Please bear with me on this one as to be honest it might be me playing dumb. My trip says I am getting 44mpg but I know I'm not, especially with the speed gets drank. So today I've took certain parts apart and had a look. I seen a sponge, never even knew existed within the air box housing, took it out due to leafs and all sorts of rubbish on it... out comes oil... Within the hose from the air box to where the crank shaft is... (I think I got it right) there was a slight bit of oil.. Now I've recently serviced the car around 5k ago and I've just had to top up the oil as it was near gone (according to dip stick) - is this normal?

It would appear when I put my food down (idle) there seems to be some sound of 'air' coming from the coolant resviour? Never noticed it before. Any ideas behind this?

Any help will be great as at this rate I'll have to send it ford to see what their machines say. I've had it in about a year ago and they claimed it was fine.

Yeah the airbox sponge is a pretty poor idea tbh, but it is an oil breather so perfectly normal to have oil there.

Air sound from coolant res is probably your imagination lol.  Otherwise it's the coolant expanding and air pressure being released from the cap, or it's just fluid movement that sounds like air.

1 minute ago, TomsFocus said:

Yeah the airbox sponge is a pretty poor idea tbh, but it is an oil breather so perfectly normal to have oil there.

Air sound from coolant res is probably your imagination lol.  Otherwise it's the coolant expanding and air pressure being released from the cap, or it's just fluid movement that sounds like air.

So me just been a clown? It's driving me crazy with the massive drop in fuel. We're talking of going down in 2's. a simple 1 mile drive will take 5 miles off us. Never use too be this bad so trying to narrow down every little thing I think is wrong and ask you experts :D

Yeah doesn't sound like anything wrong there to me, wouldn't say I'm an expert though haha.

If that's a 1 mile journey on a cold engine then taking 5 miles off the range isn't impossible.

 

Just now, TomsFocus said:

Yeah doesn't sound like anything wrong there to me, wouldn't say I'm an expert though haha.

If that's a 1 mile journey on a cold engine then taking 5 miles off the range isn't impossible.

 

That's an example. Or I'll be driving normally long distance, I'll do 40 miles for example, 30 of that on motorway, one day I'll use 6 miles if that, next I'll use 50 miles doing exact same speed (has average cameras anyway). Maybe the source of fuel been crap?

Sounds like it's getting a dodgy fuel level reading tbh, really need to do a brim test to see what the actual MPG is. 

Would you recommend changing to Super Unleaded also, clearing the tank out and sticking to Super Unleaded? or do you not think I'll see a difference.

I don't think you'll see a difference, maybe 1mpg better...not worth the extra 10 pence a litre tbh.

If you got some dodgy fuel it will be accidentally contaminated rather than just being 'not super' if that makes sense.