98 intrigue..winter vs summer fuel consumption

[roonie]

My 98 intrigue has 200,000km on it. I have owned the car since 140,000km. I have had very good luck with the car so far.For as long as i can remember the fuel consumption in the winter is drastically worse than in the summer. I can see it being somewhat worse but this seems like almost twice as bad in the winter. The amount of consumption seems to be directly linked with the outside temperature drop and rise.
I live in Canada and most of our winter months are very cold.
Would this fuel consumption issue be related to the air temp. that is coming into the fuel air mixture? If so what can be done about it? Or..do i have another issue. It seems to me, if i remember correctly, the first year i had the car, this was not an issue.
The cel. is out. I do regular maintenance...new wires and plug not long ago. The car runs like a top.

[JStin]

I've wondered the same thing. Some of my families cars seem to be affected worse than others by cold temps.

Other than engine oil & bearing grease thickening, reduced tire air pressure, maybe snow left on the car creating more drag, throw in some idle warm up time if you start it up & run back inside to pour your coffee for 5-10 mins., cold causing less pliability in the tires, snow on the road creates more drag, (I'm stretching a bit now) which all seem fairly insignificant.

Considering that an engine is more efficient when pulling in cooler air & most likely reduced speed due to poor road conditions to offset the negatives, why does MPG suffer in the cold on a properly maintained/running car? Colder spark maybe? Condensation under the hood causing wires that are ok in the summer to leak?

I know/think that if you make a lot of short trips your MPG will suffer more than usual in cold temps as some of the above don't get a chance to warm up.

What weight/type of engine oil are you using? You mentioned well maintained so I won't ask about oil change frequency or thermostat. Old oil is more badder in cold temps... Where's your temp gauge?

Glad I could help...lol

[roonie]

I use a good quality sythetic oil and it is changed often (10-30)
I doubt it could be all of the above mentions....this is a rather drastic change from summer to winter....she really drinks. I keep the tires checked often due to winter driving etc. I do understand that a car should use a bit more in winter...but not this much. I remember when i was a younger lad....all my cars were never this much different.

[sydtron]

My 2001 has big swings as well, like 4-5 mpg. I tend to drive less and shorter distances, which reduces my highway cruising amounts, and then the usual drag related stuff as well. The transmission also is more reluctant to drop into 4th gear, or lockup in 4th, until it is properly warmed, which is usually only halfway through most of my trips. Gasoline also has a winter blend I know, couldn't tell you exactly how it affects mileage but it must have reduced energy content.

I'm with you on this year though, my averages are noticeably lower this year than last year, changes with the temp swings too as I've gotten a couple mpg better the past week due to above freezing weather. In Michigan it did get much colder a month earlier than in the past few years. How are your local temps for winter comparing with last year? I wouldn't be surprised if you had the same thing, got colder earlier and its taken its toll. Also watch your tach religiously when you're puttering around, I'm not sure everyone's transmission has cold reluctance like mine, but I would not be surprised.

[harmankardon35]

oh i'm definatly with you on that one....i cant help but think in the winter months "where the F@#K did my gas go?".....it has to do with requiring more fuel to run in the cold...similar to a choke on an older car or any gas engine (snowblower, snowmobile etc...)...if you let the car warm up for a good 5-10 minutes at least, fuel consumption should be not too much worse than summer....but if you drive your car right away for that first 10 minutes or so (possibly longer because of the cold air passing though the radiator) the fuel consumption is very rich...and doesn't lean out until the temp gauge has hit at least 1/3....but you also have to factor in the gas you burned letting the car warm up...wich makes the savings negligable I think considering the gas price fluctuation I put in about 20-30% more fuel in my car diring the winter than in the summer months.....

[LittleHoov]

Well Ive always heard the fuel itself is less efficient in the winter months. Ive never researched it, but Ive always heard the fuel mixture they put in the tanks is different in the winter months, and whatever is different about it makes it less efficient.

Ive been getting less mileage as well, Ive been getting about 20-21 avg instead of my usual 24ish. But then again theres a possibility I might need an O2 sensor, and who knows what else might be lurking.

[harmankardon35]

ah yeah some states/provinces change their fuel/ethanol ratio in the winter months.....also most pumps say on them "volume corrected to XXXX degrees"...so colder temps mean more fuel at the pumps...so maybe this saves some $$ during the cold weather?

[LittleHoov]

Well if they add more ethanol to the mix that would make it less efficient right off the bat, but I dont know how the mix is adjusted. Ive also heard the whole winter mix thing in states that dont even use ethanol, so there still must be something else.

[roonie]

I assumed i would get an answer that had something to do with a mechanical problem on here. I guess we have no persons regularily contributing from up here in Canada that are very knowledgable or mechanics.
Since my problem is directly associated with the drop and rise in outside temps, i thought this may have something to do with the air coming striaght into the engine via the airbox/filter.
What would happen if i were to somehow get warm air into that air box/filter box. Could i reroute the airbox near the warm exhaust just temperarily to see if it would make a difference?

[LittleHoov]

I cant tell if that last comment had an attitude or not, besides any time I give crap to Canadians they usually just get mad, so Ill leave it alone.


If youre really that concerned about it, you should finish giving the car a tune up, not just plugs and wires.A new PCV valve and most of the time a new O2 sensor are pretty standard items. The O2 sensor has a good sized effect on gas mileage, its recommended to be replaced every 100,000 miles, so if you havent done it, it might not hurt.

Also, what is your tire pressure like? The cold weather will automatically make it lower, so if you havent checked it, its probably low.

and like myself and others have said, it could be something not even related to your cars mechanical condition, such as fuel mixtures or just the fact your car is idling more, or at least I assume it is since most people warm their cars up for a few mins. If you just hop in and drive, your engine is also taking longer to reach operating temperature, which will also make your commute less efficient.

[dtownfb]

My 2 cents: I always see a drop in fuel efficiency in the winter. Not as dramatic now since everywhere is using 10% ethanol fuel. I have no warning lights on and keep my Intrigue well maintained. I chalk it up to the colder weather.

I normally wait only 15-20 seconds before driving off. All the roads within a mile of my house are 25 MPH zones with a few traffic lights. I use these roads to warm up the cars.

[roonie]

Originally Posted by LittleHoov

I cant tell if that last comment had an attitude or not, besides any time I give crap to Canadians they usually just get mad, so Ill leave it alone.


If youre really that concerned about it, you should finish giving the car a tune up, not just plugs and wires.A new PCV valve and most of the time a new O2 sensor are pretty standard items. The O2 sensor has a good sized effect on gas mileage, its recommended to be replaced every 100,000 miles, so if you havent done it, it might not hurt.

Also, what is your tire pressure like? The cold weather will automatically make it lower, so if you havent checked it, its probably low.

and like myself and others have said, it could be something not even related to your cars mechanical condition, such as fuel mixtures or just the fact your car is idling more, or at least I assume it is since most people warm their cars up for a few mins. If you just hop in and drive, your engine is also taking longer to reach operating temperature, which will also make your commute less efficient.

My dear friend...that last comment was from ..ME..the starter of this thread.
I was merely stating the fact that there are probably no canadian folks knowledgable that are on here at this present time. I guess i am assuming that you guys in USA never have to deal with the extreme weather tempuratures like we do (-35C)
hence there would be no persons on here from the USA having these extreme gas milage issues.
If you would have read further down the thread you would have noticed that i check my tire pressure regularily.
PCV is fine and checked every time i change oil.
I will think about changing the o2 censor. Can i ask you , why you give crap to Canadians?Thanks

[roonie]

I just checked last night..and yes...my temp. guage does sit somewhat cooler than that of the summer. Other than a winterfront placed on the outside of the car, and/or changing the thermostat, what can be done about this. I am quite sure the themostat is the highest i can get, but i will check my records.

[dtownfb]

Since the Intrigue has been out of production for a while, I doubt there is any option for thermostat other than OEM spec. If your car is operating at "normal" temperature, I doubt changing the thermostat will help.

You may want to change the O2 sensor since you are seeing such a dramatic drop in fuel efficiency.

Let us know the results.

[roonie]

Originally Posted by dtownfb

Since the Intrigue has been out of production for a while, I doubt there is any option for thermostat other than OEM spec. If your car is operating at "normal" temperature, I doubt changing the thermostat will help.

You may want to change the O2 sensor since you are seeing such a dramatic drop in fuel efficiency.

Let us know the results.

I am only seeing a dramatic drop in fuel efficiency in winter. Again...it is directly associated with outside temps. I am not sure that a poor 02 sensor would give me 30mpg in the summer but yet very poor milage in the colder months. A poor 02 sensor would create poor milage winter and summer ..would it not? What they ask for a new 02 sensor up here in Canada is outragous to say the least.....plus..they are not a returnable item. That being said..and the 30+ mpg i get...i think the 02 sensor is fine.