

Or maybe just bad driving habits?

I’d love to hear from drivers, mechanics, and even car lovers here.

Why do engines become fuel guzzlers with time, and what’s the best way to prevent it?

What do you guys think?

The engine and the horsepower sizes are the main factors. Larger and more powerful engines require more fuel to operate than smaller engines.

franchasng:
Like someone said, wear and tear.


Other factors that contribute to fuel consumption in a car are:


1.) Excessive friction in the engine due to wear and tear as the engine ages and use of wrong engine oil.

Also some engine oil are thicker than others and therefore they give more resistance to the movement of the engine parts which then leads to more power usage, hence more fuel consumption. This explains why new model cars consume lesser fuel due to use of lighter engine oil specification with better efficiency


2.) Bad O2 sensors

3.) Reduced efficiency of catalytic converter as the car ages, or complete removal or absence of it

4.) Worn out tyres causing more friction and uneven movement on the road

5.) Poor combustion due to wear and tear and poor engine maintenance

6.) Other factors like driving attitude



Note: I speak as a professionally trained Mechanical Engineer with practical experience on this and more

You got it right. Those advocates of hot temperatures requires 20w50 oils, let them come and learn. Someone was driving a Range Rover Vogue and the adjuster got broken and the cylinders cracked and he was proud to say that he was using 20w50 oil and he will still use it after the engine repair. It is his money
If anyone is interested in carbon cleaning in liquid form, get in touch. Just pop it into the fuel tank and you will see wonders.

Our maintenance culture is really bad. Coupled with horrible technicians. People here are saying usual wear and tear. But those cars work perfectly for years in jand and come down here to die in a few years. This points clearly to poor maintenance. Also our bad roads too constitute extreme use cases for vehicles so ordinarily you're supposed to change your oil and air filter every 3,000 miles. Most car manuals make this very clear. But most of us including me don't do it. There are no standards in Nigeria so the oil you put in, you're not even sure if it contains what the manufacturer says it contains. Coupled with bad fuel. You just need to refuel with bad fuel once for black magic to start happening to the vehicle. And the chances you'll pump bad fuel in Nigeria is extremely high. So there... That's my opinion though.

Sonnobax15:

Consumption of fuel has nothing to do with engine...but based on your carburettor..

You think say na keke matter we dey talk about?
Most cars now use injectors.

ZickWorldNG:
I’ve noticed something common with many cars in Nigeria, after some years of use, the engine begins to drink fuel more than usual.

Some people say it’s because of poor maintenance, while others blame bad fuel quality in the country.

A few mechanics even claim that once an engine has been opened before, it will never remain the same again.

But is that really true?

Could it be the engine design?

Wear and tear of parts like injectors, plugs, or fuel pumps?

Or maybe just bad driving habits?

I’d love to hear from drivers, mechanics, and even car lovers here.

Why do engines become fuel guzzlers with time, and what’s the best way to prevent it?

What do you guys think?

Mostly because Naija mechanics will steal your catalytic converter at the first chance they get..it's a major source of free funds for them

That's when your car begins to guzzle fuel

My 2012 Camry, I buy 20k fuel every 2 days interval, It normally goes 48km for 20k fuel, I bought it about 3 months ago, naija used.

Mandate1:
change your spark plug and see fuel consumption reduce drastically

I changed my spark plugs, I bought iridium original spark plugs from a Nairalander for 52k, yet my car fuel consumption remained the same

I dont why una dey buy that camry .if una wan enjoy am.buy the toks. Wetinbmake owner sell am na fuel.howbcan u buy 20k fuel every 2days. Thats almost 24 litres every two days.even my own go enter almost 6 days before that 25 litres finish. You have enuf carbon inside tour wngine with exhaust leak

Iceking1:
My 2012 Camry, I buy 20k fuel every 2 days interval, It normally goes 48km for 20k fuel, I bought it about 3 months ago, naija used.

2cribz:
I dont why una dey buy that camry .if una wan enjoy am.buy the toks. Wetinbmake owner sell am na fuel.howbcan u buy 20k fuel every 2days. Thats almost 24 litres every two days.even my own go enter almost 6 days before that 25 litres finish. You have enuf carbon inside tour wngine with exhaust leak

I'm planning to buy a direct Belgium at the first chance I get, the exact same car though, I love the car.

Nevertheless, I have changed all 4 injectors, all 4 coils, oxygen sensor, air filter, air flow sensor, I bought catalyst, radiator, all 4 wheels and all 4 tyre's. The tyre's that came with the car are huge, wheel 20 same goes for the tyre's, so I changed it to wheel 17 when my mechanic told me it's the cause of the consumption, but yet no difference.

I have also bought fuel injector cleaner both "Liquid and tablet type" didn't noticed any difference.

I normally buys 20k fuel every blessed two days interval, because I drive everyday.

Nevertheless, I'm not feeling too bad as previously because I'm already used to it, and also because I'm contemplating on getting a direct Belgium and after that sell this one off.

ZickWorldNG:
I’ve noticed something common with many cars in Nigeria, after some years of use, the engine begins to drink fuel more than usual.

Some people say it’s because of poor maintenance, while others blame bad fuel quality in the country.

A few mechanics even claim that once an engine has been opened before, it will never remain the same again.

But is that really true?

Could it be the engine design?

Wear and tear of parts like injectors, plugs, or fuel pumps?

Or maybe just bad driving habits?

I’d love to hear from drivers, mechanics, and even car lovers here.

Why do engines become fuel guzzlers with time, and what’s the best way to prevent it?

What do you guys think?

Poor maintenance and allowing Kazeem to replace manufacturing settings with his own idea

O2 sensors are left unreplaced leading to improper air-fuel mixture

Dirty or clogged fuel filter over time

Bypassing thermostat by cnnecting radiator directly

Replacing follow come radiator with double cells

Bad catalytic converter

MyDnis:
Wear and tear. Over time some parts fade,degrade or spoil. To get genuine replacement is hard. Most aftermarket are knock off.

u don talk am finish

These are pistons and rings in the engine bore. This is what powers your engine.
The fuel explodes inside here and pushes the piston down.
The down force is converted to rotation at the crankshaft and that's how your engine rolls.
-
When you buy the car new, the piston and the engine bore are tight.
Any fuel explosion is captured inside fully and transmitted to the piston motion.
As the car gets older, the engine bore expands due to wear and tear. Remember the piston
has passed up and down. 100, billion times since the car was new. So there's NO WAY the engine bore will
remain the same size. It will get BIGGER.
And once it is bigger, the piston will be LOOSE. There will be gaps.
The fuel explosion will not be captured fully again.
Some power will pass through the free gaps.
You will need to press the throttle MORE, for MORE FUEL to give BIGGER explosions just to get SAME power
you used to get with less fuel when the engine was new.
-
You can change the rings on the piston during the life time of the car.
In the olden days Peugeot 504, You could even change the SLEEVE that lines the Engine bore.
Just to make it TIGHT again and gain back some engine power.
But car manufacturers saw that people were TOO SMART, always changing sleeve and rings in stead of buying ANOTHER NEW CAR.
So the couldn't remove piston rings.
But the REMOVED engine block SLEEVES.
-
So now the Engine bore just continues to expand till it finally become too big for any engine power.
At that point the engine is guzzling up engine oil like mad, and wasting petrol as well.
No matter how much they sweared for you, you will be forced to change the complete engine of just dump the car for another newer one.
-
In Formula 1 Racing cars, the piston and engine bore IS SO TIGHT that there's no Kickstarter they can fix in the car to even start the engine.
Their engines has to be started with giant electric drill machine from outside. And once they start, the driver drives it throughout the race (All the above I mentioned, happens rapidly in that race) till the engine bore expands and is condemned at the end of the race. They have to build another engine for another race every time.

Iceking1:
I changed my spark plugs, I bought iridium original spark plugs from a Nairalander for 52k, yet my car fuel consumption remained the same

are you sure it's original? Mind whr you buy fuel too. I got fuel from AP in Lagos, the fuel was Dangote and did so well. I decided to buy from another AP in Ibadan, their fuel is the worst I've ever bought. It's like dey missed it up with rubbish. The fuel was gulping like water.

Carbon buildup in engine means less efficiency and more fuel needed for optimum efficiency

1) Mostly, we don't clean sensors in Nigeria. We don't bother about check engine light. There are over 7 sensors for the engine alone. When they are dirty, they give wrong information to the ECU which uses these information to alter the fuel mix ratio. Mostly Mass Airflow sensor, 02 sensor, Manifold absolute pressure sensor, PVC valve, crankshaft and camshaft position sensors, throttle position sensor, coolant temperature sensor, etc
The bolded directly affect fuel consumption. Others affect it indirectly.
Often the parts replaced are not of the same part number. Using a different part number will cause the calibration not to match.
2) Worn out parts and Use of wrong engine oil, wrong coolant, poor quality spark plugs, defective injector coil, bad torque converter.
3) Driving continuously in low gear ratio
4) Using different tire size as against manufacturer's recommended in a bid to make the car higher.

2cribz:
Naija fuel is bad. After 4months your piston grooves and piston crown would gather carbon then from there.it would seize piston oul control rings. From there. Engine would start burning oil and start smoking.from thr. Say bye bye to your factory engine once u ring am or change am.
Na why I dey fear car wey dem put or crest
Unleaded fuel only for fuel tank area.
E get why

Nigerian fuel stations only sell unleaded fuel. The main cause of fuel usage is mostly carbon buildup in the combustion area making the oxygen sensor sending information to the ECU that the car need more fuel for engine performance and more air. That will cause more fuel usage. Another is poor exust system and bad injection system. So proper maintenance is key.

providencia:
Poor maintenance, Bad mechanic, low quality fuel, inferior parts, Removal of thermostat & Enlargement of radiator

But that enlargement of radiator is necessary in some cars like Honda Civic.

The check engine light is not for decoration. Most check engine lights codes has something to do with air to fuel mixture which in turns consumes fuel. Get your car scanned.

franchasng:
Like someone said, wear and tear.


Other factors that contribute to fuel consumption in a car are:


1.) Excessive friction in the engine due to wear and tear as the engine ages and use of wrong engine oil.

Also some engine oil are thicker than others and therefore they give more resistance to the movement of the engine parts which then leads to more power usage, hence more fuel consumption. This explains why new model cars consume lesser fuel due to use of lighter engine oil specification with better efficiency


2.) Bad O2 sensors

3.) Reduced efficiency of catalytic converter as the car ages, or complete removal or absence of it

4.) Worn out tyres causing more friction and uneven movement on the road

5.) Poor combustion due to wear and tear and poor engine maintenance

6.) Other factors like driving attitude



Note: I speak as a professionally trained Mechanical Engineer with practical experience on this and more

Good points
You left out one important factor, majority of Nigerians remove thermostat and run fans all-time, starving the engine of optimal temperature

With your explanation.is it a v6 or v4. If its v4 then problem dey u suppose dey get at least above 20mpg.but im sure u r on about 8 to 9 mpg

Iceking1:
I'm planning to buy a direct Belgium at the first chance I get, the exact same car though, I love the car.

Nevertheless, I have changed all 4 injectors, all 4 coils, oxygen sensor, air filter, air flow sensor, I bought catalyst, radiator, all 4 wheels and all 4 tyre's. The tyre's that came with the car are huge, wheel 20 same goes for the tyre's, so I changed it to wheel 17 when my mechanic told me it's the cause of the consumption, but yet no difference.

I have also bought fuel injector cleaner both "Liquid and tablet type" didn't noticed any difference.

I normally buys 20k fuel every blessed two days interval, because I drive everyday.

Nevertheless, I'm not feeling too bad as previously because I'm already used to it, and also because I'm contemplating on getting a direct Belgium and after that sell this one off.

2cribz:
Naija fuel is bad. After 4months your piston grooves and piston crown would gather carbon then from there.it would seize piston oul control rings. From there. Engine would start burning oil and start smoking.from thr. Say bye bye to your factory engine once u ring am or change am.
Na why I dey fear car wey dem put or crest
Unleaded fuel only for fuel tank area.
E get why

K5blazer:
First off! We no get quality fuel for naija. Secondly is that the same bad fuel would start clogging your engine and exhaust overtime thereby making the engine forcefully breathe and in that case drink more fuel. An engine that breathes very well doesn't drink fuel and some of these cars sef have egr(exhaust gas recirculation) which also clogs up and consumes more fuel...also oxygen sensor,fuel pump and fuel filter whaala
People usually think that catalyst makes your car drink more but na big fat lie sha

ZickWorldNG:
My brother, you no lie.
Naija fuel fit humble even brand-new engine if person no dey careful.

Proper maintenance and good fuel source na the only way to stretch the life of that factory engine.

The bolded is a big fat lie.

Una go just dey attack Nigeria even to the extent of telling lies

onadana:
In developer climes you don't use a vehicle indefinitely.There is a period of three to four years and they change the vehicles because they klknow that by this time wear and tear has started taking place.
Those vehicles are then shipped to Africa as second hand.So tell me exactly 💯 what do you expect to happen to those vehicles?

Big lie
Your "developer climes" use cars for many years too as long as the car is being maintained well

No need buy thinner like 30cl buy 20 litres and see wonders

sooperrescue:
You got it right. Those advocates of hot temperatures requires 20w50 oils, let them come and learn. Someone was driving a Range Rover Vogue and the adjuster got broken and the cylinders cracked and he was proud to say that he was using 20w50 oil and he will still use it after the engine repair. It is his money
If anyone is interested in carbon cleaning in liquid form, get in touch. Just pop it into the fuel tank and you will see wonders.

2cribz:
With your explanation.is it a v6 or v4. If its v4 then problem dey u suppose dey get at least above 20mpg.but im sure u r on about 8 to 9 mpg

Boss it's v4 just one exhaust at the back bottom of the motor, I'm not certain my mpg is around 8 or 9 maybe 7 or probably 6, I dun tire, the fuel buying Is draining me.

With all you have changed.thats to tell u its not thebproblem. Do you wanna knownyour problem. Its not fan direct connection. Youbhave an exhaust gas leak. Take the car to where they do alignmemt at a filling station. Tell the oerson tobstep on accelerator. Go under dia put mlook at your exhaust and exhaust flex net.u shud see black fumes or charcoal fumes between the exhaust and exhaust flex /mesh net or better still as the person is stepping on accelerator .find a plastic bottle with soapy water ..spray itbonnthe exhaust and exhaust flex net if u see bubbles then you have found the culprit. Dont repair the net.rather buy new one.its abt 5 to 7k. If not your car will drink fuel like mad.also are tou driving spiritedly..that is hard acceleration from 0 to 100 within a space of 5mins. R u using ac 24/7. Ste you using right oil weight.my guys mpg on dashboard is between 18mpg and 24mpg on the same 4 plugs camry as yours

Iceking1:
Boss it's v4 just one exhaust at the back bottom of the motor, I'm not certain my mpg is around 8 or 9 maybe 7 or probably 6, I dun tire, the fuel buying Is draining me.

Why do some engines consume so much fuel after a few years.

Please share your experience..