27mpg 93Festy :( Whats wrong?

[DankBuds420]

Well after a few tanks now I get a pretty good average of 27 mpg mixed driving, probably 60% hwy 40% city. I just replaced the hg about 800 miles ago, same with timing belt and a few other gaskets. What should the normal operating temp be of my car? It usually never breaks into the bracket unless I clamp off my top radiator hose with a vise grip. Im thinking it was my thermostat but Im getting ok heat and my friend figured it was alright. But I bought a thermostat anyways and tried replacing but I couldn't get the lower bolt off, Im sure you know what Im talking about lol. Anyone think I coould be losing about 10-13 mpg just from the tstat?

[Damkid]

27 mpg!! thats it?? dam, i got 29 mpg in my V6 festiva

[DankBuds420]

Yeah man thats what Im sayin...do you really think the tstat could cause it to lose that many mpgs?

[Pu241]

It could, but if your gettting heat out of the core it can't be too bad.
Define "ok heat" because if your in Alaska your doing OK, if your in FL probably no so well.
Besides the sensor that feeds the cluster gauge isn't what the engine uses to run by.
Bet if you cleaned the contact on the gauge sensor it would read higher.

Are your exhaust and plugs showing running rich?
Whats your timing set at?
What your driving style?

[mattman]

that mpg # is way low for a b3 when mine runs i get 49 hwy an 37 city

[FestYboy]

also a bad o2 sensor can cause this but i would seriously fix the coolent temp issue first. if the engine can't get to opperatimg temp, it will always run rich.

[leapin]

I had poor milage lately, I found that the rear brakes were hanging up slightly. Cleaned and rebuilt and boom back to normal. Something to check.

[DankBuds420]

Well actually the the rear wheels were sticking fir awhile but then I hit the back drums with a hammer and they loosened up. It was hard to take off without slipping the clutch too much but now it rolls easy. So i don't know if it's gonna be that or not. My driving style? Kinda like an old man. Don't have a tach but I know I shift before 2000rpm in town. I'm trying to get good gas mileage so I'm not beating on it...I don't get it. But I'm not sure how to check my timing but when I put my head back on I couldn't remember what hose went where when it came to the fuel lines. There was 2 of them and I had a fifty fifty chance of getting it right. It ran fine so I figured it was ok. Wrong?
Oh and I live in Minnesota and I guess it keeps me warm enough to not shiver when I'm driving.

[wybnrml]

How are you calculating MPG? The method most people use is, fill the tank up all the way into the filler neck. If you have a GPS I would use that because it is going to have the exact mileage traveled, then when you go to fill it up again, fill it full into the filler neck, then calculate your MPG. If your calculations are off, then that could cause your poor MPG, when in reality your actually getting the proper MPG.

[DankBuds420]

I just put a gallon in the tank and drive til I run out. Then repeat multiple times. Averages 27 mpg

[Pu241]

I just put a gallon in the tank and drive til I run out. Then repeat multiple times. Averages 27 mpg

This a far cry from "after a few tanks".

I beginning to think we are being fed a line!

Strange that you say your in Minnesota yet your IP resolves to Kansas.

Good luck, I'll let someone else waste time helping you!

[DankBuds420]

Yeah man Minnesota my whole life. Ip addresses don't matter damn ever heard of a proxy? And anyways I was using my friends cell phone wifi and his iPad to post this. So no I'm not wasting ur time. I fixed my festiva because it gets good gas mileage and it's not. Pretty much pointless. And after 12-15 gallons yeah a few tanks averages at 27

[Darlo]

Hey there

I would suggest going and filling the car with gas and at the same time record how many miles on the ODO. When you are below a quarter tank, go fill up again using the same filling technique (for example I just stop at the first shut off, as I have found that overfilling reduces my MPG by a little bit).

Open yourself a fuelly account and start recording your gas mileage (here is a link to my page) http://www.fuelly.com/driver/darlo/festiva

I like using Fuelly because it helps me see how little changes affect my mileage, like when I switch to winter tires.....

I will say though that there is something wrong with your car and it is more than the Thermostat with that mileage. The brakes sticking would do it though. For example, I tried once in the summer to see how LOW I could get my mpg, and I got it down to 46.7mpg (note my winter tires bring this lower, but this was low in the summer).

Good luck

[Eaglefreek]

I agree with Darlo. Your method won't get you accurate numbers. Are running it out of gas every time before putting another gallon in or going by the gauge? Until you fill up the tank and do that multiple times than you can get a better idea of your average MPG. i just starting using Fuelly but check my MPG at every fill up and have been getting 39-high 42's. Do you not drive the car often? Putting in a gallon at a time, I would have to stop for gas 2-3 times per day.

[DankBuds420]

Yeah I just let it run out of gas one day with one gallon in a gas can in my backseat, i put it in when I ran out then drove 27 miles and ran out again. I did this several times, every time yielding the same average number. I even tried with 2 gallons, 55 miles. 3 gallons, yep 79 miles. So I figured it was accurate. I really dont have enough cash on hand to fill up my tank so I had to use a different method. I dont think its my brakes anymore, I can easily push the car on a flat surface so Im sure its not hanging up. But...

Could it be because of the fuel lines being switched?? This is the only other thing I can really think of. When I put the head back on I didnt know which hose went where on the intake. Anyone think this could be the reason??