mk2 2.0l pinto mpg?

[tuscan440]

hello, first of all i cant belive this forum actually exists its what ive been looking for 4 ages!!

secondly me and my mates own a mk2 transit camper with a 2.0l pinto engine (standard ford carb.) and it only manages a pitiful 17mpg at best. being penniless students this is quite a concern for us and wonder if this is out of the norm? fuel tests are done when van is unladen and with economical driving so we know its nothin to do with the way we use it. love to use her as much as we can but when ur spenidng £10 an hour on fuel alone it soon becomes an expensive hobby!!!!


any feedback would be great cheers.

[markrobson1]

you'd expect to get between 25 and 35 mpg out of a 2 litre pinto in say a mk5 corty for instance. a camper van is a lot heavier and a lot less wind resistant, especially the coachbuilt ones so your figures dont sound anything to worry about. things you could do is fit a 5 speed box or overdrive, and convert it to injection with a injection head off a pinto sierra. this will also give an added bonus of converting it to unleaded at the same time. LPG conversions can be had for about 800 quid nowadays, is there enough of you to club together to raise this amount?

[Luke]

Mate i'd have thought a bit more than 17mpg if it's a coachbuilt or LWB then mabe but a swb you really want abit more!

Have you tried things like seeing if you have any poor wheel bearings or binding brakes etc???

ps welcome to the forum!!!

[FredTransit]

You don't say what type of camper it is, or which gearbox. if you are running a 4 speed at top speed, you engine will be wasting a lot of it's revs. I am trying to work out what MPG our loaded lutond do, maybe 180 to a full tank of 68L, our panel van will go almost 250 if driven carefully, with a 5 speed. If MPG is an issue, think about a diesel conversion.

[tuscan440]

yeah sorry should have said, its the swb running on a measly 4 speed box. apparently it was a factory fitted camper rather than an after market job. a conversion is definetely out of the question as we are all saving for uni, would put a picture on here but not on my computer at the mo but will do as soon as. the brakes sound like somewhere gopod to start, got a feelin they r not particuarly special as it is so that could explain a lot.

[madmark]

maybe your carb is shot!

[bortaf]

If it a standard VV carb bin it and get a webber, the VV is a good carb when it works but it dont work often

I have a Mk2 camper 2.0, with a twin choke , performance air filter and exhaust manifold and round town that gets about 18 to 20 MPG.

Look for a Mk3 tranny in the breakers with a webber carb (they are easyer and cheaper to rebuild than the VV) and air filter, you may get lucky or try ebay.

[FredTransit]

If it a standard VV carb bin it and get a webber, the VV is a good carb when it works but it dont work often
I have a Mk2 camper 2.0, with a twin choke , performance air filter and exhaust manifold and round town that gets about 18 to 20 MPG.
Look for a Mk3 tranny in the breakers with a webber carb (they are easyer and cheaper to rebuild than the VV) and air filter, you may get lucky or try ebay.

The cortina had them as well, and carry a fire extinguisher if you get the twin choke..............!

[bortaf]

Never had a twin choke leak, had a fair few VV's pee the go go juice over the road though
Most 80's Fords had a VV fitted (unfortunatly) capri, escort, cortina, tranny so there must be a few laying about in scrap yards with a nice webber single choke waiting to be rescued

[stooy]

Mate, 17mpg and that bad. 17mpg is the best my 6cylinder transit ever managed on the highway even when new. I get about 15mpg around town on petrol and 12mpg on gas (whcih is to be expected). Apart from having the aerdynamics of a brick the diffratio of 4.6 to 1 and 14inch wheels really dosnt help cause its working so hard to achive anything like highway speeds.

[FredTransit]

Never had a twin choke leak, had a fair few VV's pee the go go juice over the road though
Most 80's Fords had a VV fitted (unfortunatly) capri, escort, cortina, tranny so there must be a few laying about in scrap yards with a nice webber single choke waiting to be rescued

bortaf, not so much leaking as just going up in smoke! It's happened twice to us, once on a Mk1 and once on a MK2. Aparently it's a known prob with the twin choke.

[tuscan440]

yeah she has the old vv. heard that a weber wouldnt do much for mpg so always steeered clear of em. maybe it just needs a good overhaul. along with the brakes. rekon a 5 speed wud do it any good? on a student budget that is and if we can find one.
engine aint half noisy tho, on motorways its v hard to have a conversation, have to put your foot on the clutch and coast along just to speak to each other!! part of the charm i suppose!!

ur replies appreciated lads

[bortaf]

5 speeds are not easy to find in that type gearbox and the crossmember are even harder to get (hense the blokes of wood holing my 5 speed in
The single webber are better on juice than a knackerd VV and cheaper easyer to rebuild it's just the getting hold of one thats the trouble.
Appart from the cooker rattle mine scootes along at 70 ok not to noisy at all but some under bonnet felt (if not fitted) will go a fair way quieting it down and some bulkhead felt inside the cab.
I have 2 floor mats in mine to help the noise as well.
As to brakes i put new shoes and pads in mine and they are great (even towing a trailer with a cortina on it) as a test try braking with the hand brake up a few clicks, if the peddle seems harder or goes down less the rear shoes need adjusting/replacing.

Fred you must be cursed with a dodgy twin choke curse or sumink i mini carbed in cortinas for 7 years running twin choke webbers and never had a leak in sumink like 700,000 miles (except with the VV's on).
Though i did have a prob when i fitted one in a 1.6 and there was no fuel return so i just blocked it off and that kept flooding the engine and evntualy the top gasket failed and it stank the car out for a while
But got the same set up on the Mk2 (bloked return) and that hasn't been a problem in the past 4 years, yet

[FredTransit]

yeah she has the old vv. heard that a weber wouldnt do much for mpg so always steeered clear of em. maybe it just needs a good overhaul. along with the brakes. rekon a 5 speed wud do it any good? on a student budget that is and if we can find one.
engine aint half noisy tho, on motorways its v hard to have a conversation, have to put your foot on the clutch and coast along just to speak to each other!! part of the charm i suppose!!

ur replies appreciated lads

Yes twin choke Webbers can be more juicy, but there is a single choke direct swap for the vv that's more relyable, which is what was just mentioned. The 5 speed would cut back the revs on the motorway, and make more use of them too so improve petrol consumption. I am not sure where you are, but there is a Mk3 with a 5 speed still in place in a yard near wembley. They are quite reasonable with prices.

Bortaf, Mark tells me this is a known prob, it's not so much as the petrol getting out, as somehow the spark getting in! With the Mk1, there was a little blue flame like a bunsen burner coming out of the butterfly, and with the Mk2, it took up the air filter and housing.

[bortaf]

ouch
I'm gonna EFi mine in the summer so no more worries of that for me (fingers crossed)