211 Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 85 GL 4WD EA82 Carbed Automatic. Never owned an auto subie before so I don't know. At freeway speeds of 60mph it tachs up to 4000 RPM, which sounds really high (I mean "sounds" as in audibly sounding). Sounds like it could really use an overdrive. Is this normal? I'm wondering if this is part of why I'm only getting 22 (or so) mpg, not great considering gas prices nowadays. I had an '80 sube FWD with carb issues that got better mileage than that, although it was a 5-spd. Just wondering if this is normal or not. The tranny is supposedly "rebuilt" so I'm wondering if they geared it different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 5 speed vs 3 speed automatic. i dont know if yuo have a lock up torque converter or not, if you do it may not be engaging. i dont know much about these year automatics as i would never own one for this size engine. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 That's perfectly normal for that tranny. They're geared that way, and the EA82 engine in your car will run at those revs all day without complaining. Your fuel economy could be a little better...most people I've talked to are getting around 25mph in their 3AT cars. Maybe it's time for a tune up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Are the EA82's geared slightly different than EA81's? Cause i have a 3 speed auto and on the highway going 70-75 its doing 4000rpms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Hmmmm well here is an idea for you... on your shifter you have PRND2L if I recall correctly. The next time you stop on an onramp (if its metered or something)... Try putting the shifter in 2 to start. Accelerate til you hit 4000 RPM... if you hit 4000 RPM at 60, then your tranny is not using 3rd gear. If you can only hit 40 or so, then pop it up into D and it should shift... if it does, then all is well, its just geared for a national speed limit of 55 at the time of production. Remember when alot of cars had 55 in orange when the rest of the speedo was white? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samo Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 ^ my dad's old '85 Accord had 55 in orange. The 3AT is geared really low, as mentioned above. If it is indeed shifting into 3rd, a 4EAT swap will help, but even better would be a 5-speed swap. My 5SP Loyale cruises nicely at 70, running only around 3500 RPM. I still get bad gas mileage, but oversize snow tires and lots of extra weight will do that to you . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fj401968 Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 It's right on the money. I had an '88 GL wagon with the 3 spd Auto. That car and I had a love-hate relationship. I bought it because it was mint. Owned by little old lady that mostly used it in the winter. It had only 68000 miles, zero rust and pristine interior. It had power windows/locks, A/C and fuel injection. Even with FI, it was so gutless I'd always turn of the A/C just to merge into traffic or cross a busy street. In an offroad situation, I'd always run out of torque before I lost traction. Since it didn't have an overdrive transmission, I never drove it faster than 65. I'd regularly take it on 4-5 hour trips taching at 4000 the whole way. My fuel economy range was 22-25. Usually closer to 23. The car was reliable and excellent in the winter. I'd never had a car hold to the road like that one did. Balanced very well. I felt just as comfortable cruising 65 on dry roads as I did on icy ones. And if I did happen to get into the deep snow, the little red button on the shifter ALWAYS worked. Very reliable 4WD system. I ended up selling the trusty Soob to my brother and getting a '90 Legacy wagon with a nice powerful 2.2 engine and an overdrive transmission. It was a nice car but it nickel and dimed me to death. I should have kept the gutless GL wagon. The Legacy ended up blowing the transmission at 115,000 miles, $1500... later the AWD got sloppy and eventually gave up the ghost and finally the car met its demise with a cracked head. I mostly do all my own mechanic work and I take good care of my cars... even so, the Legacy ate a total of $3500 over and above the purchase price. Now it's behind my garden shed with a new set of tires, relatively new alternator, waiting for the scrap heap. I've since acquired an '87 GL wagon 5 speed D-R that has zero ammenities but I actually like the simplicity of the car. I'd love to see it go half a million miles. Tracy 85 GL 4WD EA82 Carbed Automatic. Never owned an auto subie before so I don't know. At freeway speeds of 60mph it tachs up to 4000 RPM, which sounds really high (I mean "sounds" as in audibly sounding). Sounds like it could really use an overdrive. Is this normal? I'm wondering if this is part of why I'm only getting 22 (or so) mpg, not great considering gas prices nowadays. I had an '80 sube FWD with carb issues that got better mileage than that, although it was a 5-spd. Just wondering if this is normal or not. The tranny is supposedly "rebuilt" so I'm wondering if they geared it different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyfreak Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 That sounds about right. My 87 auto is the same way. You will get use to it after a while. but you will always be dreaming about the dual range 5sp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
froggymike Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 That sounds about right. My 87 auto is the same way. You will get use to it after a while. but you will always be dreaming about the dual range 5sp! Hear. Hear. And I'm still only getting about 19 mpg. Sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Hear. Hear. And I'm still only getting about 19 mpg. Sucks. Ouch that does suck. Im getting 27mpg with an EA81. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KStretch55 Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Don't forget that if you have larger than stock tires you are actually going further and faster than indicated by your odometer and speedometer. So, when you figure out mileage you need to take that difference into account. I used to have a shortcut to the tire size difference calculator someone posted, but I've lost it. I think my '92 Loyale AT wagon lists 155 somethings as the stock tire and I'm running 185/80-13s on it. If memory serves me correctly that was a difference of somewhere around 8% (don't quote me). So, when I figure mileage, I have to first add 8% to my tripmeter. Makes my mileage around 25 - 26 usually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_talk Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Like others have said, thats right on the money for the 3AT. I have the orginal window sticker from my '87 wagon, carbed, 4WD, 3AT, EPA estimated hiway mileage.... 22 mpg. And thats exactly what I got on my 95% freeway commute. I found that the milelage dropped off quickly above 3500RPM, if you can slow down a bit you can probably get another couple mpg. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.