How can I cheaply stop my 05 impala from eating the GAS?

[2005chevimpala]

My 05 impala has 33 000km's on her and I find she eats the gas, we don't drive her hard, had the car in to dealer for fuel consumption test and there are no updates for her, they say her consumption is fine, there are no leaks so why is it drinking the fuel, anyone know any cheap mods to make her better on fuel???????

[crazy Jim]

no snake oil fixes out there just make sure the tires are properly inflated, the engine air filter is clean and the intake tubes are not clogged with debris change the fuel filter keep the spark plugs/wires fresh and inspect your brakes for proper function. Lastly, modify your driving technique to include no heavy footed acceleration, no extended periods of idling buy your gas from a name brand supplier.

[muzzy1maniac]

Start by telling us what "eating gas" means. What's your mileage??

[2005chevimpala]

Originally Posted by muzzy1maniac

Start by telling us what "eating gas" means. What's your mileage??

less than 300 km's on a full tank, I filled her right to the top of the fill spout, reset the trip, 132km's down to half a tank, from a half down to empty when the gas light came on the trip was 98'km's on the last half a tank,thats only approx 230km's on $71 to fill her up canadian,@1.14per ltr, we don't drive her hard and are easy on the gas, had her to g.m, no leaks, clean air filter, 34 psi in tires, all new brakes,engine runs smooth, they did a check to see if there where any updates for her computer,none, they say i just got one thats hard on gas??????????

[Gems]

You really need to calculate your mileage exactly instead of relying on the fuel gauge... Fill your tank and set the trip meter to zero... Drive until you are down to about 1/4 tank... Fill your tank back up and see how many gallons (liters) it takes... Divide the mileage on your trip meter by the amount of fuel you just put in... That will give you nearly exact MPG or Km/Ltr...

If you went 230 Km before the gas light went on I'm GUESSING you went thru about 15 gallons (17 gallon tank?)...

230Km = 143 miles...
143miles/15gallons = 9.5 MPG...
That's WAY low!!!
Something is wrong somewhere...

[INF3RN0666]

HAHA that is shitty man. I have 350000 Km on my ride and it still does 400 Km per tank easy (60L tank just like yours). You might want to go to a real mechanic because your dealer is full of shit. Tell him to hook it up to an OBDII reader and look at the Oxygen Sensor & MAF sensor values in real time. They may be fault without even registering a code (which is rare but you never know). Your breaks might be dragging for all you know. If you're not experienced with cars, get a mechanic (not the dealers) to look at it.


A dealer story:
A few years ago, I took my 95 eagle vision to the dealers and told them that the transmission is missing shifts completely (not just slipping, but clunking occasionaly). They performed a $200 test that I had to pay out of my ass to tell me this on the report "Tranny Noisey" in big dirty mechanic hand writing. You must be an f-ing idiot to give such a report when I come in complaining that the transmission isn't shifting normally. My real mechanic opened the pan and realized the gears were worn and that the pressure solenoid was faulty.

[muzzy1maniac]

Originally Posted by Gems

You really need to calculate your mileage exactly instead of relying on the fuel gauge... Fill your tank and set the trip meter to zero... Drive until you are down to about 1/4 tank... Fill your tank back up and see how many gallons (liters) it takes... Divide the mileage on your trip meter by the amount of fuel you just put in... That will give you nearly exact MPG or Km/Ltr...

If you went 230 Km before the gas light went on I'm GUESSING you went thru about 15 gallons (17 gallon tank?)...

230Km = 143 miles...
143miles/15gallons = 9.5 MPG...
That's WAY low!!!
Something is wrong somewhere...

+1 "about" doesn't cut it. Give us real - accurate numbers and we ca give you real - accurate help.

[INF3RN0666]

Originally Posted by muzzy1maniac

+1 "about" doesn't cut it. Give us real - accurate numbers and we ca give you real - accurate help.

No offense intended man, but even if he gave you an accurate # to 2 decimal places using fuel efficiency equipment, you would come to one conclusion. His car is guzzling gas. His "estimate" was that the car is doing about 10 MPG. EVEN IF YOU DOUBLE THAT NUMBER (20 MPG), you're still slightly low for the impala. THEREFORE, accurate numbers wouldn't help in his situation.

[muzzy1maniac]

Thanks for the convertion to US figures - I was too lazy to break it down. I always ask people for "real" numbers before I even talk about fixing things. The number of people who can't find they're actuals is amazing. But on the the other hand like I said I wasn't breaking his numbers into something I can understand so that was my fault. No offense taken and no flames intended - just looking for accuracy.

2005chevimpala - If your mileage is really that bad maybe a trip to the dealer is in order. You're still under warranty right? You don't need mods if you are that low - you have real problems that need to be diagnosed and corrected.

[INF3RN0666]

muzzy1maniac - thanks for understanding what I was trying to say. I sound harsh over the internet, but you cant decipher expressions over the internet.

Anyways, if your car is still under warranty, take your car to a shop that tests for fuel efficiency. Spend the extra money and take the values to your dealer and bitch at them. Of course, you can try negotiating first, but if that doesn't work, shove a paper in their face that tells them they're morons. It's likely that your breaks are dragging or you're drag racing your car :P. Do your breaks feel like sponge when the car gets warm? I'm intrigued by your situation. GM has wierd car flaws, and it's interesting to figure out the solution.