Poor gas Mileage

Hi everyone.

I just wanted to tap some of the smart people here for some advice.

My '02 Malibu with the 3.1 engine and 54,000 miles was recently worked on. I had the Intake manifold gasket as well as the Head gasket changed Along with that the mechanic insisted he change the Spark Plugs and the Ignition Wires. SO far so good. THe Ebgine feels good. but the gas Mileage is barely OK. Im getting about 200 or less miles per Tank. Thats about 12 gallons when the Guage Light comes on and I fill up.

Question? Shouldn't the Mileage be better for such a small car. I do lots of driving to Manhattan from the outter boroughs and theres aobut 50% highway driving. Lately Ive had the A/C on and theres much less pep in the Pedal.

Is there something that goes wrong on these cars that would mess up the engines performance or gas mileage? Is there something I can check ( Timing? Dwell? Vacuum pressure, etc)?

Any ideas are welcome.

Thanks In advance

Larry

Reply to
Larry P
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What sort of mileage did you get before the work was done on this car? I used to get 35 mpg on the highway with a 2.8 litre engine, in a light car, and if they are similar, I would expect you to do much better.

A lot of times you will find missing economy to be due to things like cracked or misplaced hoses, faulty sensors, gas leaks, etc...in other words, not spark plugs and wires.

Maybe the mechanic didnt quite get everything back as it should be.

Reply to
HLS

Much better than you are presently doing, I mean.

Reply to
HLS

Hi HLS

The power was slightly better before the work but did diminish after a year. The Engine did feel good (quiet, peppy) after the work was done. I dont remember if the mileage was good before the work, but I'm noticing now that its poor. Could someone be siphoning my gas? thats possible. They are clever enough to take a gallon or 2 at a time. I cant rule that out. but would consider if there is somehting wrong with the engine first. Whats the best way to find a hose leak?

Thanks Larry.

Reply to
Larry P

Of course, if someone is stealing your gas, you are going to have a very poor economy rating.

Same if you have a leak.

Look for signs of leaks. Smell.

Take a trip with a full tank and then fill up and compare your consumption with the mileage.

I will venture a guess that it is neither leakage not theft.. Please let us know when you get to the bottom of it.

Reply to
HLS

Get a code scan on the engine. And acutual track your mileage and gas usage and calculte MPG.

bob

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Reply to
bob urz

How about a few simple things like a new air filter and fuel filter? (about the price of 5 gallons of gas.

Reply to
reddog

I've got an 02 BUICK Century with the 3.1 engine.

Highway mileage is still 30 > 32 ( in Cruise @ 65 mph )

Reply to
Anonymous

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