Cavalier owner from Maryland
Howdy folks, I just stumbled across your website and very interested in learning more. I own a 2001 Chevy Cavalier with 175K miles on it. I get about 30 MPG on it and would love to know how I can increase that.
So my question is where do I start? I read through some of the threads already. Is there a beginners guide? Anything specific to my vehicle? Thanks in advance, Jim |
Welcome! I've got two Cavaliers, a 98 auto and an 02 manual, both 2200's. Someone here has a heavily modified ecotec that gets mid 50's on the highway, but it's stripped. What engine and trans do you have? If you've made it to 175Kmi without spinning a rod bearing, you probably have the 2200 :D.
My 98 could do 42mpg highway on pure gasoline. Since I got my 02, I can only get E10, and could get about 38mpg highway with that in stock form. With a lean mixture, I'm back in the low 40's. The only aero mods I've done to that is remove the mud shields on the front fenders. I haven't measured the results, but they can't be doing me any favors. As with any car, I'd recommend switching to synthetic fluids, then catching up with maintenance if you're not already there. Then do all the easy things that help increase mpg on any car (inflate tires, etc). Then we get to the more interesting parts. :thumbup: |
Thanks for the quick response Johnny.
Yes it is a 2200, auto transmission. Knock on wood, this is the best car I've ever owned. We payed $8000 for it in 2002 with 15000 miles on it. I've never done anything to this car (including maintenance) until last year. I brought it into my mechanic with 145K miles for breaks and asked him to look it over and fix anything minor. He called me saying I had OEM everything on it! So he replaced everything that needed replacing and I've still never had a problem with this car. Only money I've spent on it is gas, tires, batteries, and brakes. What synthetic oil do you recommend? Also, I've never done anything with the auto transmission fluid. Should I? If so what should I have done? I was thinking about just taking it to Jiffy Lube and pay the $100+ to get that done. I have been noticing it shifting hard, especially cold from reverse to first. I've done a lot of reading today and going to buy an air compressor for home for the tire pressure. I've already drastically changed my driving habits. 2 back-to-back speeding tickets and now I drive like an old lady. It's funny watching peoples reactions to me in my rear view mirror. Is there anything cheaper to monitor MPG other then the ScanGauge 2? The $160 is a little steep for me right now. I'm just doing the math now when I fill up and consistently getting 29-31 MPG. How do you get the lean mixture on your '98? Thanks, Jim |
There is a beginner's guide in one of the stickies, and there's also these hypermiling tips that we recently wrote up. I hope you find some help there!
Welcome to ecomodder! |
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Part of the reason shifting is hard when your car is cold, is because the idle speed is higher until the car warms up. Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Also for what it's worth some specifics about your powertrain... -Your transmission will lock into overdrive at 40+mph at low load. -Your car achieves its best steady-state mileage at 53mph. -Your engine burns no fuel during decelleration in most circumstances, so maximize coasting and stay in drive. |
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
If it's portable I would be more likely to use it. What pressure in the tire do you recommend? Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
|
Welcome to EM Jim. Definitly take a look at the driving tips page. You may also want to look into getting a scangauge as they are incredibly useful for monitoring and tweaking driving techniques and testing modifications.
|
Quote:
Quote:
A scangauge will not register this fuel cutoff, but it is definitely there. Also, the fuel cutoff is more aggressive on the automatic cars than the manuals because the ECU doesn't have to anticipate a sudden gear change or clutch disengagement. It has complete control over the transmission, so it can cut deeper than the 1500RPM minimum threshold of the manual. The auto idles at 600RPM (300RPM lower than the manual) which is also good for economy as well. |
Quote:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/em-fuel-l...?vehicleid=155 http://ecomodder.com/forum/emgarage....&vehicleid=155 |
The scangauge does have a fuel cutoff adjustment setting. If this is too high it won't register fuel cutoff. Check idle fuel consumption (GPH gauge) and set your fuel cutoff to just below that.
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
I sent you a PM also. Thanks again, Jim |
Quote:
The filter kit should come with a sleeve that fits between the transmission and the filter. You'll want to replace this too. Don't try to pry it out, instead take a screwdriver and bend about half an inch of the lip outwards, then grab the lip with a pair of vise-grips and twist. This will cause the sleeve to buckle, reducing its diameter, and it will fall right out. The check plug on the transmission is located on the underside of the transmission, very close to the exhaust flex pipe. It is on the side of the unit just above the pan. This is what my service manual says: Quote:
|
Thanks so much to JohnnyGrey and others. I got my transmission fluid changed yesterday. I wrote about it here on my blog:
http://neffland.blogspot.com/2008/05...w-can-ick.html I also bought a 12-volt air compressor and upped my tire pressure to 40 PSI. Also replace the air filter. I filled up my tank last night and calculated MPG to be 32.16. That's the best ever I have calculated for my car. Hopefully with the new changes I can do better next tank. I'm shooting for 40 MPG without serious mods to my car. Thanks again, and I'll stop hijacking my own thread now. I look forward to learning much more on this forum. --Jim |
Uh oh. I mistakenly assumed that your car had a 4 speed automatic, which my instructions would have been accurate for. My apologies! The 4 speed does not have a dipstick. Now I see that your car was the last model year that had the abysmal 3 speed as an option! On the plus side, it is the strongest transmission available for that car, even stronger than the 4 speed. On the other hand, it gives your car a rating of 20/27 (by 08 standards). I didn't know if you had or needed a torque wrench. I just tightened by feel and haven't had issues for the last 30K mi. Let me know what RPMs you run at 55mph, the next time you're on the highway. BTW, my advice about 53mph being the most efficient cruising speed is now null and void. :)
Great write-up though, and I'm honored to be mentioned on your blog! I see that we're both programmers as well, very nice :) |
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:38 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com