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Old 11-16-2012, 07:28 PM   #23 (permalink)
oil pan 4
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NewMexico (USA)
Posts: 11,310

Sub - '84 Chevy Diesel Suburban C10
SUV
90 day: 19.5 mpg (US)

camaro - '85 Chevy Camaro Z28

Riot - '03 Kia Rio POS
Team Hyundai
90 day: 30.21 mpg (US)

Bug - '01 VW Beetle GLSturbo
90 day: 26.43 mpg (US)

Sub2500 - '86 GMC Suburban C2500
90 day: 11.95 mpg (US)

Snow flake - '11 Nissan Leaf SL
SUV
90 day: 141.63 mpg (US)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shovel View Post
How many 12+ year old cars are even on the road, really? In the US, a car is expected to be in service an average of 8 years supposedly.
A lot.
Traditionally the average vehicle age of a vehicle on US road ways has always been between about 8 years but since 2008 the average car age rocketed to over 11 years old. Hmmm, what changed in 2008?

As of Jan 2012:
Average age of U.S. vehicles is now 10.8 years
"The cars and trucks in America's driveways have reached a record old age"
"the average age of a car in the U.S. last year was 11.1 years"
"the average truck was 10.4 years"

Quote:
Originally Posted by shovel View Post
I hate getting behind a pre-emissions, carbureted car as much as anyone - it stinks!
The main problem is no one tunes carburetors any more.
My camaro did the same thing until I installed a wide band O2 meter and bought a rod and jet tuning kit.

Here a snippet from my camaro page:
"AEM air/fuel ratio meter and expanded edelbroock metering rod and jet kit.
Lean idle 17:1 or leaner
Lean cruse around 15:1
Lean hard acceleration 14:1 (unintended need to re jet to get between 12.5 to 1 and 13.2:1)"

Before I started tuning the carb it ran horribly rich, the A/F meter stayed maxed out (10:1) or would occasionally show 11:1 through its entire operating range.

Now the idle keeps the A/F meter around 17:1, to help clean off plugs. The lean cruse is leaner than most older fuel injected cars and WOT is not nearly rich enough.
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1984 chevy suburban, custom made 6.5L diesel turbocharged with a Garrett T76 and Holset HE351VE, 22:1 compression 13psi of intercooled boost.
1989 firebird mostly stock. Aside from the 6-speed manual trans, corvette gen 5 front brakes, 1LE drive shaft, 4th Gen disc brake fbody rear end.
2011 leaf SL, white, portable 240v CHAdeMO, trailer hitch, new batt as of 2014.
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