Calaber
Nil Bastardo Carborundum
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
- Messages
- 4,334
- Reaction score
- 1,357
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Lower Hunter Region NSW
- Members Ride
- CG Captiva 5 Series 2
OK, nobody seems to want to kick this particular section of the forum off (and I can understand why), but I have experienced something with my Captiva that has me bemused.
The car is an early model with the 3.2 Alloytec and a five speed auto. We have owned it for nearly a year and it has always been the thirstiest bastard I have owned since my V8 days. If it performed like a decent V6, I wouldn't mind, but it has the get up and go of a constipated camel.
However.....recently we had to replace the alternator. Since then, the car has run slightly smoother, the auto has been a bit less fussy, kickdown seems to work more readily and the fuel consumption has decreased, substantially. It's still not great, going from around 14.5 l/100km, to around 13 l/100km.
Now, it has to be as a result of improved output from the alternator, but has anybody got any ideas how a new alternator can have so much affect on a car that it actually runs better and uses less fuel?
The car is an early model with the 3.2 Alloytec and a five speed auto. We have owned it for nearly a year and it has always been the thirstiest bastard I have owned since my V8 days. If it performed like a decent V6, I wouldn't mind, but it has the get up and go of a constipated camel.
However.....recently we had to replace the alternator. Since then, the car has run slightly smoother, the auto has been a bit less fussy, kickdown seems to work more readily and the fuel consumption has decreased, substantially. It's still not great, going from around 14.5 l/100km, to around 13 l/100km.
Now, it has to be as a result of improved output from the alternator, but has anybody got any ideas how a new alternator can have so much affect on a car that it actually runs better and uses less fuel?