Skylar Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 so i drive a 110 miles round trip a day for work. and im getting 22 mpg seems really low. im spending about 20 a day to get to work and back. and i believe i have a 10 gallon tank ? just got a new cat put on, cleaned maf and plugged back in the o2 sensor. new fuel filter. im driving at freeway speeds between 60 and 75. can i anybody give me some ideas on what to do ? it also doesnt want to stay started in the morning, i have to keep it revved at 3000 for a bit. then it idles low until it warms up. timing off a tooth ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 (edited) you have a 15.9 gallon tank. try replacing the engine temp sensor on the thermostat housing(green plug, 2 wires) maybe you are just calculating the mileage wrong. you can run the thing past the fuel gauge before it runs out of gas. maybe the gauge is inaccurate. Does the yellow lo fuel lite come on? fuel economy can be weird on these. my 88 dl got 23 on the hiway. my 86 brat got 18 mpg in town and 28 on the hiway. my 88 sedan would go 450 miles on the same tank of gas.\ 28 mpg at an average speed of 63 mph (2800 rpm) Edited December 3, 2011 by MilesFox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 i honestly dont think my tank is that big. i pay 3.40 a gallon and 35-40 bucks fills it up. so maybe a 12 ? i use about half a tank a day and im driving to the mtns so im going up some hills here and there too . and yes the yellow fuel light has came on, which usually means about a gallon or so left in the tank right ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 Oh and another, it idles really weird. in the morning it starts up gets to 1100 and then drops down an dies. start it back up, same thing. so 3rd or 4th time i keep on the gas for 30 sec or so and slowly drop it down and it will stay idling at like 6-700. but if i have the defrost in the morning, it just kills the car. have to wait to turn that on. but after ive been driving for awhile and i come to a stoplight or get off the freeway it idles at like 12-1500, sometimes higher. but again if i turn the heat or defrost on. the idle jumps up. instead of down like in the morning. so could that be eating more gas also ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Turning on the defrost will increase the idle, since defrost turns on the air conditioning along with a relay to increase the idle to compensate for the extra load on the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 change that temp sensor. the car thiks its cold and making the mixture rich, and or holding the IAC open, acting like a vacuum leak. the tank is 15.9 gal. the lite comes on at about 2 and a half. if you fill up at the lite, you get about 12-14 gal out of the pump 4th gear on an uphill at 55-60 mph may be more efficieant than 5th gear, eing in the easier part of the power band rpm range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 just called oreillys and they can have one ordered for 157.95 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 just called oreillys and they can have one ordered for 157.95 I found them at napa for 95. I got mine for 45 because i knew the counterman who ulled his employee discount. this would be a .99c or pocket item at a junkyard if you have a 17mm wrench handy. otherwise try some of the clearinghouse .com retailers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 yeah i called napa over here and they got one for 109 and oreillys does the lowest price match thing . and What ?! 99 cents at a junk yard lol i gotta go to one anyways so i might have to check that out . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 yeah i called napa over here and they got one for 109 and oreillys does the lowest price match thing . and What ?! 99 cents at a junk yard lol i gotta go to one anyways so i might have to check that out .Check out the Tacoma PickNPull. They should have a number of EA82 cars in the lot. Grabbing a few temp sensors will insure that you find one good one. Google picknpull.com/inventory to see what cars they have in the lot. Bring your own tools and it costs $1 to get in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 yep just called them and they got 3 of em that are "compatible" with my 88 LOL gonna grab all the temp sensors, a gas cap ( lost mine the other morning after i put some seafoam in my tank :/ ) a blinker lens and a pass. side trim piece. maybe some other stuff too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 well, i ended up getting a new grill from an 87 dl. and i got my pass side trim piece and a gas cap from a legacy ! they had a wagon but it was carbed. and i believe it was the dl that was spfi but the engine temp sensor looked different the plastic piece was black and bigger but still had two wires going to it, i didnt grab it. and the other sedans motor was gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 well, i ended up getting a new grill from an 87 dl. and i got my pass side trim piece and a gas cap from a legacy ! they had a wagon but it was carbed. and i believe it was the dl that was spfi but the engine temp sensor looked different the plastic piece was black and bigger but still had two wires going to it, i didnt grab it. and the other sedans motor was gone.Well you didn't get the temp sensor, but doesn't look like it was a wasted trip. I know they are further away for you but both Lynnwood and Arlington are larger with more inventory (Arlington is WAY larger). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 you want one form an 88 and up the 87 and 86 spfi have the round bplack plug. i suppose you could splice them, as i have had to do before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarule Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 i honestly dont think my tank is that big. i pay 3.40 a gallon and 35-40 bucks fills it up. so maybe a 12 ? i use about half a tank a day and im driving to the mtns so im going up some hills here and there too . and yes the yellow fuel light has came on, which usually means about a gallon or so left in the tank right ? I've had my '86 GL its entire life and have driven every day since it was new. I've never, ever been able to put more than 12 gallons in the tank when I fill it up, which I always do when it's time to get gas. The specs say 15+ gal. tank but that is not reality. I wish it would take that much to fill it. Subarule Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 yeah, the dl was an 87 . and it had the round black plug. and yeah, see i had a feeling you could only put about 12 gallons in there. but like milesfox said, there about 2.5 gallons left when the light comes on. so 14.5 gallon tank lol ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 I've had my '86 GL its entire life and have driven every day since it was new. I've never, ever been able to put more than 12 gallons in the tank when I fill it up, which I always do when it's time to get gas. The specs say 15+ gal. tank but that is not reality. I wish it would take that much to fill it. Subarule try and run it our of gas and see how much it takes then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 LOL ^^^^ ive done that many of times in my courier ! truck gets like 30 mpg and runs forever on E and would one of these work ? im thinking the one in the middle ... http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1268513,parttype,4736 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmashedGlass Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 On the tank capacity issue, I fill up when my needle dead-centers or goes just a hair below the E line; last time, I ended up putting 13.6 gallons in her. I never get a 'low' light, don't think mine is functioning, and I don't trust "guessing" (hoping) that I have another 2 gallons left at that point. As to the part you posted from RA, that's a temp switch, not the sensor unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 ahh good call, that is the switch. i believe i found the sensor. ALOT cheaper than in auto stores ( which i find most parts cheaper here than anywhere else .. ) http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1268513,parttype,4748 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Yeah, it's def a 15+ gallon tank. If I fill up when my light comes on, I get about a 12 - 13 gallon fill. I have pulled into a gas station so low it was beginning to buck and sputter, and that fillup was 15.5 gallons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarule Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 try and run it our of gas and see how much it takes then. Uh...no thanks. I believe you. But my low gas icon/light has never come on since I bought the car. A quarter of a tank left (according to the needle gauge) starts making me nervous. Wherever you live, you should think "possible evacuation". It could happen. It does happen. Wanta' have the ol' Subie gassed up and ready to get out of Dodge right quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man on the moon Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I've definitely put 14.5 into her more than once. One time was in Wyoming in a (to me) infamous trip in January. New Years day...several stations were closed and I ended up going an extra 100 or more miles (I think I hit 475 miles on that tank, though I had a 1 gallon gas can--filled--in the car with me). Back on topic, another couple possibilities for reduced gas mileage are 1--clutch needs replacing, and 2--vacuum lines somewhere are leaking. I've had both, though the vacuum line one may be specific to the injected model (I haven't messed with the carbed ones enough to know). Any results with stuff you've tried? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubtripn Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I have been commuting 112 miles over hills in my 86. I average 25. I sure wish it was injected, that would probably make a huge difference. I know it sounds small but check your tires pressure and keep the filters changed and the oil. I actually hit between 25-27. Depends on the wind. I think you have 1.9 gallons left once the light comes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Yeah I believe ya now lol filled up the other day as my light was coming on an off . Put 40 in got about 11.9 gallons and I still had room for another 5 bucks probably. So yeah a 15 gallon tank sounds right lol . Clutch is still new and stiff, has like 13k on it . And I'll be checking for vacuum hoses here soon. All tires are set at about 32psi . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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