is there anyone in the mt hood area that can help me figure out why my 1996 outback 2.5L auto, is getting 200-210 miles per tank? i recently had the plugs changed along with the spark plug wires. i also changed the air filter. i have been doing all of this stuff to try and solve my problem. i work at Mt Hood Meadows so money is hard to come by so taking it into a shop would bankrupt me. please help. if you have aol instant messenger my name is oversteezed. thank you. Jeff

First thing I would do is replace the front O2 sensor if it has been there for 100k miles. The often stop working correctly without putting out a code.

Others will give you more advice. The coolant temp sensor could also be a likely culprit. Get a Haynes manual to know how to test the different sensors.

Good luck!

Instead of miles per tank, how many gallons are we talking about? I know my MY95 fuel gauge is screwy so when it says I have less than 1/8 of a tank I can only fit 8-11 gallons and only show 240 miles on the trip odometer.

that sounds like what my car is doing. my manual says my car has a 15 gallon tank but when i fill up it is only putting 10-11 gallons of gas in my car. the gas gauge likes to move up and down alot too. maybe replace the gauge?

i would replace the fuel filter as well it may be clogged

Search the board for info on the sending units in the tank. There are 2 in each tank that get dirty and worn contacts. Some on the board have replaced them for around $100 each. Others have had success cleaning them up. I just keep using the trip odometer and filling up around 300 miles.

tommorow i think i will tackle cleaning them up, and see if that works out. what should i use to clean them?

i would replace the fuel filter as well it may be clogged

 

if the fuel filter were clogged he'd get 0 mpg and 0 gpm

if i remember correctly, the fuel sensor is part of the fuel sending unit... which is a pricy item