mikeshoup Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 I beleive its possible to get 40mpg in a soob. But as Gary said, the car needs to be in tip-top condition. On the $200 wagon, at a mile high in elevation, with 190k on the odo, I get roughly 28mpg with a mix of city and highway driving. If I stay in Golden and burn through a tank, I'll get 22mpg. Lots of hills here. On a recent 2,000 mile trip with it though, we got about 36mpg. Which, was really nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 You guys also can't forget..a FWD 5 spd will get alot better mileage then a 4WD..or Automatic..or better yet..a 4WD automatic:) . On a long road trip Bucky can,will,and easily get 40-42 mpg...and I run him around 70...now I am easy on him compaired to most of you..he very seldom see's much over 3k rpms...specially now...sounds like his throw out bearing is going to self distruct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 Okay, so it's my goal now to get and document 40mph, damit! (heh heh). Incidentally, I did some research & found some things about acetone that I found kinda interesting. Might just try it. I already keep a log of my mileage, but now I'll start adding the circumstances ... I want 40 damit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd45 Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 I would be happy with 30MPG. I am lucky to get 24MPG. I have done everything that I can think of, and it finally went up to 23-24MPG. 1987 GL Wagon. Carbed, 5 Sp D/R 4WD. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one getting sucky mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 I would be happy with 30MPG. I am lucky to get 24MPG. I have done everything that I can think of, and it finally went up to 23-24MPG.1987 GL Wagon. Carbed, 5 Sp D/R 4WD. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one getting sucky mileage. Those of us with decent gas milage have SPFI or MPFI (Gary). Consider an SPFI conversion or switch to a weber maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Those of us with decent gas milage have SPFI or MPFI (Gary). Consider an SPFI conversion or switch to a weber maybe. most definitely! the carbed engines dont do as well as the SPFI/MPFI on the mileage. 40mpg isnt unheard of, but not the usual either. conditions need to be just right, and the car needs to be in top running condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Davalos: add front wheel alignment to your list. if the tires arent pointing in the right direction, they will scrub, which will decrease tire life AND increase resistance on the driveline.. and lower mileage. you might also want to replace your o2 sensor (just a swag) and if you are feeling motivated, try checking the calibration of your TPS.. its a simple procedure if you have a good 8 inch phillips screwdriver and a digital multimeter. I added alligator clips on the probes of my multimeter specifically for this job, it simplifies things.. but its not necessary. shoot me a PM and i can email you a pdf file on how to do it, if youre interested. I can't say that it will make much difference, BUT i just changed mine and drove for two weeks before i could properly calibrate it.. and while i havent seen the mileage with it proper yet, it drives MUCH better. BTW i have a friend who told me he had a 5 speed soob in the 80s.. bought it new, loved it so much, and the gas mileage (that was back when he could remember pre-'72 prices and still winced at paying 0.85-1.00 a gallon once in a while) was so great that he got another for his wife.. but that one was an auto. he said they were about 5mpg different. I will have to ask him if they were OHC or OHV. that would be the simplest way to determine EA81 vs EA82, right? he's no soob guy, not even a car guy really but hes not ignorant either... Meanwhile, a compression test would let you know if you were down on power on any cylinders... you could also get some seafoam to suck up into a vacuum line to help clean out any carbon deposits from inside your engine.. and add some to the gas tank, or get some lucas fuel injector cleaner. ive had major economy improvements from using that in the past... but that was only a one-time thing. doing it on my soob didnt help as much the first time, but its always good.. when i used the lucas on my Z for the first time it gave me about a 15% increase in range on a 16 gallon tank... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robm Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 I second the wheel alignment idea. I also have my timing (SPFI) cranked up to 22-23 deg. The absolute best I have ever seen, with new tires, alignment, and driving at 90 km/h was 38 MPG US. I don't think there is much more to be had from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virrdog Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Year - 1989 Make - GL Wagon Trans - 5 Spd D/R Motor - 1.8L SPFI 2 or 4 WD - 4wd Mileage - 93k 26-30 mpg regardless of where its driven. This is with A/C being used and some sound equipment (subs/amps) in the back. Engine needs to be spiffied up, just haven't had the time or opportunity. Could not get the car over 80 mph the other day, so there definitely is some work to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted September 11, 2006 Author Share Posted September 11, 2006 Davalos: add front wheel alignment to your list. if the tires arent pointing in the right direction, they will scrub, which will decrease tire life AND increase resistance on the driveline.. and lower mileage. you might also want to replace your o2 sensor (just a swag) and if you are feeling motivated, try checking the calibration of your TPS.. its a simple procedure if you have a good 8 inch phillips screwdriver and a digital multimeter. I added alligator clips on the probes of my multimeter specifically for this job, it simplifies things.. but its not necessary. shoot me a PM and i can email you a pdf file on how to do it, if youre interested. I can't say that it will make much difference, BUT i just changed mine and drove for two weeks before i could properly calibrate it.. and while i havent seen the mileage with it proper yet, it drives MUCH better. BTW i have a friend who told me he had a 5 speed soob in the 80s.. bought it new, loved it so much, and the gas mileage (that was back when he could remember pre-'72 prices and still winced at paying 0.85-1.00 a gallon once in a while) was so great that he got another for his wife.. but that one was an auto. he said they were about 5mpg different. I will have to ask him if they were OHC or OHV. that would be the simplest way to determine EA81 vs EA82, right? he's no soob guy, not even a car guy really but hes not ignorant either... Meanwhile, a compression test would let you know if you were down on power on any cylinders ... you could also get some seafoam to suck up into a vacuum line to help clean out any carbon deposits from inside your engine.. and add some to the gas tank, or get some lucas fuel injector cleaner. ive had major economy improvements from using that in the past... but that was only a one-time thing. doing it on my soob didnt help as much the first time, but its always good.. when i used the lucas on my Z for the first time it gave me about a 15% increase in range on a 16 gallon tank... Awesome suggestions, thanks! You know - I started poking thru the various "miracle pour-ins" the day I started this gas-mileage kick ... I'm inherently skeptical of those "motor-up" infomercial-type hypes, but I read some things that were really good about the Lucas stuff, so I might take a crack at that. I haven't done my Seafoam research - but I'm a clean-FIEND, so that might be another thing to look at. I’ve got really skinny tires (165s) so that helps, but the alignment thing is a snap-of-an-idea. What does throwing back the timing do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted September 11, 2006 Author Share Posted September 11, 2006 When I 1st bought this Puppy, I filled her up - and the 1st tank I wenr thru was 22mpg. In January, I got all this: Air Filter PCV Valve Plugs Plug Wires New Floor mats, hehe I tell people the new floor mats added 1mpg - the other ones had so much dirt in them, they were loadin' me down, haha! I'm stickin' to that story In March I got tires. 165/80R13s for $165, holy crap! I was paying $180 each for my E350! So next should be allignment, some component cleaning & maybe some Seafoam/Lucas. Anything else? I really REALLY need roof-racks, damit! I know this will hurt me a little, but I carry ladders all the time, and it sucks having them bash my shoulders in between the seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted September 11, 2006 Author Share Posted September 11, 2006 Has anyone tried or noticed this? As I am filling-up my Soob, I quite literally feel the car sagging incrementally as the gas goes in. No, I'm serious. I discovered this by accident, and it was the freakiest thing. I was leaning against the car slightly once when I was filling up, and I felt a little 'nudge' of the car taking a small drop. very subtle, but then again I noticed it about 15 seconds later - and again ... and again. It didn't hit me right away what is was until I thought about it later as I was driving, so I tried it again the next time. And sure enough - there it was again. One of these times I'm going to put a 6' level on the car and measure it to see exactly how much it sags. But if you think about it, it DOES make some sense - it's about 90-100lbs going from empty to full. I just didn't realize the shocks I have (and they're new) were 'indexed' like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted September 11, 2006 Author Share Posted September 11, 2006 Ok, just picked-up a Cap & Rotor, Fuel Filter (huge!) Anything to know in switching the fuel filter out? Looks kinda too easy ... any why does it sit so high? Do I need to prime it, fill it with gas before I place it? Any not-in-the-books tricks I need to know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 no tricks, just disable the fuel pump, cut the car on and run it till it dies. that eliminates fuel pressure. its so big because its FI, so its a high pressure system, about 22 psi after the pressure regulator, something in the range of 35-50 before that.. the regulator shunts any excess pressure back into the tank. but it needs to be that big. as you are removing the first hose, watch your eyes. fuel almost always sprays out no matter HOW well i "de-pressurize" the system when i do these things, just a word of advice. the seafoam is no "magic fix," its a petroleum distillate very similar to products used in auto shops when they do a "engine top end cleaning..." just good stuff all around. Fuel injector/carb cleaner additive is usually good stuff too.. those products are solvents, designed to free crap up and clear it out. the only way they could harm is by potentially causing or aggravating a leak. the car might not run so hot right when you put it in, theorteically, but that would be caused by the dissolution, flow-thru, and burnoff of gunk more than anything else. I only mentioned the lucas stuff because i have no experience pouring seafoam straight into my tank.. yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted September 12, 2006 Author Share Posted September 12, 2006 Sweet - thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 I just didn't realize the shocks I have (and they're new) were 'indexed' like that. mine settle incrementally also. They aren't indexed. The static friction is higher than the kinetic friction. (this is common in most mechanical things) Once they start to move, it makes up for the force build up. Maybe the new shocks have tighter / stiffer seals, arn't all worn out, so it is more noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Incidentally, I did some research & found some things about acetone that I found kinda interesting. Might just try it. Mythbusters did a show on various additives and gimmicks that claim to increase milage. Acetone either was no difference or decreased milage. They set up a measured system to verify the claims, not subjectivly driving the car. All you have to do is subconsiously be thinking "I'm trying to get better milage" causing you to go lighter on the gas, and you'll get a few percent increase. They also mentioned that the EPA (or some other agency) tests all of these things. Out of something over 150, less than 10 actually work, and only by single digit percentages. I have always had milage in the low 20s in all of our 3AT SPFI EA82 4WD wagons. Not light on the pedal on starts, but I do let up coming to an unavoidable stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Do I need to prime it, fill it with gas before I place it? Any not-in-the-books tricks I need to know? the hoses are typically hard as crap to remove, just stuck to the fuel filter. i usually slice them with a knife just enough so they come off easily. there's usually plenty of slack in the hose to loose an inch on a fuel filter change. i just pull the old one and install the new one. i've never done anything with the fuel pressure. a little will spray out as the pressure is relieved when you pull the old one, but tha'ts not big deal. when you turn the car on, it should prime itself just fine. if yours is carbbed maybe it's different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted September 17, 2006 Author Share Posted September 17, 2006 OKAY!! Just did a "base test" ... From what thought was almost dead-empty (light was on for awhile), I filled-up today: 161,307.4 on the Odo 325.1 miles driven 12.27 Gal 26MPG, or about. That was for me just driving around, doing what I do, TALKING about gas mileage. Within 5 miles of filll-up today, I decided to go return a refrigerator in Livonia (about 30 miles away), so I loaded-up, made the round-trip, and filled-up again, just so see what would happen. So below is me on the expressway with a refrigerator in the back in construction topping at 65 and almost full-stopping it occasionally. Non-Expressway driving on the way back. 161,370.2 on the Odo 62.8 miles driven 1.65 Gal 38MPG, or about. YEAH BABY!!!! The main weak point in this little quickie experiment is that I am HOPING I "topped off" the tank in the same manner both times today - there's like 1/4 gallon I could probably vary between waiting for the 1st "Click" at the pump. So I need to do more solid xpressway driving to make this good. Obvously, this isn't fool-proof-accurate, but it's certainly a good starting point! NOW! Off to the mods! The improvements I mentioned up there. Let's see what this baby can do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoJak Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 I just did 700 miles of mostly highway miles doing about 60 mph, mixed with some city driving and mountain roads up to 9000 feet altitude, I got exactly 30 mpg. Not bad for an '86 GL hatchback, 4-speed manual, 1.8 ea81, with 169K miles. By the way, there is a government web site that shows what fuel economy your car is expected get. Over the years, I've found it to be fairly accurate, but as you've read, there are many variables that affect gas mileage. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willmck Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 92 loyale 5spd 4WD. I'm getting 32 mpg, and have been running the AC because of all the fires here. 226,000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave643 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 My '92 2wd sedan EA 82/NA gets 36-38 per gallon on my long commute into work. She's very stock, only a modified air box and a K&N. That's why I love this car so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Davalos: Any time i "fill up" i go beyond the pump clicking off. there is no telling how much bubbly foam has built up compared to your last fill up. I wait until it clicks itself off a couple times, and honestly frequently fill (slowly of course) until i hear it gurgling.. when it gurgles on a fill up, and i reset the odo, and then refill it to gurgling point again, im confident that the pump shows how much fuel i have burned to get the odo reading i have. does anyone know of a reason why i should NOT fill my tank that much???? im concerned more for the vehicle than the gas station, or the local fire marshall. Its a habit i got into with my 75 datsun.. the Zcar has an old-skool, leaded fuel filler, so its like 2 1/2 inches in diameter or more, and i can actually SEE the fuel when i "fill 'er up." can you tell i try to avoid stopping for fuel as much as possible??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86ruguy Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 i have an EJ22 swapped 86 GL wagon, ft 4wd, 5 speed, no O2 sensor, and i can't keep my foot out of it and last check i was getting 26-27 around town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted September 17, 2006 Author Share Posted September 17, 2006 Davalos: Any time i "fill up" i go beyond the pump clicking off. there is no telling how much bubbly foam has built up compared to your last fill up. I wait until it clicks itself off a couple times, and honestly frequently fill (slowly of course) until i hear it gurgling.. when it gurgles on a fill up, and i reset the odo, and then refill it to gurgling point again, im confident that the pump shows how much fuel i have burned to get the odo reading i have. does anyone know of a reason why i should NOT fill my tank that much???? im concerned more for the vehicle than the gas station, or the local fire marshall. Its a habit i got into with my 75 datsun.. the Zcar has an old-skool, leaded fuel filler, so its like 2 1/2 inches in diameter or more, and i can actually SEE the fuel when i "fill 'er up." can you tell i try to avoid stopping for fuel as much as possible??? Yeah, I do that too - and comparing it to a from-empty-to-full fillup, I'm sure id doesn't make THAT much difference when calculating mileage. I mentioned it because I was doing (what I thought was gonna be) 2 gallons, and it clicked right at 1.25 ... I managed to squeeze in more. I haven't got to the point where it spills over, but it looks like there is a supplemental overflow down there anyway. Someone once told me the gas needs a place to expand & contract, but I dididn't buy it then, I can't think of a reason to buy it now. The guy who told me was the guy who worked at the gas station, and he had a funny haircut. The TRUE test will be a trip to Chicagp or something where I just pop it to 65mph for 4 hours straight & do it that way. I gotta make sure she's mechanically ready for that 1st. ... Omg, I just called my Subaroo a "she". Someone kill me now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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