Fuel Question

[Aurora_Alpine]

Hi, I have a 97 Olds Aurora which i really love, but the only thing i don't like is that is giving me no more than 18 miles per gallon is that ok or is it wasting to much gas?? and if is wasting to much was what can i do to fix that problem, by the way i do not accelerate that hard or race out there i treat my baby really nice but the was goes down pretty quick what can i do??

Thank you.

[tjm]

My 97 is getting 26+ all highway cruise set at 65. I guess 18 in the city but if your 18 in mixed driving then something is wrong.

Couple of questions:
How old are the plugs and wires?
How old is the air filter?
How old is the PCV valve?
How old is the fuel filter?

OK, thats the basics

If all the above parts are in good shape then check the fuel pressure regulator; you may even want to check this first. Have you noticed it cranks a long time before it actually starts? Any other performance anomalies?
Check here http://www.howardm.net/dred98/fpr.php for help with the fuel pressure regulator.

Yours may not be in exactly the same place but the part will look the same and is the usual suspect for poor fuel economy.

Another thing you can do is to clean the throttle body. This will help is you notice your gas pedal sticking when you first press it http://aurorah.proboards47.com/index...ead=1121714117 and can also help improve fuel economy.


Also, if you have been using regular gas instead of premium it's possible that that may not be helping. Many do not notice a difference but some do. I would not expect using regular gas to be any sort of a main cause of poor fuel economy.

[Aurora_Alpine]

Originally Posted by tjm

My 97 is getting 26+ all highway cruise set at 65. I guess 18 in the city but if your 18 in mixed driving then something is wrong.

Couple of questions:
How old are the plugs and wires?
How old is the air filter?
How old is the PCV valve?
How old is the fuel filter?

OK, thats the basics

If all the above parts are in good shape then check the fuel pressure regulator; you may even want to check this first. Have you noticed it cranks a long time before it actually starts? Any other performance anomalies?
Check here http://www.howardm.net/dred98/fpr.php for help with the fuel pressure regulator.

Yours may not be in exactly the same place but the part will look the same and is the usual suspect for poor fuel economy.

Another thing you can do is to clean the throttle body. This will help is you notice your gas pedal sticking when you first press it http://aurorah.proboards47.com/index...ead=1121714117 and can also help improve fuel economy.


Also, if you have been using regular gas instead of premium it's possible that that may not be helping. Many do not notice a difference but some do. I would not expect using regular gas to be any sort of a main cause of poor fuel economy.

Thank you so much i'll change all those stuff as soon as i get some money, because i cannot do it at the moment because i'm paying for the car and full cover insurance so i'm a lil short on money right now but i'll do it as soon as i get a few extra bucks.

Thank you.

[Ian Szgatti]

Originally Posted by tjm

Also, if you have been using regular gas instead of premium it's possible that that may not be helping. Many do not notice a difference but some do. I would not expect using regular gas to be any sort of a main cause of poor fuel economy.

using regular grade gasoline from small independent retailers can be very bad for your engine... some of these retailers choose a low quality product void of detergents that clean engine internals which often leads to carbon build-up. The build up of course changes the compression ratio, and subsequently increased cylinder pressures lead to detonation. If your knock sensors detect the detonation and retard ignition timing, you won't notice; and the reduction in performance will be noticed at the pumps.