Help big decrease in MPG after cambelt change

[timuss]

I've just had the cambelt changed on my 182 as it was due replacing with age. All went well i had the water pump done at the same time. But i have noticed a massive decrease in MPG before the change i was getting just under 30 MPG around 28+ last night coming home i was getting as little as 20-21.

On the way home tonight i barely managed to get 23 MPG im convinced all is not right the fluctiation on the MPG is quite dramatic. Now i know a 2 litre 16v car is going to be quite juicy but surely a decrease like that can't be right????

Could the timing be wrong?? A collegue at work has mentioned that???

Any advice very welcome beginning to wish i'd not been so lazy and taken it to the main dealer

 

[Dunc.]

Did you get it done at a specialist with all the tools required? Or some local garage?

 

[Djw John]

Yup, very sensitive to timing, mpg and power can suffer badly if not done quite right. Best to get it checked over by a local specialist.

 

[Dan1587]

Even before the chance you should be getting more like 35+ unless you have a brick as a right foot!

Do you have the engine light on?

And like said above, who did the belts?

 

[timuss]

Did you get it done at a specialist with all the tools required? Or some local garage?

My local renault specialist garage, im going to take it back i think something isn't right. A rookie error on my part didn't realise how big a job it is.

 

[timuss]

Even before the chance you should be getting more like 35+ unless you have a brick as a right foot!

Do you have the engine light on?

And like said above, who did the belts?

No warning lights at all the car seems to be running fine. Maybe a bit on the noisy side. Im going to take it back,

 

[Dan1587]

Yeah, its a very important job. It is for most cars, but the Clio just seems a little more sensitive....

 

[Dan519]

getting under 30mpg to start with raises some concern for me. I suspect there was an issue there before, possibly lambda sensor. You should see at least 35mpg, and over 40 if you drive carefully on a run.

I'd say the cam timing was out too now. Read the sticky thread at the top of the engine, exhaust and running gear section

 

[yeecup]

getting under 30mpg to start with raises some concern for me. I suspect there was an issue there before, possibly lambda sensor. You should see at least 35mpg, and over 40 if you drive carefully on a run.

I'd say the cam timing was out too now. Read the sticky thread at the top of the engine, exhaust and running gear section

Really? Town driving is all I do and I get an indicated 27mpg

 

[Fred@BTM]

yeah as Danny said going steady on the motorway at 65mph you should be over 40mpg no problem

 

[MartinR]

19.9 but i only do 10 miles a day.

if you do alot of stop and start driving it won't help at all

 

[Dan1587]

19.9 but i only do 10 miles a day.

if you do alot of stop and start driving it won't help at all

It won't help the mpg or the engine.

 

[Dan519]

yeah as Danny said going steady on the motorway at 65mph you should be over 40mpg no problem

easily. I look after 2 cups that regularly average 42. I got 38 from one on an "enthusiastic" motorway cruise back from Nottingham the other week

 

[Dan519]

19.9 but i only do 10 miles a day.

if you do alot of stop and start driving it won't help at all

thats really really poor. Admitedly you wont be up in the 40s, but you should still be over 30. I get 22 from my Volvo 850 T5 Auto round town

 

[MartinR]

thats really really poor. Admitedly you wont be up in the 40s, but you should still be over 30. I get 22 from my Volvo 850 T5 Auto round town

5 miles to work 5 miles back sat in traffic and endless stop/start driving due to roundabouts and speed bumps. but does go above 40 on a steady drive on the motorway and 27ish round town

just seems to be the commuting i get the problem:S

Sorry for the thread hijack OP

 

[Dan519]

oh literally stop start will ruin it

 

[timuss]

Just a bump on this: Managing to get the MPG a bit more realistic, but even on a run today averaging 65-70 i wasn't even able to break 30MPG Also noticing my average speed on the trip computer is only showing at around 14-15mph.

Going into the garage again tomorrow hopefully should get an update on any problems.

 

[CrippsCorner]

I only get around 24mpg from pure town driving, and around 34mpg from a motorway run... wonder if the timing was off when the cambelt was last done? Coming up for 3 years old though!

 

[Danith]

yeah as Danny said going steady on the motorway at 65mph you should be over 40mpg no problem

If I stuck to 60-65 (just below 3k) on the motorway yesterday I was getting a supposed 50mpg. A Clio in the 20s would make me cry. Hope you get it sorted!

 

[timuss]

i wonder wether its an electrical problem?? The car seems to be performing fine no noticeable decrease in performance. But hopefully tomorrow i will get an answer to what the potential problem is.

 

[MicKPM]

What you really need to do is get the car looked at properly buddy as there's deffo a problem here aswell as a possible timing issue. We've had a spate of coolant temp sensors recently and this will drag the MPG right down to but they're cheap and simple fixes.

Timing is pretty easy to confirm or deny as being right or wrong so take it back to whoever did it and politely ask them to have a look. If they're reputable they'll gladly look it over for you.

 

[timuss]

What you really need to do is get the car looked at properly buddy as there's deffo a problem here aswell as a possible timing issue. We've had a spate of coolant temp sensors recently and this will drag the MPG right down to but they're cheap and simple fixes.

Timing is pretty easy to confirm or deny as being right or wrong so take it back to whoever did it and politely ask them to have a look. If they're reputable they'll gladly look it over for you.

Its gone back today and they are checking it over hopefully find the problem once and for all.

 

[johnnyd]

I never get over 30 mpg unless i reset my computer whilst doing 60-65 on the motorway. I recently filled up and then reset and tried to get the best mpg i could. I only just managed 29mpg with a bit of stop start but mainly cruising in 30 mph limit roads. I was only reving to 2-2.5k before changing gear.

I got my cambelt changed at JMS around a year ago but even before then i was getting the same mpg. Trouble is I live in north london and all the renault specialists are miles away. I hate going to Renault dealers. All they want to do is charge me £90 for a diagnostic check and then say they didnt find a fault. If I try and tell them i know what the problem is they tell me they aren't an agony aunt. W**kers.

OP, if you live near a specialist garage I'd say go to them.

 

[timuss]

I never get over 30 mpg unless i reset my computer whilst doing 60-65 on the motorway. I recently filled up and then reset and tried to get the best mpg i could. I only just managed 29mpg with a bit of stop start but mainly cruising in 30 mph limit roads. I was only reving to 2-2.5k before changing gear.

I got my cambelt changed at JMS around a year ago but even before then i was getting the same mpg. Trouble is I live in north london and all the renault specialists are miles away. I hate going to Renault dealers. All they want to do is charge me £90 for a diagnostic check and then say they didnt find a fault. If I try and tell them i know what the problem is they tell me they aren't an agony aunt. W**kers.

OP, if you live near a specialist garage I'd say go to them.

Yeah i wanted to avoid the main dealer if possible. This garage are Renault specialists they have serviced my previous Clio and seem to know what they are doing. They are going to go over the cambelt again and recheck everything incase something has been missed.

 

[timuss]

Seems to have been sorted they reset something via the dashboard??? i think my MPG has increased and i was getting 31.5 mpg on the way home. Thankfully it was a straightforward fix in the end.

 

[Fred@BTM]

Well this is what a MAIN DEALER did to one of my customers cars http://yfrog.com/obfqelbj

 

[Bobby.]

That's what I was going to say, have you reset the mpg reader could be something as simple as that. The thing is now if they have reset it and you drove it carefully home it should of been ready something like 40-45mpg and then when you do give it a blast it will go down and settle at around 35mpg. Still think that's a bit low or was you giving it some stick?

 

[MicKPM]

Still sounds high to me to unless you were giving it beans.

I'm not saying its timing but I'd want to see the live data to see what the MAP, H02 and CTS were doing.

 

[timuss]

Well coming home tonight i was getting around 31 that was stop start 40mph max. Need to go out on a run and really see what i can get out of it.

 

[lemonnobby]

may last to 182 i could get 31 with my eyes closed. used to see 40 plus no probs.
Fred that is bad do they use tools or tipex?

 

[Dan519]

Well this is what a MAIN DEALER did to one of my customers cars http://yfrog.com/obfqelbj

looks like the cams would have lined up, and they got the crank pin in the wrong hole

 

[lemonnobby]

ahh that favourate. on the web of the crank

 

[Dan519]

yeah seen it a dozen times or more, crank pin drops into a balance drilling and they don't bother to check the flywheel marking

 

[Inequality Street]

My 1.2 only gets 34mpg! Madness.

 

[warwickstingray]

We must have been lucky (Very relieved considering what i read on here) as the renault dealer in Trowbridge did a great job on our cambelt change + associated bits. They have done a few other jobs on the car since as well. Car goes as well as we would ever want and gives great fuel consumption. They even gave us a certificate with the two mechanics names on that did the job (i thought thats was brave to be honest! s**t happens!!). I did suggest alternatives eg. specialists but my Dad can afford main dealer prices and they are on his door step.

The dealers do sometimes get it right. Shame it seems to be so rare. They did fit some utterly s**te windscreen wipers a few months back but that is the worst we've had.