[j12piprius]

I had the timing belt and water pump replaced at a shop, as the work seemed a bit beyond me. They replaced the spark plugs, wires, gaskets, thermostat, and adjusted the valves.

My initial impression is that the car doesn't accelerate up freeway on ramps as well from stops, that the gauge would go into open loop way too easily, and that the average mpg on trips is about 5 mpg lower than previous to the change. There is a long thin string of oil leaking from the long edge of the valve gasket, and slightly more leaking on the driver's side.

Could any of those things reduce mpg and, if so, what should I look for?

I want to check the spark plug gaps, but need to get an extension to reach them.