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My Neon started out as a big pig. It would start at .45 gph until warmed up, then go between .30-.33. I then cleaned out the AIC valve, which by cleaning, I mean I broke it! After putting it back in, it lowered the idle quite a bit to the point that it has a hard time keeping idle on its own from a cold start... but it would sit around .28-.30! Even still, compared to most modern engines, seems to be more than necessary. Though, I just don't even bother to let it idle just about anywhere anyways (EOC P&G EVERYWHERE!).
As for warmups, my car has had odd cooling issues from the start. When I first rebuilt the engine, silly me put the headgasket on upside-down and it allowed oil to get into the coolant. Since then, I've been struggling to get all the oil out (though nearly 2 years and many cleanout and part changes later, it's far better than it was). In the early life of this engine, it would get up to 220*F pretty easily. Fast forward to now, after extensive grill blocking and a smaller radiator, I struggle to ever see a full warm up! Only on constant steep hills do I ever get into the 195* territory... otherwise, it likes to sit around 180*. This is through 3 different thermostats now! I can only figure that the constant pulse and glide w/ engine off coasting is just too efficient? lol.
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