92 METRO VERT LSI. . .35MPG sucks!!!

[AIRHEAD]

I THOUGHT I'D GET MUCH MILEAGE MPG-BUT APPARENTLY GEARING IS DIFFERENT ON THE VERT.

HOW DO I GET UP INTO THE 45mpg- with a 1.0 engine using 1qt oil-every 300 miles?

REBUILD,or is oil useage normal for this engine???

Thanks,
airhead.

[Crono]

I think this topic is in the wrong forum..

[Drive Stick]

Just a general reply here, but most high mpg cars have less to do with the car, than they do the driver.

Give a person a car that's usually getting 35 mpg, and the car will get 28 mpg because they will be using their instinct to rush around and keep up with traffic.

There is a list of 100+ driving techniques on this website which offer some good starter advice on how to improve your mpg through driving.

100+ hypermiling / ecodriving tips to increase gas mileage - EcoModder.com

Saving gas, is a state of mind more so than it is a feature of a vehicle.

[Ford Man]

The oil usage could be a factor in the low mileage too. If the car is burning a quart every 300 miles the engine must be pretty worn. My '88 Escort with 490,000+ miles is only using a quart about every 1000 miles. I'd run a compression test just to see what the numbers are across the cylinders. The numbers between the cylinders shouldn't vary more than about 10-15% on an engine in good condition. If they come up low give them a squirt of oil into the cylinders from a pump oil can and recheck the numbers. If the numbers come up then your rings are worn out, if they don't then it's probably a head gasket or valve problem. If it's using that much oil you need to take a look at the plugs too, one or more of the plugs might be bad. There could be a bad plug wire. There are many things that could contribute to poor mileage. A bad 02 sensor will usually cut mileage by about 25-35%. Have you checked to see if there are any codes stored in the ECU? That's probably the best place to start.

[Johnny Mullet]

Automatic or manual trans?

[wagonman76]

If it is burning the oil, then it is most likely fouling the plugs and that can hurt FE quite a bit. Also, if the engine is using that much oil, it makes me wonder what else could be not so well maintained.

[Drive Stick]

1 qt every 300 miles sounds like a bad seal somewhere, more than it sounds like bad rings. Rear mains, oil pump seals, and headgasket's can cause that kind of loss but if you are burning it all than you probably have more than just ring damage, the walls of that cylinder are probably scored pretty seriously, or way out of round.

any oil under the car?

[Ryland]

If it is using that much oil then it's been run out of oil a number of times and the whole engine is shot, lucky for you these engines are really light and not all that expensive to replace, if your transmission is questionable you might want to pull them together and replace both at the same time, they should cost you around $350 for the engine and $75-250 for the tranny and up to $600 for a rebuilt tranny.

[MetroMPG]

We also know nothing about his typical driving style.