Posted on 04/04/2014 4:14:34 AM PDT by Haiku Guy
The milage in both of my cars had dropped off in the last couple of months. Instead of getting 280 miles per tank, I am now getting 260 miles per tank, or even worse.
I keep a close eye on the milage as a general indication of how my cars are running, but I can't see why this has happened. I have no leaks, no lights, no rough running. I Checked the Engine, and it is still there. The plugs look good.
I think it might be the fuel blend. If that is the case, a lot of people should be seeing the same thing. Before I start tearing things apart, I thought I would ask my friends at FR what they are experiencing.
So how about it? How's the milage on your vehicle these days?
You’re probably wasting your money buying a gasoline dryer which is alcohol when the government is already forcing the industry to add ALCOHOL to the tankers before they load the gasoline.
Tanker drivers have a card for each customer they deliver to. When they load, they swipe the card for that customer and a computer automatically controls the delivery of the mix which includes alcohol, gasoline and the proprietary additive package into the trailer compartment for that blend whether regular, medium, or high test.
“Is it true the on board computer will adjust for the octane? My van recommends 91 but some stations only have 89 or 93, others have 91. I use 89 if 91 is not available, but recently heard it is bad to go from one to another. Is that true?”
The octane level required is based on the compression ratio of the engine. On board computers will make adjustments based on input from a knock sensor. Knock generally occurs when the octane level is too low for the compression ratio and the computer adjusts by adding more fuel. So if your engine is designed for 91 then you should run 91; 89 will work but you’ll probably get reduced mpg and negate any savings on the per gallon cost. If you bump up to 93 you’re just paying more for no benefit if the engine is designed for a lower level. However, if it were my car I would use 93 when 91 is not available, knock from low octane is hard on the valve train, in older cars (60’s) it was easier to hear the knock/ping when you got into the loud petal.
alchol=ethanol=gasdrier.
Saw a few blips the past year on my vehicle. Mileage would go up, then would go down. With all the blends being made, I too thought this could be the problem. I started rotating my filling station points and found which stations (in my estimation) were causing the blips but then rotated again my filling station points to check again and found that the blips varied and there was no consistency. At that point I thought I was going crazy and my better half confirmed it. So, I surrendered all my prior calculations and shot my vehicle for disturbing my brain. I didn’t feel better but neither did my vehicle.
You can thank Bill Clinton.....and forget about the wrench. One of Sweet Old Bill’s (just use the initials) lasting legacies was the introduction of multiple summer fuel blends, required for individual gas stations by the EPA. It’s easy to tell when they go into effect in the early spring in your area......Gas Prices jump about a dime a gallon or more. I’ll bet you noticed the fuel economy drop about the same time the price jumped. This is because instead of a national fuel blend in the winter, there are 17 different blends across the nation. Suburban blends are different from urban blends, which are different from rural blends. The station down the street which buys the cheapest fuel in the winter can now only find a single supplier who always has higher prices.
Yes, it could be the result of some sort or really complex political-economic conspiracy of the farm lobby; on the other hand. On the other hand, gasoline density decreases about 1% for each 15 degree increase in temperature.
You’re doing better than me.
I have a pristine 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, with almost 410,000 miles on it. 2nd engine, 2nd tranny. It’s got a sticky lifter which takes 2-3mins in warm-up mode to pump-up, and then I drive after it’s warmed-up.
It gets about 11-12mph city and 17-18mpg highway. When new, it was 17mpg city, 24mpg highway. 20gal tank.
Mileage does improve a little when I move it into 2WD from AWD.
I do mostly city driving now, since I retired from my Family Farm Business, on 11/1/11.
It’s cheaper to replace engines/trannys than buy a new $45k Jeep.
I used to work on all kinds of muscle cars back in the 50s/60s, but when I open the hood nowadays, I can’t find squat. Too many black boxes and computer connections which only a dealer can navigate.
Take obamas advice, inflate your tires!
BTTT
Too many don't understand this. Same gasoline goes to many different brands from the same tank farm in most locations. Only difference is the little squirt of additives.
hehe
I happened to be at a dealer when a prospective customer wanted the hood opened so he could see the engine on the new luxury car he was considering.
The salesman looked at him like he was crazy, then popped the hood. Underneath was a smooth cover with almost nothing visible!
So if the ethanol already blended with gasoline reduces mileage, adding a dryer, more ethanol, isn’t likely to improve mileage.
Air-intake filter; fuel filter; tire pressure, wear & wheel alignhment; spark plugs; injector cleaner (use something with Chevron Techron in it).
If you want to rule-in or rule-out ethanol, check pure-gas.org, and find a local station that sells ethanol-free gas (”boat fuel”). It’s more expensive, but in a couple of tanks you’ll see if mileage improves or not.
Also, some cars can reset their fuel-mix computer by pulling the battery cable, then turning on the lights or stomping the brake pedal to dissipate any lingering charge. Basically, a re-boot of the on-board computer. It’ll have to re-learn and re-set the fuel-air mix after “learning” what gas is in the tank.
I would hazard a guess that the Feds ordered blend of gasoline and their favorite money men’s ingredient is the problem. Most, if not all the crap they mandate we run has much lower BTUs than gasoline and some actually harms the engines. If you were allowed to run straight undiluted gasoline, I would also guess you would be absolutely flabbergusted at the increase in gas mileage.
I had a problem like that caused by a failing O2 sensor.
Interesting thanks. Do you know if your recommendation applies to a 2006 Buick Lucerne?
I’ve been told it’s designed for 93 octane but the computer will adjust for lower octane levels just as you said. But I didn’t hear about this savings being offset by higher fuel usage but what you say makes sense.
If I should go to the higher octane will I see an immediate rise in my fuel economy or will it take a while for the difference to become noticeable?
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
This happens every year in the switch from winter to summer gasoline blends. May be more extreme this year due to EPA mandates in fuel blend changes.
The stupid bureaucrats never think ahead to what their stupid rules do to fuel efficiency. Back in the ‘70s they mandated rules that forced manufacturers to install air pumps on all new vehicles to pump fresh air into the exhaust manifolds so that the ppm of exhaust gases fell below a certain threshold as tested at the tailpipes. The extra strain on the engine actually increased the total volume of the particulates released into the atmosphere, but the ppm were reduced because of the added volume of fresh air going into the exhaust. And vehicles actually burned more gasoline during a period of lower gasoline availability, and of course everyone’s mileage was lower than it otherwise would have been. That’s our stupid government EPA pulling the wool over the sheeple’s eyes. And our brilliant (sarcasm intended) president wants us all to rely on the settled science of carbon based climate change.
I thought about the octane issue. I have sprung for the Hi Test for the last couple of tanks, with no change in range. the 93 Octane doesn’t seem to make any difference.
First grab a calculator.
You haven't said how much you drive, so I've made some assumptions:
If you used to fill up once a week, now you have to fill up more often, 56 times per year under the 'new' lessor mileage. That 4 extra tanks per year, and at $3.5 per gallon and 20 gallons per fill, that about $300 for an entire year.
Having the labor done for free, $300 can buy a few things, but nothing really serious.
All that's IF there is a mechanical problem, with more than 40 years of experience with cars, and like many others, I have my doubts.
Do a little OT at work, or sit in front of the computer and generate a few posts instead. Financially, and mentally, you'll be ahead.
Remember, if there is nothing wrong, the BEST you can do is simply waste all the money and time you put into the project. Oftentimes you'll not only waste the money, you'll end up with even more problems or lower mileage.
Wrench?
This calls for a hammer.
A really big hammer.
It's not so much the money as I am trying to keep my car in good condition. An unexplained drop off in milage means something is not right and might need to be repaired. However, if it is explained by the fuel, I can just pay the extra money and motor on.
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