fuel mileage

Notorious_T · 01-26-2008, 02:32 PM

So i have a 93 tempo 2.3L 3spd auto. Now i have tried everything to get better mileage out of it as im only getting 170km to half a tank

... well heres the list of what i did new spark plugs and that made about 20km differerence, TB cleaned about couple days ago and dident notice any big difference and as well Fuel injection cleaner dident make a difference either... Now im thinking that its impossible to get good mileage out of 96hp or i should keep trying? the only thing that come to mind to replace is fuel filter and air filter. What do you guys suggest, is this normal lol? or am i missing something? plz help..

UnexplodedCow · 01-26-2008, 04:08 PM

You have a 16 gallon tank. How are you measuring to half a tank? The autos, by the way, weren't known for their great mileage.
My advice: You most likely have a dirty Mass Air Flow sensor, and it probably needs a good cleaning. It's located in line to the intake, just after the airbox, or in the airbox, I forget. It's got wires going to it. And then fill your tank up, drive at least 200km (I'm used to miles, but km should work well enough), and then fill the tank up again. Measure how many gallons went in against how many miles driven. Do this 3 or 4 times, and you'll have a very good idea of the kind of mileage you're getting.

And the engines were rated for 98 hp for base, and 100 for the HSO models.
As far as good mileage goes, I had a '91 with the base engine and 5 speed, and pulled 51.2 mpg on a 500 mile trip, moving no slower than 75 mph. The engine had ~235,000 miles on it at the time.

Notorious_T · 01-26-2008, 04:31 PM

i know the way im doing it isent that accurate but every time i fill up i reset my trip odo and at half a tank of gas the trip odo reads 170km... and thanks i will give it a try, so is there some sort of spray that i should use to clean it?

cronicus · 01-30-2008, 08:50 PM

to clean the maf anything will work just not at point blank. the lil chip in there HAS to dry out before you hook it back up and run electrons back through it.
alchol is my opion the best thing to use outa a lil squirt bottle.

keep in mind these cars were not meant to get exclent mileage even despite the High Swirl Combustion - heads design it lost up against alot of that year(s) other model cars when it came to ecomony even though at one point i swear it literly had the worlds most advanced ecu measuring a blistering 8 engine fuctions lol to give the best possible mileage, and still failed.
also rember for a 4 banger its kinda big at 2.3 liters instead of ford just putting in better technology to make more power like maybe a ohc setup or at least a better thought through head design they went for ecomony, thats why alot of your engines characters, traits and literly part are so simmiliar to yesterdays pushrod engines.
because you have a 3 speed auto your gona loose a few mpg over a stick anyway, where your rpm's stay the most will have a HUGE factor if your cruzing around at 60+mph the motors gona rev a little keep in mind the car made its max torque at 2200 rpms (i think it was)it may be more ecominical to cruze at 2200 going maybe 55-60 mpg slow but ya, then cruzing at 75 witht he 3 speed anyway.

one more thign you might wana replace is the o2 sensor.
you wouldent also happen to have a check engine light?
hows your aligment/where do you keep your tire psi- and do you drive with the windows down all the time?

if i remebr right the 2.3 mpfi spfi models were rated for 26-30mpg tops for the 5 speed.
and that was at 55mpg highway. ever wonder why the number 55 is like DISPLAYED OUT in your spedo.....see where your rpm's are when you put it right there......
instal a tach if you dont have 1....

if this gets you no where i would start looking into the motors compression, presssure test the fuel lines and fuel rail you know man just cover the bases.

Notorious_T · 01-31-2008, 02:18 PM

nope no check engine light, algment is fine and my tires are at 30 psi.. lol tach is broken only works when your on the gas hard lol sometimes im doing 60 and im on the gas my tach goes so far it disapears :P and yea im thinking it may have to do with a sensor but you think a vacum leak would cause this? and no its to cold to have my windows down..

cronicus · 01-31-2008, 06:25 PM

i would defintly reaplce that sensor and while your down there drop the cat and take a look inside with a flash light mybe dump a whole can of carb cleaner in the cat just to free up sum flow.....
a vacume leak could cause some other symptoms i duno about gas mileage lost though.
i would also try and check out that fuel reail pressure with the car runing and then off, and then a few hours later.
i know a while back i was getting like 11mpg and it ended up being a fuel LEAK but just ekeep working through it man.
have you checked the wires cap and rotor yet?

Notorious_T · 01-31-2008, 06:44 PM

lol yea my cat is done as far as i know... wires are good the cap and rotor are prety much new.

bvolks · 01-31-2008, 06:46 PM

My 92 is working terribly and I still get around 300 kms to a half a tank. My brother has been using it while his 2000 Impala is laid up and claims it's not much harder on gas than the Impala. Unfortunately I don't have any advice on how to make it better. I just bought mine about a month ago and it's the first fuel injected vehicle (except for the primitive VW mechanical fuel injection) that I've owned and mine is giving me a lot of grief too.

Notorious_T · 01-31-2008, 06:54 PM

^ your lucky man 300km to half a tank, lol im getting 170km use to be 150 until i changed the spark plugs.

cronicus · 01-31-2008, 06:54 PM

you guys just gota cover the bases, we can get more indepth and i can walk you through checking incjetors and such but they typicaly dont go out on these cars.
just make shure your getting full fuel pressure and not losing it leaking or the pump is going bad, if the pressure isisnt low enuf the injectors wont mist right it wil kinda drip in you wont be using all the fuel. bad plugs wires cap or rotor ignition module or ignition coil could cause this a bad tps maf o2 pluged up exhaust the list can go on but just take it one step at a time.
im still a firm beliver in a compersion and oil psi test just to elimante stuff, its always cheaper to test and eliminate stuff than it is to throw parts at it.
truth is its also faster.