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So this month I hope to swap out the dead 350 and its 4L60e with my custom 383 and its 4L80e and dual range overdrive.
This dream and project has taken 26 years to do.
Frankly I am afraid to fire it up, and to have to wait until some 500 miles to break in a rebuilt engine, transmission and NOS (New) Dual Range Overdrive to start seeing if this is a great idea and the van gets 25MPG+ or a total waste of my dreams, time and money.
And the frustrating fact that when I started this quest, my ideas were still valuable for a fair number of Vans, trucks and cars might be able to use some of my ideas.
Vans, Trucks and cars have move so far from these systems that only 20+ older Vans, Trucks and cars might be able to use.
So I maybe one of the very few that can benefit from all of this.
As I am compiling the ECM (Engine Control Module) running the fueling systems and a PCM (Power Control Module) to control the transmission systems I am seeing how complex the control systems have become.
The ECM uses ONE O2 sensor, a throttle position sensor, a MAF air flow sensor, an incoming air temp sensor, an coolant temperature sensor, RPM readings, and a knock sensor, oil pressure sensor.
A new car now have: 4 O2 sensors, a crankshaft position sensor, cam shaft position sensors (one per cam) fuel pressure, a throttle position sensor, a MAF air flow sensor, and a MAP sensor, an incoming air temp sensor, an coolant temperature sensor, RPM readings, and a knock sensor, oil pressure sensor, and maybe more:
How many sensors are in a car engine?
There are around 15-30 sensors in a modern car engine if you don’t include the solenoids. You can find over 70 sensors in a modern car if you count every sensor in the whole car.
And ALL this stuff has barely made driving a car any better..not in MPG any way.
ALL this tech and cars still get about the same MPG.
And Trucks, Vans and SUVs still seem to get the same crappy MPG thay got with old carbs and no overdrive.
My 1974/78 Chevy G20 Vans running a 350s with 4 barrel carbs and simple 3 speed transmissions, and the same rear end a 3.43 gear: 14MPG.
My 1993 Chevy G20 Van, now with Fuel Injection, and a 4 speed transmission with a .70 overdrive into a 3.42 rear end gets…wait for it…14MPG…WTF??
Is this a fix?? Is my van PROGRAMED to get poor MPG??? Is this possible??
Well I have TWO Ford Explorers, one a 02 with a 4.0 V6, with a 5 speed transmission with a .70 overdrive and a 3.73 rear end.
And a 03 with a 4.6 V8, with a 5 speed transmission with a .70 overdrive and a 3.73 rear end.
Both get the about the same reported MPG, with the V6 getting 19MPG and the V8 18MPG at 65MPH.
As I have seen cars get great MPG at around 1500RPMs so I tested both SUVs at 1500MPH which is 50MPH.
And WOW both SUVs showed 28 to 32MPG at 1500RPMs…
But speed up to 60MPH and WTF now they are getting 18MPG…they both lose around 10MPG just going 10MPH faster.
But then things return to a normal loss of 1MPG per each 5MPH faster so they both get 16MPG at 75/80MPH…again WTF.
How odd is this?? My 2000 Grand Marques and 03 Crown Vic with a 4.6 V8 only does the normal loss of 1MPG per each 5MPH faster…so they have a steady loss of MPG with faster speeds.
There is NO drop of 10MPGs at any speed change of any 10MPH.
I believe instead of using the computers to make as much MPG in cars and Trucks, Vans and SUVs especially are using the computers against us.
I hope to show that we can get better MPG.
I rest my case.
Rich
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