Gas mileage should be better, i think

[ilya]

my gas mileage is only about 16 mpg. i do city driving only, usually about 20-30 miles per day.. i still think the mileage should be better. it's a 1995 525i.

i have replaced the air filter, which i thought would fix make mileage somewhat better. it didnt.
what else can i do? would replacing the fuel filter improve the mileage?

im not necesarily disappointed with what i have now, because my old car had the same... but i think i remember reading that the e34 is about 20 mpg..


oh and real quick, will this fuel sender work on my car? the seller said it will, but i thought i'd double check.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33555&item=2459417737

[scott540]

That seems really low even for winter time. I'm getting about 14 in the city right not but that with a thirsty V-8

[ryan roopnarine]

if you're having problems, i take it you've seen/tried this first?http://shrubbery.student.utwente.nl/johan/fuel_sender.html

[NoSpeedLimits]

Where are you from?

If it's winter time in your neighborhood, do you let the car warm up a bit longer then normally? Cause idle time can easily drop your average MPG 4 notches or more depending on duration.

[ilya]

im in oregon.
i let my car warmup for about a minute or two every day before i start driving.
it hasn't been terribly cold or anything. on days like today, when i have to de-ice the windows, i warmup for a good 4-5 minutes because of that...

should i wait more than just a couple minutes everyday?

[Bill R.]

winter until 2/29.. they claim it only reduces mileage 2 to 3 % but the average that I see here is a drop of 10 to 20% typically.. And no you shouldn't wait any longer, it will warm up quicker if you drive away slowly and take it easy until its warm rather than letting it sit and idle excessively








im in oregon.
i let my car warmup for about a minute or two every day before i start driving.
it hasn't been terribly cold or anything. on days like today, when i have to de-ice the windows, i warmup for a good 4-5 minutes because of that...

should i wait more than just a couple minutes everyday?

[ilya]

yeah that drop actually occured once winter started coming on. i dont know when exactly they change the gas to that oxygenated or whatever it is, but i think around december is when i noticed a small drop..

i do drive away very slowly after that minute or two. there's just too many stop signs to get up any faster lol.

[Bill R.]

yeah that drop actually occured once winter started coming on. i dont know when exactly they change the gas to that oxygenated or whatever it is, but i think around december is when i noticed a small drop..

i do drive away very slowly after that minute or two. there's just too many stop signs to get up any faster lol.

[ilya]

cool, thanks for the info :)

[dave b]

I get a little better than that with the winter fuel here in LA.

To test, open it up on the freeway. It's hard to tell in city driving.

[632 Regal]

thats way down...where did you guys find out when they stop the oxiginated fuels???????

[Aaron Bakos]

If you're getting too much fuel it's probable not the sending unit.

My first guess is a bad O2 sensor...a dirty fuel filter can hurt throttle response and power, but shouldn't hurt your fuel economy like that.

I had an 87 Saab 900 that got around 28 mpg..then it dropped to around 16, and it was the O2 sensor. Didn't even kick a check engine light.

Also...how are you checking the fuel economy? Are you filling up and doing the math or are you going by the OBC?

[ilya]

going by the OBC.

if you do the math, it turns out to be the same. i fill up every 250 miles, and its usually a 15 gallon fill up.. that's why i need the fuel sender - my gauge is broken (goes halfway when tank is full and then drops within a day)..

[dave b]

I experience about an 8-10% drop when we go to winter fuel here. I usually get 22.2 mpg in a mix of LA freeway traffic and city driving. I'd say I lean more towards the city driving. Now, I get 20.6 mpg in the same situations. When mine O2 sensor went, the mileage went way down, like to about 12-13 mixed driving. The OBC and my math revealed the same mileage.

Cruising on the highway, like on a road trip, I would pull 28+ mpg and fill up about every 450-500 miles.

Personally, I would wait for it to kick out the check engine light before spending the time and $$ for a fix. Or, if you experience a big drop in mileage.

[Aaron Bakos]

I experience about an 8-10% drop when we go to winter fuel here. I usually get 22.2 mpg in a mix of LA freeway traffic and city driving. I'd say I lean more towards the city driving. Now, I get 20.6 mpg in the same situations. When mine O2 sensor went, the mileage went way down, like to about 12-13 mixed driving. The OBC and my math revealed the same mileage.

Cruising on the highway, like on a road trip, I would pull 28+ mpg and fill up about every 450-500 miles.

Personally, I would wait for it to kick out the check engine light before spending the time and $$ for a fix. Or, if you experience a big drop in mileage.

I'd check the O2 sensor and fuel pressure...everybody sees poor fuel economy in the cold months, but 16.6 mpg out of a 2.5 I6 is outside the normal range IMHO.

[ilya]

the service light was on the day that i bought the car, but after the 2nd gas fill up it was gone... haven't seen it since