Why Is My Gas Mileage SO BAD??

[SHO_ROLLER]

My car runs GREAT besides the fact it gets 19 MPG!! The car got 27 MPG when I bought it 60K miles ago. I thought at first it might just be my driving habits, but for the last two tanks, I've drivin like if tach passed 4K it'd BLOW UP! I need valve cover gaskets and a motor mount but this couldn't have ANYTHING to do with MPG. In the words of Towlie, I have no idea whats going on........
Anyone have a clue what it could be or what I should start checking first?

Thanks,
Anthony shrug

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Codes? Could be a stuck open t-stat, O2's, or just a need for routine maintenance. Start by reading the codes and addressing any issues identified by the codes.

 

[SHO_ROLLER]

Ever since a little blue box in my glovebox started beeping, most of my idiot lights and my gas gauge doesn't work. I STILL have yet to find out what the THAT'S all about.

Anthony

 

[Mr Anonymous]

The air bag diag. monitor (the blue box behind the glove box) will beep when there is an open to the air bag light ckt to the cluster. This means that either the bulb is bad, or more likely since you mentioned other cluster problems a bad fuse somewhere.

Start by checking/replacing fuses. Get the car back as close to 100% proper operation as possible before worrying too much about the mileage.

 

[SHO_ROLLER]

I've checked the fuses and they're all fine. Could they be bad without being blown?

Anthony

 

[projectSHO89]

SHO_ROLLER:
Ever since a little blue box in my glovebox started beeping, most of my idiot lights and my gas gauge doesn't work. I STILL have yet to find out what the THAT'S all about.

Anthony

It's beeping because the of the cluster problems.

Have you had the cluster pulled recently? If so, one of the connectors may not be fully seated.

Steve

Steve

 

[SHO_ROLLER]

What else could cause cluster problems?

Anthony

 

[40BelowSummer]

SHO_ROLLER:
I've checked the fuses and they're all fine. Could they be bad without being blown?

Anthony

no

 

[projectSHO89]

guitar333:

SHO_ROLLER:
I've checked the fuses and they're all fine. Could they be bad without being blown?

Anthony

no

Yes, they can.

Back when I was in the military, I had a audio frequency amplifer that I was troubleshooting that would only put out about 80% of its rated power. I eventyally pinpointed it to a faulty fuse that had a few ohms resistance that was causing a voltage drop to the output stage.

A very unique failure which goes to show that failure modes besides blowing open can and have occurred.

Steve

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

I have seen many fuses act like 'slow blow' fuses.
Try testing those fuses. You can do it with a meter without removing them wink