[Jim-Bob]

Another minor tragedy beset my Metro project today: I have a fuel leak from the gas tank. I filled the tank so that I could start getting baseline fuel economy numbers and noted the smell of gas. Looking under the car, I saw the whole back of the tank wet with fuel. I guess I will have to figure out the problem and try again. I also figured out that the previous owner most likely removed the thermostat which is why the engine does not warm up. This is keeping the engine out of closed loop and maximum fuel economy. I will be dealing with both of these issues and two oil leaks next week. Hopefully I will be able to start logging my fuel economy soon as I am anxious to know just how good the numbers really are.

From what I saw tonight ( the first time using it for delivery), the numbers seem to be fairly close to at least my bottom goal of 40 mpg city and possibly a little better. However, it is all just speculation at this point as I have no hard numbers to back up my gut feeling. (I am just judging it by the average numbers from my truck and the average cost per delivery that it usually runs me. Normally, a 10 delivery night runs $8-10 in fuel. I managed to see $15 in fuel get me through 20 deliveries plus 50 miles of other driving with 2 gallons left to spare. This would seem to indicate roughly 40 mpg but again I am not seeing that as fact until I can get repeatable concrete numbers to prove it)