Land Rover Repair: Heavy fuel consumption, wheel alignment, worn tires

Question
Good day,.....I have a '76 landrover 2 1/4 series 109 petrol 4 cylinder. Extremely heavy on fuel...5.5km/l...is there anything i can do to improve consumption?? Thanking you in anticipation.

Answer
Hi Darryl,

replace your spark plugs and spark plug wires, install new fuel, oil and air filters.  

Check your tire pressure, replace worn tires with high end tires (harder the tire, the less friction on the road).  

Lubricate your vehicle - add grease to all the zircs, making sure to push out the old grease until the new grease starts to appear (where possible).  

Replace all your fluids - transmission, brake, coolant.  

Wheel alignment can also help improve performance and lower consumption.  It will also reveal if you have steering or suspension problems that contribute to poor consumption.

Check and replace your drivebelt(s).  Worn belts slip and reduce performance.

Then there is driving habits:  if you are heavy on the foot, lighten up!  Pull away with a softer foot and allow the speed to gradually increase. Anticipate braking - sudden brake and acceleration is wasteful.

Carry only what you need - leave the 'other' spare tire, shovel, cooler, chains, excessive tools, all are added weight.  Carry an emergency kit but don't carry 100' heavy gauge chain and come-along...unless of course you are going into the bush.  Same goes for carriage, ladders, racks, etc.  IF you can remove them, use them only when needed.

Have your engine fully tested.  Pressure test on cylinders will reveal if you combustion pressure is too low. You want the best possible combustion.  Worn rings or cylinder damage can cause poor performance.  

Run some cleaners in your engine.  There are some additives that you use JUST before you change your oil.  BE CAREFUL HERE.  If you use an oil flush (reportedly to flush sludge etc) make sure you flush the flush as well.  I used an oil flush once and then added the oil as instructed.  Soon after, I had trouble within the engine and it may have been due to the flush reducing the oils ability to lubricate properly.  SO...if you use an oil flush, run the vehicle for awhile (few days, week) THEN drain the oil and install new oil again.  May save you the cost of a new engine (or ring replacement in my case).

All the above should help.