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Date:         Fri, 14 Jan 2000 15:50:16 +0000
Reply-To:     Mark Keller <kelphoto@ISLANDNET.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Keller <kelphoto@ISLANDNET.COM>
Subject:      Re: Poor MPG, '81 Westy -- Injector Problems?
Comments: To: Lee Wood <leewood@LELAND.STANFORD.EDU>
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii

<HTML> My opinion would be for you to Consider these things: <BR>weight of your van. Extra Weight less gas mileage <BR>Stance of the Van,&nbsp; does it sit level? <BR>Alignment of all four tires, are they within specifications? <BR>Get a vacuum gauge on your engine.&nbsp; How much vacuum do you have at 60 mph Cruise? Should be 12" or so.&nbsp; Anything below 9" and something is overloading the engine?

<P>If you vacuum confirms a 12" at cruise, then driving style may be more of&nbsp; issue.

<P>True enough, tires, can be a issue, but to me your MPG is to far off.

<P>To recap, if your wheels are straight, and nose isn't high, your weight is within tolerance, and engine is actually producing power, the gas mileage should follow.

<P>BTW my wife would average 5 MPG less on a trip, because she would drive up on slow cars, people who can seem to maintain highway speed, then brake, the wait for a good time to "ACCELERATE" back up to highway speed.

<P>There are lots of little things to help you mileage.&nbsp; Driving down hills, depending on your verve, a little faster to build up momentum, and then let the speed bleed off&nbsp; naturally as the van climbs the hill.

<P>Conserve your Momentum!

<P>MY opinion.&nbsp; Email me with your comments and we will work through this together.&nbsp; BTW only if you can verify the above items will you have a baseline from which to troubleshoot you van's poor MPG

<P>Sincerely,

<P>Mark Keller <BR>91 Carat WLE automatic&nbsp; 21-23 MPG routinely

<P>Lee Wood wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE>&nbsp; <BLOCKQUOTE>Reading Malcom Stebbins' MPG survey confirms what I've thought for a long time: my '81 Westy is getting poor gas mileage.

<P>I have about 2,000 miles on a rebuilt engine and the builder (local German car garage in Menlo Park) can find no problems which might cause poor fuel mileage. Also, it tends to overheat. (I posted yesterday about the radiator behind the front fresh-air intake actually being an oil cooler. I really DO need that cooler, even on a fresh engine.)</BLOCKQUOTE> I'm wondering if my fuel injectors might be clogged or something. Would this cause poor fuel economy *and* overheating?

<P>Opinions? How to fix?

<P>Lee</BLOCKQUOTE> &nbsp;</HTML>


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