Helping your MPG
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- IAC Addict!
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Helping your MPG
My MPG seems to be getting worse lately. First thing I'm going to do is check my odometer to see if it is actually working correctly. What steps do you take to improve mileage?
- sped372
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Waunakee, WI
- Status: Offline
- JLT
- Old School!
- Location: Sacramento CA
- Status: Offline
Re: Helping your MPG
Do a tune-up: adjust valves, timing, carb settings. In other words, do Chapter 10 of the Idiot Book.
Check your tire pressures, and correct as necessary.
Have you added a roof rack? if so, that may be the cause.
Check your tire pressures, and correct as necessary.
Have you added a roof rack? if so, that may be the cause.
-- JLT
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
- tristessa
- Trusted Air-Cooled Maniac
- Location: Uwish Uknew, Oregon
- Status: Offline
Re: Helping your MPG
In addition to JLT's suggestions, take any un-needed "junk" out of the Bus. It's surprising how much camping gear weighs when you put it all together...
Remember, only YOU can prevent narcissism!
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- IAC Addict!
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Re: Helping your MPG
No Roof Rack but plenty of camping gear that I hadn't given much thought. What about any adjustment to the AFM?
- Bleyseng
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Seattle again
- Contact:
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Re: Helping your MPG
What's your mpg now?
Geoff
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
http://bleysengaway.blogspot.com/
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
http://bleysengaway.blogspot.com/
- drober23
- Addicted!
- Location: Metro Detroit
- Status: Offline
Re: Helping your MPG
Russ,
I may be a pretty close comparable. I have a '75 Westfalia (with a 2.0 L motor). It has a bunch of stuff in it, and I like to drive it 70 mph.
That said, I have been playing with my AFR because my spark plugs looked like I was running a bit lean. (The AFM experimentation came AFTER an exiguous search for vacuum leaks, and a re-verification of spark, advance, and dwell).
My initial settings had me just under 17 MPG (16. average over several thousand miles. AFM cruising at 70 after warmup was around 13.9.
Dropping to a very rich 11.5 left me at 14.7 mpg (only a 200 mile sample).
Correcting closer to 13.0 at at 70 mph netted me 16.5 mpg over my last 300 miles. Haven't checked my plugs yet to see how "lean" they look.
That said, Colin had a very good post on that other site where he did lots of experimentation. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... hlight=afr
That said. If your spark plugs look the right color, I would be hesitant to mess with the AFR. Leaning your mixture will increase cylinder head temps, and shorten the life of your heads.
I may be a pretty close comparable. I have a '75 Westfalia (with a 2.0 L motor). It has a bunch of stuff in it, and I like to drive it 70 mph.
That said, I have been playing with my AFR because my spark plugs looked like I was running a bit lean. (The AFM experimentation came AFTER an exiguous search for vacuum leaks, and a re-verification of spark, advance, and dwell).
My initial settings had me just under 17 MPG (16. average over several thousand miles. AFM cruising at 70 after warmup was around 13.9.
Dropping to a very rich 11.5 left me at 14.7 mpg (only a 200 mile sample).
Correcting closer to 13.0 at at 70 mph netted me 16.5 mpg over my last 300 miles. Haven't checked my plugs yet to see how "lean" they look.
That said, Colin had a very good post on that other site where he did lots of experimentation. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... hlight=afr
That said. If your spark plugs look the right color, I would be hesitant to mess with the AFR. Leaning your mixture will increase cylinder head temps, and shorten the life of your heads.
DJ
'75 Westfalia, '79 Deluxe
(plus more busses than sense)
In a time of chimpanzees I was a monkey
'75 Westfalia, '79 Deluxe
(plus more busses than sense)
In a time of chimpanzees I was a monkey
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- IAC Addict!
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Re: Helping your MPG
I dropped from 16 mpg to 7. I hadn't done anything to the engine or changed driving habits. It's kept in a locked garage so its not theft.
- bretski
- Ellipsis-Meister
- Location: out of hibernation...for now
- Status: Offline
Re: Helping your MPG
Start with a basic tune up, as mentioned above by JTL. Can you smell gas in your exhaust fumes or see soot buildup on your tailpipe? 16 to 7 is quite a drop. Is this over one tank or several?
1978 Deluxe Westfalia - "Klaus"
"transcripts are overrated. hardware store receipts: those are useful." --skin daddio
"transcripts are overrated. hardware store receipts: those are useful." --skin daddio
- Bleyseng
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Seattle again
- Contact:
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Re: Helping your MPG
Check that the CHT is in spec (it fails to going too rich) and that the cold start valve isn't stuck open or that anyother injectors aren't stuck or clogged open. Sitting does this.
Geoff
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
http://bleysengaway.blogspot.com/
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
http://bleysengaway.blogspot.com/
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- IAC Addict!
- Status: Offline
Re: Helping your MPG
This is over 3 tanks. I'm going to pull the plugs and see what color I have and start checking everything else.
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- IAC Addict!
- Location: Metro Detroit
- Status: Offline
Re: Helping your MPG
check your temp sensor II for correct resistance as well as that it is fully seated in the head....mine gave me FITS for over a year, and one of symptoms was awful mpg .... 12-13 mpg hwy @ ~ 55-60 mph.
With no vac leaks, a good temp sensor II, and cruising around 62-65 actual mph (GPS confirmed v. 65-70 on the speedo) I get ~ 17-19 mpg
With no vac leaks, a good temp sensor II, and cruising around 62-65 actual mph (GPS confirmed v. 65-70 on the speedo) I get ~ 17-19 mpg
1976 VW Bus aka tripod
FI ...not leaky, and not so noisy...and she runs awesome!
FI ...not leaky, and not so noisy...and she runs awesome!
hambone wrote: There are those out there with no other aim but to bunch panties. It's like arguing with a pretzel.
- JLT
- Old School!
- Location: Sacramento CA
- Status: Offline
Re: Helping your MPG
Yow! With that steep a drop-off, there's something else to consider: Is the fuel system leaking? It may not show up when parked with the engine off, but look at the fuel lines, pump, etc. very carefully when there's pressure in the system.RussellK wrote:I dropped from 16 mpg to 7. I hadn't done anything to the engine or changed driving habits. It's kept in a locked garage so its not theft.
This is especially important. You don't want your bus to end up toast, in the most literal sense of the term.
-- JLT
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
Sacramento CA
Present bus: '71 Dormobile Westie "George"
(sometimes towing a '65 Allstate single-wheel trailer)
Former buses: '61 17-window Deluxe "Pink Bus"
'70 Frankenwestie "Blunder Bus"
'71 Frankenwestie "Thunder Bus"
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- IAC Addict!
- Status: Offline
Re: Helping your MPG
No fuel leaks I checked for that one already. I really appreciate all the suggestions.
- Gypsie
- rusty aircooled mekanich
- Location: Treadin' Lightly under the Clear Blue!
- Status: Offline
Re: Helping your MPG
locking gas cap?
Any changes in performance? Sluggish? That big of a drop should come with some sort of notable change.
I like the stuck injector theory as well as the nasty little TEMP II sensor possibility.
Over 3 tanks, like
"16mpg, fill, 14mpg, fill, 10mpg, fill, 7mpg..."
or
"One day I noticed that I was getting poor mpg and the next two tanks confirmed it"
do the 'pull one plug wire at a time elimination test' to see if all cylinders are in the game.
establish what the AFM is telling you about what your engine wants (more fuel, less fuel, just right...)
Curiouser and curiouser....
Any changes in performance? Sluggish? That big of a drop should come with some sort of notable change.
I like the stuck injector theory as well as the nasty little TEMP II sensor possibility.
Over 3 tanks, like
"16mpg, fill, 14mpg, fill, 10mpg, fill, 7mpg..."
or
"One day I noticed that I was getting poor mpg and the next two tanks confirmed it"
do the 'pull one plug wire at a time elimination test' to see if all cylinders are in the game.
establish what the AFM is telling you about what your engine wants (more fuel, less fuel, just right...)
Curiouser and curiouser....
So it all started when I wanted to get better gas mileage....