Date:         Thu, 15 Jun 1995 12:45:08 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         ryan75@PrimeNet.Com (Ryan Michael Stevens)
Subject:      Re: mpg on 87 syncro

At 12:13 AM 6/15/95 CDT, Rustidog@aol.com wrote:
>I have an 87 syncro with 120K miles.  I am getting 15 mpg.  My question is
> -- is this normal???   Normal or not can I do something to improve it.  If
>not, can I put an extra gas tank so that I don't have to stop for gas every
>200 miles.  Any advice is greatly appreciated.
>
>vty
>\\
>rg (rustidog)
>seattle
>

So, has the mileage always been like this, or is this a recent development?
My '84 (daily driver) dropped from an average of 19-20 mpg to about 10-11
once, causing great alarm.  The engine was in great shape; I was studying as
a mechanic at the time and was able to use all sorts of fancy test equipment
to check it out.  Although I can't recall how I found the problem, I did
find that some of the hoses on the fuel tank and the rubber seals that held
said seals in place were defective and leaking, allowing the fuel to
evaporate.  Once those items were replaced, my mileage returned to normal.

Ryan