what things to do to up mpg?

[ad777]

hi all, i am barely averaging 40 mpg in my 2001 passat estate 1.9 awx engine,that is on a long run,45 with very careful driving,an terrible round town.this is even after service, and temp sensor being changed.can anyone out there give me any info on what they have done that has made a big difference to there mpg?any thoughts appreciated!cheers adam

[Peter_HMR]

If you have VCDS/Vagcom the first thing to do would be to check its getting up to temp. If not replace the thermostat. The timing should also be checked to make sure it's not advanced.

Mechanically I'd have a look at the egr and air intake and give it a good cleaning. After that poor mpg could be down to wear on the cam lobes which isn't easily fixed

[ad777]

thanks for that peter,can i get the timing adjusted by vagcom if too advanced?i think it was the egr valve i disabled with a bolt in the hose,would that be right??!!to stop the emissions being reburnt??!!tell me if i am wrong,am sure i did that last year to try and improve mpg,maybe you can advise if i did the right thing!!lobes a strong possibility,car got 190,00 on her,she an old girl.also wondered about injectors,and possibly worn injector loom,i assume a vagcom reading would bring that up to,though she seems to tick over and pull away ok.maybe put up a post to see if anyone near edinburgh/perth got a vag com!thanks again for suggestions,adam

[ad777]

can i also ask,have read in other posts that apart from the water temp sender that is the usual suspect,there is a fuel temp sender too,can a faulty one of these reduce mpg?thoughts please!!cheers adam

[jammy86]

Check out my thread about fuel consumption. your problems sound just like mine and my problem was cam lobes. It only takes about 15mins to check . Replaced the cam and im up to around 55mpg.

[ad777]

thanks for that,am reckoning that the direction may have to head in.will check out your post end of the day,cheers adam