Hello Everyone (student with Mustang LX 2.3L 14-18 mpg looking for help)

[Gealii]

Originally Posted by cleanspeed1

Don't know if the claims are true, but over 100 mpg should be easy with 50-80cc's and geared properly. Take a look here 99cc PREDATOR FUEL ECONOMY ? - Motorized Bicycle: Engine Kit Forum

the claims are true on those my buddy has a 80cc motor and goes about 75 miles to the tank with a 1/2 gallon tank. ive seen these go anywere from 25-50mph

[jakobnev]

62 miles per day.

Must have precious.

I'd suggest you mod it so that you can sleep in it.

[ps2fixer]

14-18 with a tiny engine in a mustang....

My friend claims low 20s with his 94 camaro with a V8...

Anyway, according to Fuel Economy of the 1993 Ford Mustang you should get 20+ mpg easy. I'm going to take a stab that your tires are low and your engine needs a tune up (plugs, wires, cap, rotor).

Personally, I would look for another car with a better mpg base line. Since the car has been in a couple wrecks, I assume your not after the looks of a sports car. A non-mustang 2.3L performs just as well, I'm sure there is something out there to meet your tastes. Besides that, it looks like it is ending up being a money sink if you have in fact changed a lot of parts under the hood in only 7 years of driving it. My Toyota Camry with 303k miles I have drove for 2 years and only thing I did to that was timing belt (from oil leak), oil seals in front of engine, and is currently down due to the rear brake line rusting out.

Another thing to point out, do you have any idea how much money you would save if you got 30mpg vs say 15mpg per year? Going off your numbers 62 miles a day, 5 days a week, it would be just over 16k miles per year and $4300 at 15mpg or $2150 at 30mpg. In just one year you could pay off a cheap 30mpg car in fuel savings alone before any mods! Keep the mustang and fix it up while your daily driver saves you money .

[Mustangwill]

The car has new wheels, but I haven't had a chance ( or the money ) to go get them aligned. Would that affect the mpg that much? Because when I going down a straight-a-way and I take my hands off the steering wheel, it pulls to the right pretty aggressively. What do you think would be a good speed to go on the interstate? The speed limit is 70. Timing and injectors: I have no idea how to check that. My parents are car mechanics so they do all my car work. I personally know very little about mechanics- its not my forte.

I have actually been in the process of parking the old Mustang and getting a motorcycle. I have been studying my book to take the exam, but like I said, I work late hours and while you have your learners for a motorcycle, you can't drive at night. So I don't know how that is going to work. Money is tight right now, and throw in the fact I have some debt I am trying to pay off, I don't have much extra money. To replace the quarter panels on both sides I have found a website that will save me both driver and passenger for $100 each before taxes, so when I get those, the aerodynamics will be improving expentionally. I want to get a rebuild kit for the engine ($371) but I am wondering if getting a brand new block and starting over would be the better idea.

And jobnev, I do from time to time sleep in it. I'll take naps in between classes or before work in it. Its not all that bad, actually. I sleep rather well in the stock seats.

[nemo]

I don't think one thing is the cause of the poor mileage but many. The reason I mentioned the alignment was you had a side impact and the car was not repaired well. As for the effect of misalignment think of a shopping car with the wheel stuck at an angle. Harder to push than when working correctly. Push it and it slows to a stop more quickly.

Pulling to one side is not always alignment it can also be a brake or tire problem. You said your parents are mechanics have you mentioned the pulling and poor mileage to them?

Try slowing down by 5 MPH and check your mileage and then by 10 and recheck it. Most likely the best mileage would be in the 45 to 50 MPH range (my guess) but way to slow for the interstate. This is why there are post recommending instantaneous MPG gauges so you know exactly where your best economy is and were it is best near highway speed.

Check the tire pressure, slow down a little, start a fuel log and find out why its pulling to one side. Make a plan.

[cleanspeed1]

If the car is out of line, it will affect the gas mileage because the friction has increased quite a bit. If it pulls aggressively, then you need to make sure that after the accident that the unibody didn't get tweaked.

If the motorcycle is under a certain CC range, you shouldn't need a license. Every state is different, so check the laws. A bike in the 125-250cc range will be more than enough for commuting, and even have enough power to go 2 up.

Sounds like you want to keep driving the old girl. There are some places that specialise in the Lima based 4 cylinder and complete 2.3s are a dime a dozen since no one except circle trackers and eccentrics play with them these days. Esslinger is probably the best known, and there are a few people online that like them.

Find a roller cam motor out of a Ranger and rebuild it stone stock. Or if you find a low mileage unit out a wreck, just put it in as is. Just make sure that all the cylinders are sealing properly. If mom and dad work on cars, it shouldn't be much of a problem.

And learn how to work on your stuff.

[ps2fixer]

Check my fuel log, the first 2 tanks where on the highway 65-70mph with bad struts, very bad alignment, to go straight I had to turn the wheel a 1/4 turn. 230k miles and was not taken care of. The 3rd tank is after the repairs, 2 new tires in the front and going 55-60 on back roads to work. the tanks hitting around 42+ are since I put in a grill block. Little things add up fast .

[Frank Lee]

I think I see the problems: you have to go at least 105 mph to get the best fuel economy.

It is normal for the steering wheel to practically rip itself out of your hands. On the side in the direction of the pull, you need to completely flatten the tires, mess with the tie rods ends to change the toe, and figure out a way to make the brake stick even harder. Perhaps engaging the parking brake a pawl or two would help.

Third, you are not changing the oil often enough. I think changing it weekly is necessary.

[cleanspeed1]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I think I see the problems: you have to go at least 105 mph to get the best fuel economy.

It is normal for the steering wheel to practically rip itself out of your hands. On the side in the direction of the pull, you need to completely flatten the tires, mess with the tie rods ends to change the toe, and figure out a way to make the brake stick even harder. Perhaps engaging the parking brake a pawl or two would help.

Third, you are not changing the oil often enough. I think changing it weekly is necessary.

You must be in a mood, Frank.

[GRU]

if your parents work on the car they should able to tell if there are big issues with it. hopefuly everything is ok with the car and if so i would suggest going slightly under the speed limit. Drive 65 in a 70 or try to see another route you can take that doesn't add more miles to your comute and has a lower speed limit, best would be around 40mph