Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

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gessner18

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by gessner18 »

I'm gettin under 200 miles on a tank of gas, its getting
ridiculous. I only drive a short distance to work, so the engine is
always cold. Its pretty cold here in Iowa...10-15. It seems to
just gulp fuel when the engine is cold and takes forever to relize
it is warm. If I take it on a trip I get 275-300 miles on a tank
because the engine is warm, which is still not great considering it
is hwy driving. Is there a thermostat causing this? I am not
getting any error codes. Any info is appreciated,
Matt
gessner18

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by gessner18 »

I have replaced plugs, wires, air filter....the usual. On a second
note, My engine seems bogged down or like it is being starved or
flooded, something with the air/fuel mixture isn't right, you can
smell the exhaust when it is idling, smells way rich. After an hour
or 2 of driving, it gets a lot better, more power, runs better,
better gas mileage. Hope this additional info helps anyone.
Matt
Josh Colombo

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by Josh Colombo »

You could very well have a worn thermostat.

First some details.....what kind of legacy you got, miles, auto/manual....etc?

Driving real short distances really don't expect great mileage.

I get around 220mi per tank. I have a n/a auto FWD. Most of that driving is in town.

On trips...I'll get 300-350....a lot of that depends on how fast I'm going.

If you do replace the t-stat, make sure you get one from the dealer. aftermarket ones you buy at parts stores are physically different and don't have the same duration during cold/hot opening/closing.....and react quicker to temperature changes. I speak from experience.

The t-stat is on the bottom driver's side of the engine where the coolant hose goes over to the radiator.

Josh
gessner18

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by gessner18 »

ITs a 93 turbo legacy wagon auto, 70k miles. When I say bad gas
mileage its cold (engine), I mean after 5 miles, the gas gauage
drops, one time, my gas light had just turned on and I ran out of
gas after driving no more than 5 miles on the gas light, engine was
really cold.
INCEv@webtv.net

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by INCEv@webtv.net »

I would have to ask.
What is speed limit between your house, and work?
Dan
Josh Colombo

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by Josh Colombo »

Not to say that it's not possible.....but......when the light comes on....and stays on.....you have 2.4 gallons left in the tank......that works out to be like 2 miles per gallon.

What does you temp gauge do? How long does it take to get it up to normal operating temp?
Josh Colombo

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by Josh Colombo »

could be a coolant temp sensor too.....but I'd start with the t-stat
gessner18

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by gessner18 »

Well, its a mile to the interstate on 45mph, then 65 all the way to
the office with minimal lights. Its mostly hwy driving. I rarely do
city driving, thats why it doesn't make any sense.
dealerxing

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by dealerxing »

I get horrible mileage too, but I drive in NYC with lots of traffic
and junk in the car. C&D reported 17MPG when they tested the car in
93. Subaru's Horizontal opposed engine design/4WD are also notorious
for gas guzzlers when old. You may want to inflate your tires a few
more PSI too. I get 15--17 city MPG.
rsturbowagon

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by rsturbowagon »

Hey guys,just signed up to the group to find that someone else is
having the same problem. I posted the same question here in OZ,all I
got was,why don`t you by a fiori or what do you expect from a
performance car! Good to see some constructive comments.
Anyway,enough of that babble. My one has done the same,but I just
filled up yesterday and only got 70 miles to half a tank,so I`m not
impressed at all. I`ve done everything;new genuine thermostat,fuel
filter,plugs,air filter,intake,brakes dragging,hand brake
cable,timing and so on. No codes come up.
So,I`m at a loss too.
see what happens I suppose,
Till next, Nort.
Josh Colombo

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by Josh Colombo »

What's your tire pressure?

Have you tried resetting your ECU?

I've got a n/a, auto, FWD, and normally only get around 100 miles per half tank on city driving. Do you have an auto or 5spd?
rsturbowagon

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by rsturbowagon »

Sorry about taking so long to reply,
I`m running 34p.s.i. in all tyres(heaps of roundabouts here)
I`ve reset the ECU
It`s AWD with a 4sp auto wagon with 205/50 16 tyres.
Cheers Nort.
Josh Colombo

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by Josh Colombo »

Well all that stuff looks good....tire pressure seems about average. Not sure what to tell ya. Does auto tranny seem to be slipping or in bad health?

Josh
Chris Chirdon

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by Chris Chirdon »

Hey, just wanted to chime in here. I have a 1993 Legacy 4WD Auto Wagon and
I get about 212 miles per tank. A bit less now that we let her idle to
warm up in the morning. That's suburban start-stop not more than 35 mph
bendy driving. I thought something was wrong, then I road-tripped up to
Buffalo and achieved nearly 350 miles to a tank on the highway.

So, FWIW, I don't know that there's anything wrong. Of course, if you
suddenly find something wrong let me know because apparently we have the
same problem. ;) Your car doesn't hapen to refuse to start 1 out of 35
times you try in 25 F weather, does it?

Chris Chirdon
Pittsburgh, PA
Kam

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by Kam »

I don't think I've ever got more 250 miles out of a single tank in the 3 Subarus I've had. I could do about 30mpg (UK gallon) in my old 1.8 Legacy 4WD - that was about the best. On the turbo motors I can do max 25mpg.
Ian Shastko

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by Ian Shastko »

I find that when my gas light comes on in my 91 turbo and fill up at the pump I at most get 14 gallons of fuel and its a 16 gallon tank that gives me about 245-280 mpg with stop and go/ highway mixxed commute at 10psi with an upgraded walbro fuel pump, cone filter, 3" exhaust, and intercooler. So at 146,000 miles I think that is really good. I think that this is were a 5-speed makes the most differance. on my drive from washington state to Florida and back I got 435 mpg.
Josh Colombo

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by Josh Colombo »

Those are miles per tank correct........mpg.....you'd be up for an award for mileage like that ;)
Ian Shastko

Help.......getting horrible gas mileage

Post by Ian Shastko »

yep per tank oops.
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