Date:         Sun, 2 Dec 2007 12:38:01 -0800
Reply-To:     Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Poor mileage update
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I have been told that some of you are breathlessly anticipating the next
installment of this ongoing tale. I suspect that whoever told me that
greatly exaggerates how interesting this is, and is just messing with me.
But just in case there's some poor soul out there who can't find anything
more nourishing to read (like, even, porn), here is the latest:

Over the past two months I've looked at about everything I or anyone else
  could think of which might explain why my 84 Westy's mileage sucks so
bad. See

http://vanagonwiki.net/index.php/Mileage for survey data showing typical
mileage for Vanagons,

and see my blog at
http://camping.elliott.googlepages.com/poormileage for info on my van's
mileage and the things I've looked at.

A good researcher would change only one thing at a time and see what
effect it has (if any) on mileage. But my van is not my daily driver, and
my "standard drive" (a 132-mile round trip up to 6,000 feet and back down)
occurs only once a month. Life's too short to try one thing at a time, so
I can't claim to show cause and effect with any confidence. Which makes me
a poor researcher. I can live with that. Results are what I want, man!

Of all the things I checked, I only changed two: advanced the timing a bit
(my threads about that are about a month old, look 'em up in the archives
if curious) and got the wheels aligned a couple weeks ago (except for the
camber of the rear wheels because the shop didn't know how, I'll have them
handle that in a week or so).

Prior to doing anything to the van, my city mileage was 11 mpg. Miserable.
My average highway mileage was 15.5 mpg, and my standard drive netted 16.7
mpg.

After the timing change (and some general cleanup of some issues that
don't appear to be related to mileage, like a failed coolant pressure
relief cap, a partially collapsed breather hose, and other minor
thingies), my city mileage seemed to improve, to about 13.7 mpg. The
engine seemed to have a little more "oomph."

After wheel alignment (save, as mentioned, the rear wheel cambers), city
mileage clocked in at 15.6 mpg. Steering felt "lighter" (i.e., easier).

I returned from my standard 132-mile drive yesterday morning (couldn't do
it in October on account of these fires that were chewing up the area; the
Forestry service closed all the national forests) and see that I got 17.9
mpg. I was also able to maintain speed on uphills where I previously
needed to downshift.

I'll be going up and back in December (if I can sort out a problem I had
up the with the engine starting) and will see what difference getting the
rear wheels aligned will do, although winter conditions might hide the
effect of that.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
KG6RCR