Low Power and High Fuel Comsumption

[scatcat1994]

Hi guys,

I'm getting about 30mpg and max speed is about 70 on the flat.  Foot buried, it sits at 70, I can get more downhill but I feel this is less power than  used to get. I've been driving a 1.0 corsa which feels like a rocket in comparison.

Does this sound normal or perhaps an issue?  I recently changed my thermostat as it was overcooling to about 70C, wouldnt get any higher.  It's not sitting at just below 90C once it warms up.

I'm thinking maybe carbon deposits have built up and blocked an injector or something?

Thanks in advance guys,

-Scott

[scatcat1994]

Sorry I forgot to say, it's a 1.9D 2005 Van

[Gadgetman]

Now, the 1.9D isn't exactly a speedster, even on a good day, but...

How long since it had the valve clearances adjusted?
And how many miles does it have on the odometer?

[scatcat1994]

It's got 130k on it, 

I've had it for 2 years and done 20k and I haven't done them in that time, should I check the tappets?

[Gadgetman]

It's common to get it done at 100K, so if it hasn't been done, yet, then there's your problem.

Note that on the 1.9D, this is done by replacing disks under the lift arms. And to do this you need to measure the gaps, remove the camshaft, replace the disks with other disks, and bolt the camshaft back on.
And the u-shaped bits holding the camshaft in place is cast iron, and ground to fit in that order, on that head. If one cracks you have to either get a new set ground(fat chance) or get a new head for the engine.
So mind the placement and direction of them(mark them with whiteout, a marker or even nailpolish) and be mindful about the correct torque when reinstalling them.

[scatcat1994]

That sounds a little more complex than the conventional feeler gauge under the tappets method haha.

Cheers for letting me know, I'll investigate the valve clearances.

[Romahomepete]

My current Romahome is a 1.9 and it is not speedy but there is a fair amount of weight in it 110000 miles and it still pulls well, on the flat it will do 80 if pushed and does just short of 40 mpg which considering the weight and the old design of engine is not bad. We used to have a car with the same engine that clocked up 180000 miles before we sold it and the only engine work was heater plugs and cam belt, it was more speedy than the camper but it was much lighter and more aerodynamic than teh camper. It used to return top 40s fule consumption no matter what you did with it. I have never heard of the tappets needing resetting.

Peter