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1990 GMC gas hog 05-12-2011 09:48 PM

Hey, new guy here, highschool student on a budget
 
Alright, I bought this truck freshman year. I know I know but I have a huge interest in cars. I fixed this truck over that summer and she's my baby. I currently have a cold air intake and throttle body spacer, and she's getting about 16-17 mpgs. She got ten when I bought her, so she's come a long way since then. She costs close to nothing to fix since shes so old and reliability is awesome, never broke down on me yet. I would like to get better mpg's out of that 205,000 mile chevy v8. Where should I start? Nothing that makes it look ridiculous. And cheap stuff for now, Im only making 100$ a week until summer. Thanks guys and I look forward to being a active member on this forum.

Christ 05-12-2011 10:02 PM

Start with cheap/free mods:

Inflate your tires.
Check that brakes aren't dragging.
Alignment.
Remove pass side mirror if you don't need it.
Driver training.
Driver training.
Driver training.
Try grille block.
Make some ducting so that any air that gets through the grille HAS to go through the radiator.
Driver training.
DRIVER TRAINING.

cleanspeed1 05-12-2011 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christ (Post 237893)
Start with cheap/free mods:

Inflate your tires.
Check that brakes aren't dragging.
Alignment.
Remove pass side mirror if you don't need it.
Driver training.
Driver training.
Driver training.
Try grille block.
Make some ducting so that any air that gets through the grille HAS to go through the radiator.
Driver training.
DRIVER TRAINING.

+1 with a bullet.

Go to fellow member "aerohead" and see what he did with his pickups.

If you are not hauling heavy, I'd lower the truck front and rear ( set of used springs and lowering blocks ), make a cheap belly pan, smooth hubcaps, get a Scangauge and learn to drive by it; if the bed is open, get a cap or cover;
make sure all your emission controls are functioning properly ( w/205k, make sure catalytic convertor isn't clogged, O2 sensor (s) have been replaced, etc. ).

Incienso 05-12-2011 11:14 PM

I can't offer any advice since I'm new to this my self, but good luck! I know how it feels, I'm a college student on a budget.

Frank Lee 05-12-2011 11:30 PM

First of all, put the real tailgate back on. And leave it up.

Then put a tonneau over the box if you don't use it all the time. Or if you are ambitious, an aerocap. Or if you don't like the looks of that, a regular cap.

P.S. Even a 1/2 tonneau is claimed to be effective at reducing aero drag. Search it here.

Third, it will need a gear-up to get better mileage. Best way would be to convert to a manual transmission, but if that is more than you care to take on I think a different rear axle with higher (lower numerically) gears would help.

I've done a fan delete on mine. Even though I've not quantified the effect, it would be similar to what people have gotten going from mechanical fan to electric fan. I really like the fan delete mod. The engine is so much quieter.

Run it down to less than 1/4 tank and then FILL IT when you go to the gas station- that will help with the gaslog and mileage calculations and reduce time wasted running in for gas... unless you are like the boys around here, that are at the gas station several times a day anyway.

After that, do the things listed in the 65 mods as you see fit.

Ryland 05-13-2011 01:59 AM

I realize that you said you've done alot of work to this vehicle, but how much do you need it? could you sell it for enough to buy a more practical vehicle that gets better mileage and is most likely going to cost you less to keep on the road?
Otherwise, like others have said, Belly pan and tire pressure are good places to start, make sure that the mods you are making help, like the cold air intake and throttle spacing, do they really help?
Another way to look at it is to figure out how much you spend on fuel and budget that amount out, saving any extra instead of spending it.

1990 GMC gas hog 05-13-2011 01:44 PM

The cold air intake and throttle body do help they've increased my gas mileage by 2 if i drive like a granny. I can't get rid of my truck I love her too much. Anyways Frank what is better a tonneau or a regular cap? I can get a cap for mine 150$ but not sure if it fits, my truck has the stepside, or I can get a tonno for 250$.

1990 GMC gas hog 05-13-2011 01:52 PM

Oh and I have all after-market exhaust and I can find a scan gauge for my truck since she's 21 years old.

1990 GMC gas hog 05-13-2011 02:23 PM

I mean can't find a scan gauge. Can't find one for vehicles under 96

Christ 05-13-2011 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1990 GMC gas hog (Post 238018)
The cold air intake and throttle body do help they've increased my gas mileage by 2 if i drive like a granny.

I don't need to point this out to anyone here, except I thought the OP could learn something from it.

1. You pointed out a few different things -in the same sentence- that could have had an effect on your fuel economy.

2. I, and many others, doubt you got a 10%+ gain from a CAI and throttle body mod.

3. Even if you did, you haven't measured, or shown measures, of accurately calculated mileage figures.

1990 GMC gas hog 05-13-2011 02:43 PM

They certainly didn't decrease my mileage

Frank Lee 05-13-2011 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1990 GMC gas hog (Post 238018)
Anyways Frank what is better a tonneau or a regular cap? I can get a cap for mine 150$ but not sure if it fits, my truck has the stepside, or I can get a tonno for 250$.

I don't know, especially on a stepside which is probably going to have worse aero than a fleetside.

1990 GMC gas hog 05-13-2011 07:39 PM

i don't know if I'd like the look of a cap on a stepside so I think that I'll put a tonno on. I like the stepside, it gives it a muscle-classic look. Only thing is that it has smaller bed space

1990 GMC gas hog 05-13-2011 07:44 PM

And I have a couple other questions, how do electric fans work? And Also a grille block what exactly does that do? If it blocks your grille, then wouldn't that block you radiator and overheat your car?

4more 05-14-2011 01:04 PM

The mech. fan driven off the engine takes power from the engine and more gas. A electric fan frees gas powered power.There are universal ones or you can find a factory setup that fits.a coworker used a mid 2000s Impala dual fan on his suburban and it worked well for him.you can wire it to a toggle switch or temps switch to kick on at a set temp.
the grille block will block air but you can block some but not all depends on city or highway driving that you do.you can play around with tape if it runs hot remove some tape.good luck

California98Civic 05-14-2011 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1990 GMC gas hog (Post 238039)
I mean can't find a scan gauge. Can't find one for vehicles under 96

I can't use the ScanGauge either. But a gauge is really important. Consider an Ultra Gauge. It's what I use.

1990 GMC gas hog 05-14-2011 04:27 PM

Do the electric fans run of the battery? I think that is a great investment but I'm not sure about the grill block i think that's just splitting hairs. But what about that mpguino? Or a vacuum gauge? How would vacuum gauges give you what mpg your getting?

Christ 05-14-2011 04:31 PM

If you're really interested in saving fuel as a college student, why not do some research?

The search function seems to work perfectly well these days, and almost all your general questions have been answered countless times, several in one or two main threads... Theyre in the site header.

1990 GMC gas hog 05-14-2011 05:13 PM

OK I'll look for the other truck modders to

Gaud29 11-10-2011 01:14 AM

Well Hi, I'm Marcel in Az, I've got a Full-size '91 Chevy Blazer, 4wd, and on the freeway at 68 mph. I get a consistent 20-21mpg.... in the city,, well with 8 kids under the hood, they all need to "eat" (or drink) but I've gotten, 16.1mpg.... maybe some people irritated with my slow starts though.... yes, "tire inflation", allignment, I'm running a TBI spacer. don't know if it helps in the mileage, but it feels more powerful. I've read about a product in a "base newspaper" back in '97, and have been using it ever since,,,,,it DOES HELP . I've also began using those plugs that're advertised in Pop Mech/pop Sci. they really help in the "FEEL"/Running of my old truck.. I've not done a Mileage loop yet... but I've just recently changed over my 4 tires, from "off-road" to "hyway" types.... I've blocked off some of the grill, am "Going to" put up a "curtain" underneath , to smooth the flow of air under the blazer,, and "moon-disks,,and a pair of skirts....will be coming,,,,,,then, going from 2-into 1,,,,,to "Dual" with headers, flowmasters, (while still keeping the O2 sensor)..... and for my LAST THing I'm going to do is to change the ring/pinion from 3.73> to down to a 3.42...... it'll still be 4x4 capable, but,,, I'm believing that I should hit "25" hwy,, and hoping for ........? 18 City? Please, please?

Frank Lee 11-10-2011 01:18 AM

Sounds like a lot of work for nothing, but if tinkering makes you happy...

California98Civic 11-10-2011 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaud29 (Post 269648)
Well Hi, I'm Marcel in Az, I've got a Full-size '91 Chevy Blazer, 4wd, and on the freeway at 68 mph. I get a consistent 20-21mpg.... in the city,, well with 8 kids under the hood, they all need to "eat" (or drink) but I've gotten, 16.1mpg.... maybe some people irritated with my slow starts though.... yes, "tire inflation", allignment, I'm running a TBI spacer. don't know if it helps in the mileage, but it feels more powerful. I've read about a product in a "base newspaper" back in '97, and have been using it ever since,,,,,it DOES HELP . I've also began using those plugs that're advertised in Pop Mech/pop Sci. they really help in the "FEEL"/Running of my old truck.. I've not done a Mileage loop yet... but I've just recently changed over my 4 tires, from "off-road" to "hyway" types.... I've blocked off some of the grill, am "Going to" put up a "curtain" underneath , to smooth the flow of air under the blazer,, and "moon-disks,,and a pair of skirts....will be coming,,,,,,then, going from 2-into 1,,,,,to "Dual" with headers, flowmasters, (while still keeping the O2 sensor)..... and for my LAST THing I'm going to do is to change the ring/pinion from 3.73> to down to a 3.42...... it'll still be 4x4 capable, but,,, I'm believing that I should hit "25" hwy,, and hoping for ........? 18 City? Please, please?

That's quite a list. Congrats on all your efforts. Considered a tonneau cover? It seems to work for lots of people. Is it a manual? You could adapt driving technique more with a manual. You could also run a deep-cycle battery and an alternator optional kill switch. Take off the A/C belt in the cooler months at least.

But more importantly, do you need all this vehicle? Do you drive off road? Do you work in construction? If you don't, your single best mod would be to trade for a good used smaller, manual transmission vehicle with a smaller engine. You could easily double your mileage. In a couple years, your "new" vehicle will have paid for itself in savings over continuing to drive this behemoth.

Good luck!


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