Expected MPG on 323i ?

[KRiSi]

Any of you guys know what kind of economy you can expect to get fom a 1985 (M20) 323i.

The OBC tells me about 16-17 mpg and I seem to be getting about 190 miles to a tank (Ԛ£35).

Most of it is round town but still seems a little low.

Just wondering what other zoners seem to be getting from their 323s or 325s, just for comparison.

That said I'm coming from an E46 320d so maybe I've just been spoiled

I'd be interested if anyone can give me some figures for comparison.

[320Touring]

well my 320 touring (2.0m20)

is not much lighter on the juice than a 325-I reckon on about 300 to a tank around town and up to 400 on a run

trick is to keep an eye on the econometer rather than the obc

Jesus325i managed to get 445 miles outta a tank in his touring-thats almost 36mpg

just service it, check that the thermostat opens correctly (so the car heats up right and doesnt always overfuel)

190 is a touch brutal tbh-i'd reckon on 200 from Ԛ£30 as a minimum on a run

[KRiSi]

That's what I thought, I'd expect about 25 ish.

Just been serviced as well, maybe it needs to go back in and get it checked out.

Wish I was getting 36 !!

I once got 630 miles out of a tank in my 320d SE. That was touching 50 mpg !!

If anyone else has a 323i I'd appreciate some figures. I know this model is a bit rarer than most.

[jmc330i]

The 325i is better on fuel than the 320i for some reason, no idea why. My 325i always seemed to get 37-39mpg on a run and nothing below 24-25mpg around town - unless I was having some fun

The 323i is about the same as the 320i.

[Guest]

I have a 323i auto and i did 140 on 40litres ~14mpg before i got my bike sorted. that was about 20 cold starts and traffic jams.

I put an ecotec vavle in and have never had anything less than 18 mpg since in town. on a longer run i typically get 33-35 mpg.

I run 0-40 oil too which helps.

My fuel pressure reg. failed over about a year and the mpg decreased slowly to about 25 mpg on a long run. then the car started to stall as it was flooding.

maybe try and check the FPR, check spark plugs for soot ie rich running.

[Zayyan]

This might sound stupid, but you don't get answers without asking questions, so here goes....

What's an ecotec valve? And how does it work?

[Guest]

check out eurocarparts or better http://www.ecotekplc.com/ there was a month trail period in which you could send it back if you thought it was no good.

There does seem to be mixed emotion about it. they do need to be fiddled with abit, like winter summer, they do make some noise, which can be muffled with a filter.

do some research, do some maths and then make your own mind up. I think that i gained up to 20% in town. There was a very noticable improvement to throttle response which is as interesting.

[KRiSi]

Thanks for the tips guys, its going in Tuesday to get checked out.

Its also making a ticking noise which is really irritating coz apart from that the engine sounds spot on. The BMW 6 cylinder really has the greatest sound of any engine I've ever heard. The ticking seems to be coming from under the rocker cover and is proportional to the revs. It is also louder under load and in the first 2 mins of starting.

I'll let you know the outcome. If i can get 20+ I'll be happy, 25 would be great

I'm just hoping the ticking noise isn't gonna cost a fortune to sort coz one way or another its gotta get sorted. Its really f*ckin annoying and the only thing that it spoiling an otherwise perfectly running E30.

[320Touring]

ticking is usually one of two things...

the bosch injectors used on the m20 tick like mad-no fix apart from new injectors

or the tappets need done (fairly easy!) see this article for a step by step guide )

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... echnva.htm

[dazleeds]

drove 1 from and around nottingham and to leeds a couple months ago and did 97miles before the light came back on only put a tenna in so thats was sorted but now its out of juice on the drive but my 320ise is crap on juice getting bout 55 to a tenna average not happy as my old b reg 320 auto used to do 100 to a tenna all the time and that was only 2year ago bloody petrol stations harge the earth spoil my economy twats Daz

[bennyp]

ticking is good on an m20, if your tappets are too tight they snap ( as happened to mine - by bristols premier BMW garage, Dick Lovett?! and a bill for Ԛ£many (paid by them )) but not too much noise!!

im luck to get 250 miles out of my 325i but then it is only driven for fun, so sounds about right i think?

[astondg]

I have a 1985 323i. At the moment the petrol consumption isn't soo good. I think it is worse than my fathers Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI, which isn't known for good mpg.

I think it got worse when I got the new standalone engine management system fitted. When I first got the car I think I was getting about 9L/100 (I think that is about 26mpg) but I wasn't driving it as hard as I do now and it was completely standard. At the moment it seems like I am always filling up. The 4.1 diff probably doesn't help either, although I didn't really notice much of difference to the petrol consumption when I got that fitted. I didn't actaully check it though.

I will check though with my next couple of tanks of petrol, I don't have an OBC so I'll have to do it manually. I will pm you the result, just to give you an idea.

The ticking is my biggest problem with the engine (well that and it's inability to rev past 8000rpm ). Mine is probably worse than it should be at the moment because the camshaft is worn and the whole car is probably due for a service. Sometimes at idle it doesn't even sound like a car anymore, more like a cross between a truck and an analogue clock.

Aston

[KRiSi]

Hmmm.... seems like mine is probably about average then judging by all the comments

Cheers for the pointers guys, I thought it might be the injectors, I'm prepared to pay pretty much whatever it takes to get it sorted as it ruins my day every time I start it I can't begin to tell you just how much it ruins the sound of a stunning engine. I'll check the tappets first though.

Astondg - yeah, if you could pm your MPG figures I'd be v grateful. Nobody seems to be running 323i's these days, they're pretty rare.

Think we must be a dying breed

[astondg]

Ok, could take a few weeks to get a few results for an average, but I'll let you know as I go.

Yeah 323i owners seem to be rare, the other guys don't know what there missing.

Aston

[KRiSi]

Yeah, that's fine mate, really appreciate the effort

[Toby_Unna]

Its also making a ticking noise which is really irritating coz apart from that the engine sounds spot on. The BMW 6 cylinder really has the greatest sound of any engine I've ever heard. The ticking seems to be coming from under the rocker cover and is proportional to the revs. It is also louder under load and in the first 2 mins of starting.

I'll let you know the outcome. If i can get 20+ I'll be happy, 25 would be great

I'm just hoping the ticking noise isn't gonna cost a fortune to sort coz one way or another its gotta get sorted. Its really f*ckin annoying and the only thing that it spoiling an otherwise perfectly running E30.

if it really is louder under load it's probably not the valvetrain, the valves cam and rockers don't 'know' whether the engine is unde load or not if you get what i mean

maybe an exhaust manifold leak which can make a ticking noise proportional to revs.

[Boots_Walker]

Its also making a ticking noise which is really irritating coz apart from that the engine sounds spot on. The BMW 6 cylinder really has the greatest sound of any engine I've ever heard. The ticking seems to be coming from under the rocker cover and is proportional to the revs. It is also louder under load and in the first 2 mins of starting.

I'll let you know the outcome. If i can get 20+ I'll be happy, 25 would be great

I'm just hoping the ticking noise isn't gonna cost a fortune to sort coz one way or another its gotta get sorted. Its really f*ckin annoying and the only thing that it spoiling an otherwise perfectly running E30.

if it really is louder under load it's probably not the valvetrain, the valves cam and rockers don't 'know' whether the engine is unde load or not if you get what i mean

maybe an exhaust manifold leak which can make a ticking noise proportional to revs.

yeah your defintely right there, failing exhaust maniflod gaskets are another known cause of ticking and from what you describe that could be a big part of the problem.

my 323i ticks too, even with the valve clearances set a little tight. the severity of the ticking can vary sometimes - i want to try and make sure the top end is getting sufficient oil pressure and clean out the oil sprayer bar just in case it has gotten a bit gummed up inside.

fuel consumtion wise i usually get abot 300-350km's from 40 litres, which isnt too flash. better figures could easily be obtained, but the engine just loves to be revved and i cant help myself