2.2D Sr180 Bad Starting And Weird Idle

[joshua-waa]

Hi everyone :)

quite new here - first post!

I have had my auris for around 4 weeks now... its been fine up until the last few days...

It started yesterday when i came to start it, i waited for the glow plugs to go out and gave them a few extra seconds (usually turn the key to the position then put my seat belt on etc)... i then turned the key and after a few seconds the engine started - rather then instantly.

It has been rather cold lately... -2 with snow on the bonnet and an icy windscreen etc, but surely this wouldnt cause it to take so long to start (i used to have a megane cabriolet dci before and that would start instantly).

Is it perhaps i need to turn the key into this position a few times when its really cold - when 2 degrees plus as it has been the few weeks before its started perfectly.

Also yesterday i noticed it was idling at around 1200rpm when i pulled into tesco car park.

It also did this after i did a longish run (75 miles motorway and a-road), when i pulled into the side to change my cd after a few seconds it went from idling at the 1000 with a quiet engine note to around the 1200 mark again with a louder more vibratey type sound.

I did clean my EGR valve out last week which was a bit sooty... and the cars mpg has improved from the 35 when i first got it (was giving it a good working the first 2 weeks)... to around 45 now (although i saw no more then 42 yesterday)....

Also... when i fill up the range only says around 360 miles or so... but my last tankful i got 500 miles before i had to fill up before a long journey with a bar of fuel left... im guessing this is just a normal issue - rang toyota and thee rep there said he had the same on his company one)... i have read you can still get an extra 50 even when it says low fuel etc!

Im still loving the car though! :)

[Uncle Buck]

Welcome Joshua - glad you're enjoying the car.

To be honest those things you mentioned are pretty typical of SR ownership. The idle is always higher in cold weather, just like the way it was with manual chokes (many moons ago !), especially when you have the heating or air con on for demisting.

Don't think my range has ever shown more than 380 mls, even though it has managed 450 on a tank. When it goes down to 2 bars & starts flashing at you, I've done another 30 mls before refuelling with 4 litres to spare. Normally though I fill at around 420 mls and get approx 46-48 litres in. It's a 55 litre tank. Low 40's to the gallon is typical of a healthy running 2.2 D4D.

[joshua-waa]

Thanks for the reply...

i did actually read somewhere that if you triple glow plug start it (turning it on and off a few times it makes it easier to start)... did this and low and behold within a second it fired up (was 0 degrees when i went out last night and -1 this morning)....

And i always aim to fill up before the warning light comes on... anyone would of thought a bomb had gone of somewhere within the car!

Also, because im not a fan of iphone/ipods etc (i refuse to buy anything i)... is it possible to retrofit a normal style jack like a headphone one say that would go in my nokia?

[P34RC3]

Mine reads 270 miles a tank on fill up and I'm getting 27.5mpg lol

[Uncle Buck]

Mine reads 270 miles a tank on fill up and I'm getting 27.5mpg lol

Eek ! That's astonishingly bad

Considering that I used to get 25 MPG average from my Supra ..........

[Orta]

Picking up my SR180 2moro, and read so many posts about crap MPG of these cars. I'm terrified because I've swapped my Astra SRI CDTi 150 (XP) in for this Auris and was hoping for similar mpg. I've been getting 45-47. These figures totally unachievable in the Toyota?

[joshua-waa]

my car seems fine now after all that! :)

im getting on average between 40 and 50 to each tank... on a good motorway run im getting high 40s then as soon as i get to coming to and from work it drops to around 40...

[P34RC3]

I have the 1.9 150 Astra. Won't beat that on fuel for sure. But u Aint got to worry about ya gearbox going lol.

I do alot of town driving so... Lol I do drive hard too. If I'm steady with right for I can get 30ish tho. I'd just rather not clogg my dpf so it's go hard or go home lol!

[Orta]

Just picked the car up today, and tanked it. Telling me my range is 280 miles Is this range based on the mpg up to now? Because if I've been ragged before by testpilots it's bound to show that. Or is it a symptom of a dirty EGR?

[Uncle Buck]

Just picked the car up today, and tanked it. Telling me my range is 280 miles Is this range based on the mpg up to now? Because if I've been ragged before by testpilots it's bound to show that. Or is it a symptom of a dirty EGR?

You'd probably be best to reset the ECU so it can learn your driving manner. The process has been explained on here many times & is quite easy.

[P34RC3]

I'd clean the egr anyway. These cars Aint good on fuel tho. I'm at 27 now lol. Well... Sun popped out so it was rude not too lol

[Awebb180]

my average over 6 months was 38.9 mpg calculated, was 40.5 on the dash, this was 80% motorway 20% town,, got my techs to strips and clean the inlet manifold and egr and do a forced regen to try and make it better. ended up selling it

Alex

[Orta]

my average over 6 months was 38.9 mpg calculated, was 40.5 on the dash, this was 80% motorway 20% town,, got my techs to strips and clean the inlet manifold and egr and do a forced regen to try and make it better. ended up selling it

Alex

Great that's reassuring

[Awebb180]

my average over 6 months was 38.9 mpg calculated, was 40.5 on the dash, this was 80% motorway 20% town,, got my techs to strips and clean the inlet manifold and egr and do a forced regen to try and make it better. ended up selling it

Alex

Great that's reassuring

also make sure you have the maf cleaned as well. A couple of our customers see around 45/46mpg. Best i saw was 49mpg

i got better economy on Shell fuel save with millers diesel but a smoother drive on Shell v-power

Alex

[Uncle Buck]

Yeah, I definitely noticed a smoother engine when using Shell V-power too. Problem is it's very expensive & the nearest garage to me that sells it is over 75 mls away. I've never actually cleaned the MAF on mine, but if it ever dropped lower than 40 MPG average it's the 1st thing I'd do.

[joshua-waa]

well yesterday i did the most miles ive done in one day so far in the car.... 345 to be precise...

i inspect and repair play areas for a living so its a lot of driving in one day and then 5 minutes out of the car at certain intervals...

on the motorway jaunt down to bromsgrove from selby (120 ish miles in total) i got an average of 44mpg which i was quite happy with... part of this i was slip streaming a van at 70ish (a little faster at times)... a week ago i did slip stream a lorry like a granny and got 55mpg!

anyway as soon as i got to that site and inspected it my next one took me across country and on some back roads which was a nice treat after 2 hours on a motorway... managed to surprise a bmw driver who cut me up at the roundabout just before i turned onto the twistie ... kept with the fool all the way!.. average went down to around 43 (so not much of a drop).... even though ive read reports of understeer and road holding not being the best... coming from my megane itl go round corners a hell of a lot better and pull itself out of them too ;)

anyway after a few other sites in the leicestershire/northamptonshire area i set of home... got stuck in a bit of traffic in leicester and saw the mpg drop a bit (down to around 39!!)... anyway i set of home which was a 100 mile journey motorway then 15 miles a roads or so.. stopped for a hot chocolate half way....my average speed may of gone up a little as i wanted to get home (sent the other half to get me a bottle of Rose!)... after a 10 hour day much appreciated...

the MPG went upto 42.4 by the time i pulled into my parking space.... which im happy with... got 4 bars of fuel left and an anticipated range of 142 miles (which i know is more like 180 or so before low fuel comes on!)... i reckon il get to at least 550 miles out of this tank.... the MPG read out to me seems a bit hit and miss!.... saying that i used to see an average of 48 or so in my megane but only get 550-600 miles to a tank so maybe that was a bit optimistic...

Computers for these things are all well and good... but sometimes you just cant beat the human brain! haha.

I did arrive home with a tony bit of back ache... but then again that was rather a lot of miles and i did twist it dodgily lifting my toolbox in and out of the car...

the things i do as the playground police!!

[Uncle Buck]

A 10 hr day - is that all ? You should try haulage for a living ! :P

[joshua-waa]

il stick to inspecting play areas ;)

its not a nice job when owners let there dogs poo everywhere :(

and some of the sights you get are horrendous... glass and needles everywhere!... why? in a kids play area of all places :(

[joshua-waa]

so i had my car in yesterday for the recall on the suspension and window switch...

they also gave the car a check and refitted the heat plate (car seems much more refined now no rattles anymore!)... and they noticed a leak in my waterpump... which is being fitted under warranty next week :D

[Uncle Buck]

so i had my car in yesterday for the recall on the suspension and window switch...

they also gave the car a check and refitted the heat plate (car seems much more refined now no rattles anymore!)... and they noticed a leak in my waterpump... which is being fitted under warranty next week :D

Mine's is having the same 2 recalls done tommorow.

Incidentally I checked my MPG again after the latest fill-up - despite the OBC telling me it was 42, it actually worked out at an impressive 44.4 MPG. My best ever figure after a tankfull ! :)

[joshua-waa]

Are they recalls that have just come about? I on the off chance just checked the website!

Maybe they will give me a brand new Auris for a few days next week to test :P

[Uncle Buck]

No mate, they've been outstanding for a few months now. Takes the garages a while to get all the relevant info/parts together & then make appointments for customer cars to be inspected. Mine took 1 hr 45 mins total to check.

For anyone who doesn't know - they attach a tag with the recommended torque settings to the rear suspension & then grease the window switch with an authorised lubricant.

Incidentally - top marks to Toyota Elgin for washing & hoovering the car before I returned. A nice touch that & not always guaranteed with main dealers.

[joshua-waa]

I got a wash and vac out to... pushed me to make the effort and wax the car when i got home so shiny now! :)

Also got a sandwhich, hot chocolate and slice of cake at Toyota York while i waited! :)