2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

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alex_nrv
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2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by alex_nrv »

Hi!
I took some time to browse the internet and GenVibe about fuel consumption, and didn't find much similar to my problem, so I decided to post about my specific problem.

I have Pontiac Vibe 2009, 5-spd manual, FWD, 2.4L. When I got the car 2 years ago (used), I used to drive easily over 500km with my tank, from home to work (50-50 hwy/city), and some driving here and there for geocery, etc. (all regular routine stuff). I would reach 600km on highway-only drives, maybe even 650km to the last drop of gas.

Since this winter, I noticed I only reach the 450km mark. I did a long trip on mostly all highway and managed to get to 500km, which is pretty lame.
I've read here and there about the fact some petrol companies put stuff in winter gas, which affects the quality. I've also thought the winter tires could hurt a little bit (the tires are well inflated at 32 PSI).

The car is not leaking, I would smell it in my driveway.

The only other thing I could think about would be the O2 sensors and the MAF? But I didn't have a check engine light telling me something was wrong.
I know I can clean the MAF, but I don't even know where to look for it and how to get it out of where it is. Same goes for the O2 sensors... where are they? And how do I get them off? And are O2 sensors cleanable?

I don't have much more ideas about this weird fuel consumption all of a sudden. MAYBE it's the cooler temperature (Montreal, Quebec), maybe it's the tires and maybe it's the gaz quality. Maybe it did the same thing last winter and I didn't even notice. I might put on my summer tires next week-end, this will be a big change to test it out.

The one last thing that comes to mind would be the fuel injectors... but I wonder why would they be dirty that much, and ALL of a SUDDEN. I could try to put in some cleaner (Redline fuel system cleaner??).

Any inputs will be appreciated, especially on the O2 and MAF location and removal!

Thanks a LOT!
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Rayven01
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by Rayven01 »

10% hit sounds about right between summer and winter. It's not so much the tires as the cold starts (engine takes a lot longer to get up to operating temp) and the winter blend gas. If it continues once the temps consistently stay above 60 that's when I'd start looking for other causes.
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vibenvy
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by vibenvy »

I agree, although it probably wouldn't hurt to give the MAF sensor a good cleaning.
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cq358
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by cq358 »

CRC QD electronic cleaner from NAPA only 4.50.
alex_nrv
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by alex_nrv »

It's starting to be in average 60 degrees F around here (15 celcius). Nights can still drop to about 37 degrees F (3 celcius). Mornings like today are about 43 F (6 C).
This week-end will be the hottest since spring, and next week should be also a great week, with an average of 68ish F (20 C). I will install my summer tires saturday, and might also check to fill up the tank with 91 or 93 octane gas.
I will also check to clean the MAF. I still just don't know where it is located ans removed. EDIT: Thanks Vibeny! I didn't noticed at first your text was a link!

I certainly hope the winter was the cause of the relatively bad fuel comsumption! I just don't know WHEN the petrol companies stop putting additives to their gas...

Thanks!
alex_nrv
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by alex_nrv »

OK, wow.That's gonna be an easy clean up for that MAF! Super duper easy. I hope this will somehow help with the fuel economy.
I used several tools to convert my L/100km to MPG, and the calculation comes to 23 MPG (10L/100km). So, by knowing my MPG, I can now compare with users on this forum, and 23 is not out of this world. I saw people with the same consumption. I certainly hope that cleaning the MAF and putting LUCAS Fuel System Cleaning will help the effeciency of the fuel consumption and raise the MPG somewhere between 27 and 30 MPG! This would bring me to somewhere around 575 to 640 km per tank of 50 Liters (I believe that's the full capacity of the tank?

Like I said, my average for my regular routine driving was about 530-550 km, and while doing only highway (vacation to NY, for instance) I would come real close to 650 km.
This summer, I have a trip to do to New Brunswick, which can easily be 8 hours of driving (900 ~ 930 km). This will be a good control test for the km done with a tank. Though I never wait until my tank is completely empty to refuel, especially that I have a 1:30 hours stretch to go without any civilisation while driving across NB from Edmundston to Bathurst, it will still be a great test to get the numbers to calculate the liters per 100km, or MPG (when I will refuel, I will top it and see how many liters were burnt).

Also, I might have to check the O2 sensor. This winter, I did NOT receive the infamous CHECK ENGINE light, along with the VSC OFF and Traction Control lights (another thread I created about it...). This only happens during summer and a little bit during fall. I don't even recall it from happening during spring.
When I read the code with my cousin's code reader, it mentionned an O2 sensor and if this sensor is acting weird, it might affect the gas consumption... But I also tell myself that if this O2 sensor is goign bad, I would receice constant CEL...

... to be continued!
tpollauf
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by tpollauf »

Alex; we have the same drive train configuration ... 2.4L with the 5 speed manual. Summer highway driving nets me 36-37 mpg (15.3-15.7 km/l) BUT the winter driving it dropped to 33-34 MPG (14-14.4 km/l) so the winter blend definitely affects our fuel economy :x . My best tank (summer time) was 420 miles (676 km) so I'd say you have a combination of issues contributing to the sudden drop in fuel economy. Good luck & keep all of us posted :)
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alex_nrv
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by alex_nrv »

tpollauf wrote:Alex; we have the same drive train configuration ... 2.4L with the 5 speed manual. Summer highway driving nets me 36-37 mpg (15.3-15.7 km/l) BUT the winter driving it dropped to 33-34 MPG (14-14.4 km/l) so the winter blend definitely affects our fuel economy :x . My best tank (summer time) was 420 miles (676 km) so I'd say you have a combination of issues contributing to the sudden drop in fuel economy. Good luck & keep all of us posted :)
So, your summer is 6.5 L/100km (that's how it is calculated here in Canada... don't ask why, but it's the opposite of the US!)
And your winter is 7.1 L/100km

The original flyer that came with the car ("EnerGuide") mentionned something along those lines... 7 L/100km on highway, and somewhere in the 9 L/100km in the city.
Right now, my topped-up tank is about to run out (the light went on this morning) and I am at 440km... I don't know what is the quantity of fuel remaining in the tank when the low fuel light goes on, but let's assume 5 liters? Right now, I might be good for another 40 km before I run out of gas (I never wait too long to refuel after the light is ON... and last fall I was doing at least 525km at the point the light would go on).

So 480km would give me 10.4L/100km, 60% HWAY, 40% CITY, which is not super good, but not extra bad.
I don't know WHEN the petrol companies stop putting winter additives in the gas, but I would think it should be ALREADY done as we speak... It's spring and we don't get below 0 degrees C.

I'll go fill-up my car with good gas and I will add the Lucas Fuel System Cleaner into the tank, and we'll see how it goes after this tank.

I also cleaned my MAF sensor. Mine was exactly like VIBENVY's MAF. Mine seem really clean, but I cleaned it anyway.

In 3-4 weeks, if I don't see improvements in the fuel comsumption, I will have to further investigate the cause... it REALLY bugs me! Last summer, the light goes on and I am at 525km. Now, the light goes on and I am at 440km. I am missing somewhere between 75 and 85km per tanks.

Thanks
alex_nrv
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by alex_nrv »

I am getting close to 500 km with a full tank, half city half highway. The low fuel light came on this morning at 475 km. I am at 489 km right now and tonight I will hit the 500 km+ while I'm heading to the gas station.

I KNOW for sure I can drive at least 35km on the low fuel light, and probably even 50 km (I wouldn't really risk it though...). The last time I ran on the low fuel light, I was able to fill-in about 46 liters. Knowing the tank holds 50 liters, I still had 4 liters in the tank... so my guess of how much gas it left in the tank when the light comes on would be nearing the 7 liters...
If we can make 7.0 liters / 100 km, there might be a slight chance we can drive about 80 km on the low light. I wouldnt really drive past the 50 km mark, so I wouldn't try the 80 km mark! But it would be a good guess... Drive at 90 km/h when the light comes on and you WILL find a gas station within the kilometers left in your tank!

Right now my gas economy hasn't really improved. Like I said last time, the MAF has been cleaned (though it was really clean already), I used a 93 octane tank of Shell V-Power Nitrogen enriched gas (0% ethanol) with a bottle of Lucas Fuel System Cleaner. This was 2 tank ago. Now I am finishing my first tank after this clean-up. I had 91 octane from Petro-Canada, with the Tactrol additive. I could see a SLIGHT improvement over the last tank, but I got stuck in heavy traffic last week, so It ruins the calculations.
I probably could drive 525 km with the tank I am on right now, and I will fill-up with 89 octane and see again what mileage I can achieve.

It really sucks that I lost a little but of fuel economy. I can't think of anything thawt could cause this small loss of distance with one tank. The last thing I could check to replace would be the Oxygen Sensors...
alex_nrv
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by alex_nrv »

OK, well I got to the gas station yesterday after work, I was at 501 km. When I filled the tank up, I was able to fill 43 liters (I rounded it up)! Maybe I could have pushed it to 45 or 46 liters, filling-up slowly.
Sooo... If I refer to the user's manual, there must have been somewhere around 7 liters left in the tank (50 liters tank)... I can't believe there would be only 45 liters, which seems almost impossible (there WAS gas remaining in the tank and I could have pushed the fill-up to at least 45 liters...)
And according to the fuel economy chart that came with the car, on the highway it can drive up to 100 km with something like 7 or 8 liters. It would REALLY surprise me that I would have been able to still drive 100 km with the remaining of gas I had in the tank.

Anywyas. I was able to reach the 500 km mark, which is a first step in the right direction. I will see in the the next months how it goes, and I have a 915 km drive to New Brunswick. So I will then be able to see how far one full tank can bring me. It SHOULD reach the 600 km, though I will have a "roof burger/cargo", but only 2 adults and 1 baby. We probably will be driving 100 km/h.

I certainly hope I won't be deceived when I'll have to make my first refill.
alex_nrv
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by alex_nrv »

Last Sunday, I was able to fill in 42 liters and my light was not even lit (but I'm sure it was about to). I was at about 450 km on the odo. I could have easily reach the 500km while driving with th elow fuel light ON. That tank was used on 90% highway.
alex_nrv
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by alex_nrv »

Yesterday, I topped my tank and added 2$ extra after the first auto-release of the gun. I then went home (which is 2 minutes away from the gas station).
Then, I had a 35 minutes drive to do, highway only, no traffic lights, no traffic. When I arrived in the city I needed to go, I went to a gas station to re-topped my gas tank. When the gun auto-released, I added an extra 2$ again. The refuel was done at 65 km and I was able to fill in 5 liters.

So with little and simple maths:

65 km -> 100 km
5 L -> 7.7 L

7.7 L / 100km (HWY), this is what the car was advertised for.
(This would mean 30.5 mpg on HWY).

Everyday now, since I extended a little bit my working hours, I waste time in afterwork traffic (maybe 10 minutes extra worth of traffic, which was 0 minute before).
So the most probable culprit might very well be the traffic I encounter now.

I will know in about 2 months what I really can achieve with one complete tank on HWY only. The N.-B. drive will bring me for sure to 500-550km (without waiting too long after the low gas light as come ON..! I hate to drive distances with the light ON, even though that now I know when the low gas light goes ON, there is about (at least) 7 liters left in the tank.)

No need to get paranoid now about the fuel consumption!
alex_nrv
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Re: 2009 Vibe 2.4L Fuel consumption

Post by alex_nrv »

Been a long while since this thread is standing still, thought it might be good for future readers to post about the outcomes since then.
Winter seems to be the culprit. During summers, I regain my 500km+ per tank. When winter is coming, I immediately see the mileage drop little by little... about 425km...per tank then when it's really cold, I can see the mileage not even reaching 400km, more like 350-375km...
During winter, it's really rare that I have to travel very far (500km and more) so I don't know how it would behave when cold but ALL highway. This christmas, I had a car trip of about 225km one way. Though I didn't took the chance of coming back without tanking, I think my mileage was slightly better doing almost ALL highway, probably nearing 450km...

Anyways. Winter is a B. ;)
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