My engine didn't leak at all, and there was no visible sludge under the valve covers. I only tried ARX because I knew the rings were coked up, and ARX has definitely improved the compression, even giving me better gas mileage.
Am I using the wrong weight oil
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Reishi, I'm at a loss...do you have over size (wide) tires? Other than that or a real heavy foot or just stuck in bad traffic a lot...I don't know. Maybe the autorx will improve performance/mileage??? I haven't used anything like that but have read several good reports on here.....???
Luck to ya, If I think of anything else I'll let you know...
Luck to ya, If I think of anything else I'll let you know...
Just wondering, what rear end gears do you have? Or, what RPM are you running at 60 MPH?
I am a cautious driver. Certainly not a "lead foot" but I do mostly city driving with a lot of stop and go traffic with a lot of short trips mixed in. 2 miles each way with 15 stops in between.
As far as the rear gears go I really don't know. I bought it at 117,000 and there is no telling what the previous owner did to it. I think he used a trailer a lot so it is probably set for towing. How can I check and change that?
Also, I don't have a gage so I don't know about the rpm's. I do know that it seems to shift at higher speeds now that the trans was worked on
As far as the rear gears go I really don't know. I bought it at 117,000 and there is no telling what the previous owner did to it. I think he used a trailer a lot so it is probably set for towing. How can I check and change that?
Also, I don't have a gage so I don't know about the rpm's. I do know that it seems to shift at higher speeds now that the trans was worked on
Originally Posted By: Reishi
Is it uncommon to have relatively clean valve covers and still have enough build up inside the engine to effect the mileage this much?
Like I said, my heads looked very clean under the valve covers, and yet I had badly carboned up ring packs, which ARX cleaned up very nicely. The result was greatly improved compression, which yielded both better engine performance and an increase in mpg.
You can't judge solely by how clean things look on the surface.
Is it uncommon to have relatively clean valve covers and still have enough build up inside the engine to effect the mileage this much?
Like I said, my heads looked very clean under the valve covers, and yet I had badly carboned up ring packs, which ARX cleaned up very nicely. The result was greatly improved compression, which yielded both better engine performance and an increase in mpg.
You can't judge solely by how clean things look on the surface.
Relax a little. It's the short trips with all the stops and starts that account for your poor mileage. You could try M1 synthetic oil it might get you 1 mpg more. Get it at WM in the 5 q. container for $21. Do the math. Hope this helps. P. S. try 10-30.
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Originally Posted By: Reishi
I have a 94 chevy c-1500 (silverado) .5 ton 2 wheel drive with the V-e 350 with the 5.7 liter displacement with the throttle body. I have upwards of 170,000 miles and it has never gotten more than 13 miles per gallon at best. That is without the A/C running. If I turn it on my mileage drops down to about 11.
I hate to break it to you, but I don't think 10w30 is going to get you to 17 MPG.
I have a 94 chevy c-1500 (silverado) .5 ton 2 wheel drive with the V-e 350 with the 5.7 liter displacement with the throttle body. I have upwards of 170,000 miles and it has never gotten more than 13 miles per gallon at best. That is without the A/C running. If I turn it on my mileage drops down to about 11.
I hate to break it to you, but I don't think 10w30 is going to get you to 17 MPG.
It sounds like your driving is really hard on the mileage, mainly all the starts and stops. As far as I can tell even a major change in efficiency in the oil will give you at most a 2-3% overall improvement in mileage - you probably wouldn't even notice.
Maybe buy a cheap commuter car?
Maybe buy a cheap commuter car?
Reishi, your truck is completely stock with the stock tire sizes, right?
And you don't have it lifted 10 feet in the air, right?
And you don't have it lifted 10 feet in the air, right?
No, its all stock.
I drive to the University everyday, where I work, which is about 2.5 miles from my house. However, in those 2.5 miles I make approximately 7 stops at stop signs and red lights. More if the morning people cut me off. But I don't drive fast at all and the truck is barely getting warmed up by the time I get to school. And this has been my routine for about 2 years now.
I know this is killing my mileage but even when I take it out on the open road it doesn't really improve. Does the stop and go action everyday cause more sludge than normal or wear the engine down differently than it would it I had an hour commute everyday?
Thanks again for the help. I wish I had just signed up a year ago when I first found this site but to be honest, all you guys kinda intimidated me with your knowledge. lol
I drive to the University everyday, where I work, which is about 2.5 miles from my house. However, in those 2.5 miles I make approximately 7 stops at stop signs and red lights. More if the morning people cut me off. But I don't drive fast at all and the truck is barely getting warmed up by the time I get to school. And this has been my routine for about 2 years now.
I know this is killing my mileage but even when I take it out on the open road it doesn't really improve. Does the stop and go action everyday cause more sludge than normal or wear the engine down differently than it would it I had an hour commute everyday?
Thanks again for the help. I wish I had just signed up a year ago when I first found this site but to be honest, all you guys kinda intimidated me with your knowledge. lol
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I have owned the vehicle for about for years but I have always gotten horrible mileage, usually 10-12 miles per gallon at best.
My brother used to drive a friends Jeep with a 2.5l 4 cyl engine. He said the thing got terrible gas mileage for the size of the engine -- I mean is was considerably lower than what one might expect for a 2.5l 4. It turned out the exhaust system had been dented (or the catalytic converter was plugged) -- not sure which. But that restricted the exhaust flow so badly it dropped the gas mileage considerably. The exhaust got fixed and the gas mileage jumped up 40 -50%. You might look at the exhaust system as a problem area for your poor gas mileage.
I have owned the vehicle for about for years but I have always gotten horrible mileage, usually 10-12 miles per gallon at best.
My brother used to drive a friends Jeep with a 2.5l 4 cyl engine. He said the thing got terrible gas mileage for the size of the engine -- I mean is was considerably lower than what one might expect for a 2.5l 4. It turned out the exhaust system had been dented (or the catalytic converter was plugged) -- not sure which. But that restricted the exhaust flow so badly it dropped the gas mileage considerably. The exhaust got fixed and the gas mileage jumped up 40 -50%. You might look at the exhaust system as a problem area for your poor gas mileage.
I hadn't thought about that. It seems to get pretty decent air flow out of the tail pipes but I don't really have any point of reference to know how much I really should be getting. I guess I could have it replaced as I last ditch effort to improve the fuel mileage a bit.
I had an older guy at the muffler shop that I went to when I had the duels put on tell me that Catalytic converters were bad about restricting airflow, especially after 100,000 miles, and recommended ( under his breath of course) that I take the truck out on the highway and get the exhaust really hot and then smack the [censored] out of the cat with a hammer to hollow it out. To where I would, in effect, just have a hollow shell there but I would be afraid of it collapsing in on itself and then I would have a severe restriction to deal with.
Do you know how much a replacement converter would cost to replace on average?
I had an older guy at the muffler shop that I went to when I had the duels put on tell me that Catalytic converters were bad about restricting airflow, especially after 100,000 miles, and recommended ( under his breath of course) that I take the truck out on the highway and get the exhaust really hot and then smack the [censored] out of the cat with a hammer to hollow it out. To where I would, in effect, just have a hollow shell there but I would be afraid of it collapsing in on itself and then I would have a severe restriction to deal with.
Do you know how much a replacement converter would cost to replace on average?
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Do you know how much a replacement converter would cost to replace on average?
Not sure -- but they are likely in the hundreds of dollars. I know some people just remove the catalytic converter on higher mileage vehicles when they redo the exhaust -- if you don't have to meet an emissions test.
Do you know how much a replacement converter would cost to replace on average?
Not sure -- but they are likely in the hundreds of dollars. I know some people just remove the catalytic converter on higher mileage vehicles when they redo the exhaust -- if you don't have to meet an emissions test.
Reishi, When was the last time the fuel injectors had a professional cleaning? Clean injectors will increase fuel usage efficiency.
Originally Posted By: Drivebelt
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Do you know how much a replacement converter would cost to replace on average?
Not sure -- but they are likely in the hundreds of dollars. I know some people just remove the catalytic converter on higher mileage vehicles when they redo the exhaust -- if you don't have to meet an emissions test.
I remember my brother-in-law crying a cat converter cost him close to $500 to replace on a 92 Ford E-250 about a year or so ago. That was with a Ford part. I would imagine the average price being somewhere in the +/- $500 Ball-Park.
HTH,
Frank D
Quote:
Do you know how much a replacement converter would cost to replace on average?
Not sure -- but they are likely in the hundreds of dollars. I know some people just remove the catalytic converter on higher mileage vehicles when they redo the exhaust -- if you don't have to meet an emissions test.
I remember my brother-in-law crying a cat converter cost him close to $500 to replace on a 92 Ford E-250 about a year or so ago. That was with a Ford part. I would imagine the average price being somewhere in the +/- $500 Ball-Park.
HTH,
Frank D
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