raulcruz01@earthlink.net Posted March 25, 2006 Author Share Posted March 25, 2006 andyjo, Are you saying that using seafoam on the vaccum lines would help gas mileage?? I know enough about cars to do basic - and i mean BASIC - maintenance. I put seafoam in the tank but I've heard about putting it in other places but part of me is freaked out by the prospect, especially when I hear about all the smoke pouring out of the tailpipe! This issue is still going on - went to the mountains and got 25 up, 32 back. In town this week I'm at about 18 or 19. I've NEVER owned a car that yo-yo'd so much on the gas mileage! I used a tank of shell and hasn't seemed to make any difference - only in my wallet. Still open to suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonOfScio Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 so check this out. I have had two vehicles with this problem. so say you replace everything liek you just have, and nothing has changed. have you checked your exhaust gaskets? both of my cars, when I did the same things, and then replaced the exhaust gaskets, I noticed the motor was quieter, and my mileage increased. I think I was just leaking out exhaust, in small amounts, but enough to throw off the O2 sensor to run it rich. you might look for this too. also, maybe you have lost some compression and your block needs to be rebuilt with new rings, ect. it's a thought. does your oil get excessively dirty in a short amount of time? does it smell different than it should? ect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendly_jacek Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 andyjo,Are you saying that using seafoam on the vaccum lines would help gas mileage?? I know enough about cars to do basic - and i mean BASIC - maintenance. I put seafoam in the tank but I've heard about putting it in other places but part of me is freaked out by the prospect, especially when I hear about all the smoke pouring out of the tailpipe! This issue is still going on - went to the mountains and got 25 up, 32 back. In town this week I'm at about 18 or 19. I've NEVER owned a car that yo-yo'd so much on the gas mileage! I used a tank of shell and hasn't seemed to make any difference - only in my wallet. Still open to suggestions. The numbers you quote sound normal. If you drove up to the higher elevation, the MPG would be lower than returning down hill. My wife evarages 18-19 MPG in her small trips city driving and 24-26 MPG on hwy (24 with 80mph and 26 with 70mph) in her 2000 legacy wagon (AT). It used to be 10% lower before I replaced A/F ratio sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soylentgreen33 Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 The numbers you quote sound normal. If you drove up to the higher elevation, the MPG would be lower than returning down hill.My wife evarages 18-19 MPG in her small trips city driving and 24-26 MPG on hwy (24 with 80mph and 26 with 70mph) in her 2000 legacy wagon (AT). It used to be 10% lower before I replaced A/F ratio sensor. I have a 96 OBW w/ 149K and have been averaging 13-15:-\ with city driving and AC. In the spring I was getting between 15-17. All short trip city. Do you think my A/F ratio sensor may be the culprit? BTW, new plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter, TPS, PCV. Also I run 91 octane because it just seems to run better. Oh, I forgot, also a new O2 sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 I have a 96 OBW w/ 149K and have been averaging 13-15:-\ with city driving and AC. In the spring I was getting between 15-17. All short trip city. Do you think my A/F ratio sensor may be the culprit? BTW, new plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter, TPS, PCV. Also I run 91 octane because it just seems to run better. Oh, I forgot, also a new O2 sensor. 13-15 in stop and go is good with AC on. EPA tests for the urban circuit is a series of stops and driving at 30mph. This is done indoors and on a dyno. EPA tests are great for comparing cars to each other, not so great for showinig what your car can do. the o2 sensor is your a/f ratio sensor. Did you install an OE sensor? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffenrider Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I went through the same sort of issue a few days ago, I've put 107k on my 02 obw ltd, and about 3 months ago it went from getting 27 mpg +/- .5 steady, everywhere from VT, where I live, to IL, to S. Carolina, to going between 28 and 18 per tank, turned out to be the 02 sensor. If you're mechanically inclined, you can replace it yourself - pull the air assembly and its pretty easy to get to - do a quick search for more details, there's several posts detailing the process. You may or may not have a CEL with the 02 sensor, its got several errors associated with it, most of which are pending-type, which means they have to trigger x number of times in 40 ignition cycles to trigger a CEL, and you may be just below x. If that doesn't help, check to see if your model has a MAF or MAP sensor, and if it does try spraying some MAF cleaner (10 bucks at your local auto parts store) and cleaning the thing off. It can get gunky and throw off your a/f mixture as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aircraft engineer Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 SQ - the problem with ethanol is that the fuel "energy content" isn't as high as "straight" gasoline - guess what - it's about 10% less. I have a gasbag 1980 Toyota pickem-up truck that runs on propane - same problem - the energy content is about 10% less. Of course, it would be NICE IF I just fixed the motor to running right again - I think it ate a valve. Just need to go find a nice 20R and replace it, too. :-\ Nice thing about propane conversions is that they need NONE of the pollution controls found on the "ordinary" fueled engines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 SQ - the problem with ethanol is that the fuel "energy content" isn't as high as "straight" gasoline - guess what - it's about 10% less.quote] Actually ethanol is much less, and that bubble has burst. The cost of making ethanol was to take food out of peoples mouths. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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