20% improvement in MPG at the touch of a button

[Botus]

hard to fathom but real result.... on the S class !!!

Been trying to sort nasty fuelling on my bike for years.... it had the stock BMW map that was an utter joke, but easily fixed with an aftermarket bit of kit by an American company... you plug it in and it just lies to the bike about what the ECU is telling it to do. The idea being you run on a dyno and recreate a new layer over and above what BM thought it needed - making it safer to use and ride so much better.

Then I found out BMW had released a new map and so having got that it turned out to be far worse ? and with or without the box of tricks nothing seems to make sense or fix it.... Then slowly learnt about adaptions and how the dealer is supposed to clear these when they do the job - as a layer of manu bodge on's only relates to the original it was on and not any later programming.....

18 months on the dealer finally wipes it clean ready to start rebuilding a suitable set for the new map - but it doesn't help. Roll on another 18 months and I learn as the American bodge on must have the CAT sensors disconnected (or the BM adaptions would adapt out your layer of improvements…) it means BMW reverts to a base only map that never adapts..... blah blah blah.

And what's that go tot do with the Merc.... Well over the years as life happens to the car, dirt builds up on sensors and things fail and it misfires as bits die like the CPS and 5 coil packs etc... it seems more sluggish, the fuel consumption now prefers 20 round town rather than the 23 I could get and on a run these days 25 is a good day..... when I realise, flip me the stupid thing has probably adapted to life being ****....

I just reset its adaptions. It has two ! cold start adaptions and normal adaptations, reset both. Next drive the car is doing far better mpg everywhere and is much more lively like I once remember it was.... the first 4 years it did 26 mpg on a long run, but it was dwindling.... but today I get 32mpg on a 120 mile drive !!! and its back to ripping most cars off the line using <5% throttle like it once did

 

[Craiglxviii]

That is what I call a result. And, for free!

 

[Naraic]

Great. Now...how do you do this?

 

[Botus]

On the BMW I never had the tools to get at it… (but I have now) on the car I'd come across this in my Snap On tool but didn't think (when I first came across it) that it needed it, nor felt brave enough to try.....

But now I understand more, so long at the vehicle is in a good place... mechanically spot on, no codes for engine sensors, recently serviced and with decent fuel on board... it just starts refining "mild" tweaks to suit how your particular car is doing things. You should drive sensibly for a bit rather than rip it. On the 5.5 ltr quad cam 32 valve merc (that's jumped 20% in mpg) I just wiped them (with the engine off and cold). Next drive took it easy as it warmed through, did 20 miles overall, with a bit of 5 miles at 70 to 90mph. Never used full throttle. Must be about 250 miles in now and its throttle response is from lethargic moped, to much, much better

On the BMW it has two sets of trims (adaptions) longer term that evolve over multiple miles and only stores after you turn the key off for more than 10 seconds, and short term responses to (I guess) sudden issues, like engine knock, which it adjusts in the moment then forgets when the issue is gone.

On the Focus, Mk2.5 1.6vvti I only found out after 4 years of ownership when you disconnect the battery, there's a throttle body reset procedure the car is supposed to go through. Its fly by wire and needs to find its feet.... you short the two battery leads for 30 seconds to kill any thing left in capacitors of the PCM (engine ecu) ensuing battery or charging NOT anywhere near the mix !!! reconnect the battery. Turn off lights, turn off AC, turn off the radio etc. to reduce any engine load. Start the car without touching the throttle allow it to run till the cooling fan cuts in (about 20 mins). This allegedly calibrates the throttle body brain through cold start, to fully hot.... but sounds remarkably like doing something with the adaptions. The difference is quite startling, the pedal and engine performance is totally different when you complete that cycle.

 

[Botus]

Well... my mega fuel consumption has suddenly fallen off a cliff

Nothing changed with how I'm driving, but in the last few months 6 mpg (22%) vanished. Did a run today where I'd normally expect 22 mpg - town and traffic garbage - I looked just to see as I knew I'd been off track of late, to be greeted with the lowest reading I've ever seen in 8 years of driving it.

Then as I was filling it up the E10 label jumped out and grabbed my thoughts !!! Wow, is it this **** that's causing it ? Then thought, interesting I've been using shell 95 (with the shortages and a local Esso place getting a refurb), is this stuff worse? So I dumped the pump and shoved 50 quid's worth of Esso super unleaded 99 in. Nailed it to give it a bit of an italian tune up and got home shortly after 1 mpg up

 

[Botus]

WOW with up to 30% more fuel usage - which is why all the forecourts really ran out of fuel - and we are actually doing more damage to the planet using it - so its just another ill thought-out Boris slave tax....

Motorists using ‘a third more’ petrol with E10 fuel - 'complete scam'

MOTORISTS are finding that new E10 petrol is leaving them running out of fuel much quicker, with one driver saying the new fuel was a "scam".

www.express.co.uk

Vehicle leasing news & guides | Commercial Vehicle Contracts

In our blog, you'll find all the information needed to make the most of your van lease as well as to stay on top of industry news and new vehicle releases.

commercialvehiclecontracts.co.uk

and they knew about it in 2014​

What is E10 fuel and can I use it in my car? | Autocar

Since September 2021, British fuel retailers have had to adopt a new petrol formula to reduce emissions

www.autocar.co.uk

 

[A.J.]

Well... my mega fuel consumption has suddenly fallen off a cliff

Nothing changed with how I'm driving, but in the last few months 6 mpg (22%) vanished. Did a run today where I'd normally expect 22 mpg - town and traffic garbage - I looked just to see as I knew I'd been off track of late, to be greeted with the lowest reading I've ever seen in 8 years of driving it.

Then as I was filling it up the E10 label jumped out and grabbed my thoughts !!! Wow, is it this **** that's causing it ? Then thought, interesting I've been using shell 95 (with the shortages and a local Esso place getting a refurb), is this stuff worse? So I dumped the pump and shoved 50 quid's worth of Esso super unleaded 99 in. Nailed it to give it a bit of an italian tune up and got home shortly after 1 mpg up

Yeah, I filled with E10 and it was rubbish. I found that I had lost about 6/7 mpg. When the tank is empty I shall return to the common or garden fuel. E10 can’t possibly be greener because you are using far more of it.

 

[LostKiwi]

WOW with up to 30% more fuel usage - which is why all the forecourts really ran out of fuel - and we are actually doing more damage to the planet using it - so its just another ill thought-out Boris slave tax....

Motorists using ‘a third more’ petrol with E10 fuel - 'complete scam'

MOTORISTS are finding that new E10 petrol is leaving them running out of fuel much quicker, with one driver saying the new fuel was a "scam".

www.express.co.uk

Vehicle leasing news & guides | Commercial Vehicle Contracts

In our blog, you'll find all the information needed to make the most of your van lease as well as to stay on top of industry news and new vehicle releases.

commercialvehiclecontracts.co.uk

and they knew about it in 2014​

What is E10 fuel and can I use it in my car? | Autocar

Since September 2021, British fuel retailers have had to adopt a new petrol formula to reduce emissions

www.autocar.co.uk

And yet when I drove 660 miles to our place in France starting on UK E5 and filling at halfway point with E10 I noticed a negligible improvement in economy on E10. Same car, same day, same driving conditions, same weather. Then on return similar results.

 

[Srdl]

I’ve used E10 since it was introduced and haven’t noticed any different - I still get excited if I can get more than 30mpg!

 

[Botus]

I've gone from 23 ave to 16mpg the only change is E10 !!!

I was getting 29 on a run, now 21mpg

 

[LostKiwi]

The r230 has gone from 25 mpg to er... 25mpg.
My r129 used to do 25mpg in the UK and does er.... 25mpg in France.

These are all long runs on 1hr or more.

E240 as mentioned 660 miles and no change (that's 11 hours driving each way).

All these were before the weather got colder. R230 and 129 both hibernate in the winter.

Are you sure it hasn't dropped due to colder weather? I find that makes a big difference.

 

[Botus]

next drive (slow town work), I got 21mpg that was around 30 litres of Esso 99 mixed with 15 litres of Shell E10 filth

as per the other thread ESSO 99 in my part of the world contains zero ethanol - its on their own website - requirement for an E5 sticker but not to have any in there - devon and some places up north luck out

 

[noonboots]

I read this with interest until you quoted a Daily Express article. Their abysmal car knowledge is only second to their knowledge of the weather. Watch out.. your E10 petrol will freeze up in the two feet of snow and -15° weather bomb we going to get in the new year when we are colder than... ( insert your random cold place of choice)

 

[A.J.]

What has happened to Normal E5 Petrol ? On our way to our Daughter’s this afternoon we called into three different filling stations to fill up. All three only had E10, which I did not want or E5 super go faster at £1.65 a litre !!. All I wanted was common or garden E5. The last one we called into only had E10 or E5 super go faster but the latter was £1.58 per litre. Reluctantly we filled up with that at £1.58. Working it out that is over £7.00 per gallon FFS

 

[Blobcat]

What has happened to Normal E5 Petrol ? On our way to our Daughter’s this afternoon we called into three different filling stations to fill up. All three only had E10, which I did not want or E5 super go faster at £1.65 a litre !!. All I wanted was common or garden E5. The last one we called into only had E10 or E5 super go faster but the latter was £1.58 per litre. Reluctantly we filled up with that at £1.58. Working it out that is over £7.00 per gallon FFS

From 1st Sept regular E5 unleaded changed to E10 unleaded in the UK.

If you want E5 it’s only available in Super Unleaded now

 

[Botus]

as I suggested above the horror of E10, was really a switch over event for all automotive fuels to magically lose their mojo - I stand by this - multiple cars and bikes I use, 95 petrol, 98 octane req bikes and diesels all behaving exactly the same - they now all drink 20 to 25 % more fuel since E10 showed up - you drive more sensibly and they don't care, they seem to drink more and more....

either way MPG on the S500 continued to fall off a cliff - now down 13.9mpg round town these days and 18mpg on a run - with the last three tank fulls averaging 16.9 mpg (when it used to be 22mpg) other than that it seems to go just as fast / make as much power and do everything the same - and certainly no errors show up on diagnostics...

then qrt 3 over on another forum, some guy with a 2007 at 100k miles - likes looking at his fuel trims was complaining much the same - and couldn't understand after a reset why it keeps trending richer and richer - then a few weeks later he claimed swapping his MAP sensor solved the strange fuel trims and the car's mpg picked up.

So come sale time at the car parts places - the sensor for mine is 29 quid pick it up the same day - and oddly its a tool free, 4 mins swap out. Now kids seem to fit MAP and MAF sensors everyday and achieve nothing, so I thought I'd at least confuse myself before fitting it, so stuck a on meter on 20k ohm between pins

1 to 3 - 2.64 old, 3.3 new
1 to 2 - 1.6 old, 2.2 new or something like that

then reset the adaptions and it drives just the same, but currently mpg is heading in the right direction.... ave 22mpg on a naff 10 mile trip to find some 99 octane shell E5

 

[ajlsl600]

hard to fathom but real result.... on the S class !!!

Been trying to sort nasty fuelling on my bike for years.... it had the stock BMW map that was an utter joke, but easily fixed with an aftermarket bit of kit by an American company... you plug it in and it just lies to the bike about what the ECU is telling it to do. The idea being you run on a dyno and recreate a new layer over and above what BM thought it needed - making it safer to use and ride so much better.

Then I found out BMW had released a new map and so having got that it turned out to be far worse ? and with or without the box of tricks nothing seems to make sense or fix it.... Then slowly learnt about adaptions and how the dealer is supposed to clear these when they do the job - as a layer of manu bodge on's only relates to the original it was on and not any later programming.....

18 months on the dealer finally wipes it clean ready to start rebuilding a suitable set for the new map - but it doesn't help. Roll on another 18 months and I learn as the American bodge on must have the CAT sensors disconnected (or the BM adaptions would adapt out your layer of improvements…) it means BMW reverts to a base only map that never adapts..... blah blah blah.

And what's that go tot do with the Merc.... Well over the years as life happens to the car, dirt builds up on sensors and things fail and it misfires as bits die like the CPS and 5 coil packs etc... it seems more sluggish, the fuel consumption now prefers 20 round town rather than the 23 I could get and on a run these days 25 is a good day..... when I realise, flip me the stupid thing has probably adapted to life being ****....

I just reset its adaptions. It has two ! cold start adaptions and normal adaptations, reset both. Next drive the car is doing far better mpg everywhere and is much more lively like I once remember it was.... the first 4 years it did 26 mpg on a long run, but it was dwindling.... but today I get 32mpg on a 120 mile drive !!! and its back to ripping most cars off the line using <5% throttle like it once did

So basically the ecm ran home to mummy and now all is good again. Result.

 

[Botus]

life gets better

I used some EGR spray rot on his E280CDI tractor yesterday - you spray it in with engine hot - at idle - in two second busts (after the air cleaner), but it makes truly horrific knock (that mustn't be doing it any good at all), tries to stall then settles, but I saw nothing come out the back? This seems far worse from the sounds of it than water meth injection I did a few years back... But now seems to run far quieter and smoother - like half the causeness and racket after 2k RPM - but also seems to be missing a lot of go (from the feel of it)

his tractor has the brabus eco power tune up box and to me, now it feels like it did before that went on - any way diagnostics says its happy and after a few key on off cycles it seems a bit better

Now the real fun - Whilst adding the MAP sensor on my V8 at the same time as playing on his tractor - I noticed his car has the exact same MAP sensor as mine...
When I got home I thought hang on, why would my non turbo car have the same MAP sensor as a boosted tractor ? and then thought - hang on, if its worn on mine that's newer and done half the miles, maybe his tractor will drop less death out the back and pick up the mpg if I get one for his....

on youtube there's a video showing where the MAP sensor sits and his also has bit ending 189 (same as mine) whereas merc say should be the one ending 193 ? on page 1245 of the Bosch manual found a bit that almost makes sense but doesn't help for his W211... but its why Bosch thinks the car gets both sensors... but parts diagram doesn't suggest they are correct

https://www.boschaftermarket.com/xrm/media/images/country_specific/it/xx_pdfs_28/catalogs/sensori.pdf

this Merc parts ref for the 219 doesn't seem to show both sensors either.... (just the same really shocking drawing as the w211 parts bit - with the car only using the Bosch part 0 261 230 193 aka Merc A006 153 99 28)

M 642.920 - ATTACHMENT PARTS,HEATER PLUGS,AND SPEED SENDER UNIT > Mercedes EPC Online > nemigaparts.com

Parts catalogs. Spare parts catalog Mercedes EPC Online. Mercedes. Car. Engine - Power Systems ATTACHMENT PARTS,HEATER PLUGS,AND SPEED SENDER UNIT.

nemigaparts.com

095	PRESSURE SENSOR IN THE CHARGE AIR CROSS PIPE Replaced by: A 006 153 99 28

although it would help to know how these idiots measure life - are we starting at 0 or the real 14.7 PSI ?
aka - does the alleged correct sensor notice life at 7 PSI of boost or 21 PSI ...(the older you get the more everyone seems to be an idiot ?)

 

[Botus]

so the S500 is running better - you can feel its leaner and crisper and less lethargic... numbers back it up too - seeing 21mpg on a mixed condition trip to buy two sensors for his tractor

bought both these.... thinking I'll take one back as can't see it has both and merc doesn't seem to list both on that parts link....

got home with the parts - looked around with a bright torch couldn't see another that looked remotely similar - but couldn't figure the parts drawing either, as the one you can easily see under the bonnet its not where they suggest any sensor of its ilk sits.... so I decide to fit the opposite to the one there 7" behind the oil filter.... just about wrapped up and had one last look and then saw beneath the glow plug controller is where the other sits (on the boost side of life...) so have to swap them round (bit harder to spot with brabus box as its links here and there an excess of loom tied back half hiding things)

0261 230 189 sits 7" behind the oil filter (sits very close to part 80 in drawing below - but part 80 is NOT one of these and I can't see where they hid it...)
0261 230 193 sits below glow plug controller (part 95 on the drawing below)

BOTH new sensors (all measured disconnected on the workbench)
pins 1 and 3 at 20k ohm setting 3.2 whatevers
pins 1 and 2 at 20k ohm setting 1.64 whatevers

old 189
pins 1 and 3 at 20k ohm setting 2.6 whatevers
pins 1 and 2 at 20k ohm setting 2.4 whatevers

old 193
pins 1 and 3 at 20k ohm setting 2.04 whatevers
pins 1 and 2 at 20k ohm setting 1.28 whatevers

so both a long way from the readings of the new ones - drove the car - seems to run exactly the same.... 60 quid gone - but I learnt Bosch fitment chart seems wrong - I guess all 3.0 V6 tractors 280, 320 and 350 all get both sensors of the same part numbers listed above...

 

[supernoodle]

Measuring resistance of a MAP or any three pin sensor is fruitless. They output a voltage (or possibly SENT data for newest vehicles).

Only two pin temperature sensors are effectively resistors.