Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2011 17:48:13 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Report: gas mileage, in town, 1.9L AT
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I don't consider it so hilly in Bend OR myself..
and ....'as bad as 14 mpg in town, in the winter' can be normal for an auto
trans vanagon ..
but 12 is really ......'rather unacceptable' ..
and maybe a 1.9 should do a bit better than 2.1 with auto trans.
so ...true it may not be fully in spec in all parameter of how it's running.
drive me nuts that shops will put in say ...cap and rotor, plugs and plug
wires, and an air filter ..
and say 'it's tuned up.'
True .they may have installed 'the tune up parts'..
but they don't do that really truly right anyway ..I only see spark plugs
installed with bone dry threads .
they should have a bit of anti-seize on the threads, and be screwed in
tightly enough ..
and ..those 'tune up' parts ..don't even wear that much and they are not
what goes wrong or wears out particularly.
just one though ..of many ..
if a shop or person is working on doing a 'tune up' to a waterboxer vanagon
..
and they don't insure that it is running properly up to temp ..
then they really haven't addressed at all whether it's running properly or
not.,
same goes for the throttle switch making contact at idle..
for the timing be right, and not too advanced,
and the oxygen sensor output has been checked..
those kinds of things need to be checked, and I do not get the impression
that they ever are very much.
Especially on 1.9's ...I seldom see one running really properly. ...due
to lack of real understanding or even just caring that it's really in spec,
apparently.
2.1's are generally a better in that respect ..
I see those truly 'in tune' more often , and less so on 1.9's commonly.
I think it's important to add a high quality fuel injection cleaner to the
fuel now and then, also.
But 12mpg ain't right !
either the calculations are off ..
or the engine is not running like it should be properly in all dimensions..
or someone is just driving it very hard ..
or doing something like sitting with it cold, and idling to 'warm it up' ..
that's a very bad practice.
Heck..on my auto trans vehicles, I shut them off in gear a few feet before I
get to the final parking spot ..
less fuel is wasted that way.
driving to where you are going to park it, then putting it in park, then
shutting if off finally, wastes a fuel of course. Though it's very hard for
many people to learn to shut off in gear, THEN put it in park.
scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marius Strom" <marstrom@MICROSOFT.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 3:45 PM
Subject: Re: Report: gas mileage, in town, 1.9L AT
I dunno.. I average 18-20 on highways for camping trips (Westy), and I
usually run around 14 or so in the city. I don't know that there's obviously
something wrong. My city driving typically includes lots of hills, as I
assume Mr. Squirrel's does (living in Bend).
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Robert Fisher
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 3:28 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Report: gas mileage, in town, 1.9L AT
I'm guessing you don't need somebody to tell you there's something very
wrong there.
In my '87 pass van I get about the same on the hwy vs. in town; I drive
close to 70 on the hwy and like an old grandmother locally . Even with my
wife driving most of the in-town miles it stays around 17. We typically have
over 650 lbs. of ppl in the van.
Cya,
Robert.
On Apr 4, 2011 3:18 PM, "Rocket J Squirrel" <camping.elliott@gmail.com>
wrote:
> As promised, I'd check my in-town gas mileage when I filled up the
> tank again and report back.
>
> I don't normally check fuel consumption except when on camping trips,
> those are highway miles. I get about 18 to 21 mpg depending. My
> in-town mileage is considerably worse and I have a light foot. Got 12
> mpg on this last tank.
>
> --
> Rocky J Squirrel
> '84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> '74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
> Bend, OR KG6RCR
