DodgeIntrepid.Net Forums banner

HUGE drop in gas mileage

890 views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  SilverPoet 
#1 · (Edited)
'94 3.3L with about 208,000km (Yea i know its alot)

anyways... i usually got about 19.5 (city)mpg... but recently my gas has been used like no tomorrrow.. have to fillup way more often then i did before

im only getting 15.2mpg now... as compared to 19+ before that! no problems with the car, she still runs great.. minus the fuel issue

ive heard o2 sensors often on this board... how can i check?

any idea's????
 
#2 ·
Any other symptoms? Rough idle, sluggish, etc?

Could be a bad O2 sensor causing an overly rich condition (and causing bad mileage of course), but bad O2 sensors typically cause the MIL to illuminate. Got any codes?
 
#4 ·
#5 ·
you live in canada.. it is winter. if you do alot of short trips in the winter.. you get SHITTY gas mileage. it is a known fact.
 
#8 ·
#9 ·
Stailfish said:
apparently the winter conditions can also cause bad mileage? its around -10C here for the past week or two
Yes - the outside temperature definitely makes a big difference in my 95's gas mileage.

I get about 500 miles per tank during the Summer months and just over 400 miles per tank in the Winter months. I live in Ohio where the Summer temps are typically in the 80-90 degree range. Recently, we've had an extended spell of ~20 degree weather. My gas mileage has been horrible. However, the car is starting and running well. If it follows the pattern of previous years my mileage will start going up in the Spring.

O2 sensors are also possible causes of bad gas mileage. However, the "check engine" light will usually come on if one or more of them are out of spec. Maybe its just time for some new spark plugs and an air filter?
 
#10 ·
in pennsylvania they use a blended gasoline for winter that contains more alchohol that the "summer" blend (supposed to help with gas line freezing) but the mileage goes to hell. check around with your local gas station to see if they are using the "winter" blended gas.

.02
 
#14 ·
yeah warming up the car doesn't help things either, and I know my car likes to warm up for about five minutes...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top