Insight into the Future

[UltArc]

Ahh, I see it the way James May does. It's easier to push a car to its limits when it has much lower limits. I respect the view, but love 60 PSI in the Insight.

[pgfpro]

Update:

OK I deiced to go ahead and clean the EGR plate. Everything went well with out any issues.
The plate wasn't to bad, all the channels were still open.


I used some waste solvent for my cleaning solvent.




The last pic is where I do all my testing out on the flats. Welcome to my neck of the woods lots of forest fires and no rain.

So on my test run after cleaning the EGR plate it is still acting the same.
I did some 45 mph runs and some 50 and 55 mph runs. The car feels like it doesn't' have enough power to stay in lean burn??? I tried different rpm and use 4th and 5th gear but either one will stay in lean burn. The FCD just stays around 50mpg and when in lean burn it goes to 75 to 85 mpg. Maybe this is all it can do? I thought these cars could easily run 70 mpg at 45 mph on a flat road?? Its probably something still not right????

[cowmeat]

Nah, at 45 mph I average way over 100 mpg on the FCD, and even at 65-70 mph I'm averaging over 75 mph on the FCD. If I'm following a truck on the highway I'll get 80 mpg at 75 mph. You still definitely have an issue, unless the cross wind is always there where you live, since that will automatically rob you of mpg.

If it's bucking at low load I would replace the EGR valve (seeing how old and crusty it looks in the pic). You might want to also check all the ground straps, the 12V battery, and throw a new PCV valve on it. Pop the IMA cover off and click off the big battery (or install a clutch switch) and see what it does then, in case it's background charging while you're on the road. Torque the plugs to OEM specs. Other than the EGR valve those are all cheap/free checks. I always start with free, then cheap fixes when I'm doing guesswork.

If it's out of alignment or the brakes are dragging it will rob you of power. Loose under panels or body parts could do that if they're catching the wind at speed. AC clutch, tensioner pulley, etc . . . can bind up, although those usually make some noise as a warning. Bad plugs, wires or coils, fuel pressure . . . . the list goes on and on!

[pgfpro]

First a foremost thanks everyone for all the advise.

Well there are times I can give good advise then their times I forgot to go by my own advise that I have given.lol I started out this morning trying to locate the engine grounds and this is what I found.

I tell all my friends when they are having engine issues to start with the basic and first check the battery connections and the engine grounds. Then I turn into a little excited kid with a new toy and forget everything I have learned. So it takes you guys on this forum to wake me up and look at the basics and one by one do the process of limitation based on ease and low cost amount.
So as you can see one of the ground wires is completely broke and not connected to anything on the engine/trans. The other ground cable looks like its holding on by a thread. I can't find anymore grounds, just these two???
So I did a test that has worked great in the past and took a set of jumper cables and connected them to all different points on the engine and then to the the cars frame work.


Then off for a test drive and guess what we have lean burn in a lot more load cells. So I start checking the 12v battery cable positive and negative and both cables are loose> I tried tightening earlier but the bolt was all the in as far as it would go. After further inspection I see that both post the cables are just on the top part and can be turned by hand. So I loosing them up and move them to the lower part of the post where its wider and now we have great clamping pressure and no more loosey loosey.

So I went to the parts store and bought 3 new 4 gage cables and mounted them is these locations.


Also while I was at it I decide to do the EGR cleaning with WD40 and let it set until I got back from work then blown it out. It now even runs better then the last test run.
I think what happen the car has a new transmission and when they replaced it they broke the ground cable and never event tried to fix it. The good is the transmission shifts like butter. The bad chasing my tail trying to figure out whats with lean burn.

I did some freeway testing in the middle of rush hour. What a pain just trying to stay a live. Anyway I got behind a 5th wheel trailer that was going around 60 mph average. I did just a slight draft and the car responded like no other I ever driven. The FCD would read up to 100 mpg and keep pretty steady. On my way back I had to go 65 to 70 mph and the FCD drop but if the traffic was all around me and tight it would run around 70mpg on the FCD.

These cars are amazing when it comes to feeling the wind drag. They remind me of riding a motor cycle in traffic. You feel everything.

Anyway sorry for the long post but I'm very excited to start racking up some great FE numbers now. Thanks again everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[user removed]

Nice to hear you have revived it's potential, now keep away from those morons. You know getting it running perfect means it now has a moron magnet under the rear bumper. I know drafting is frowned upon here but when the traffic gets heavy here, the question is not do you draft but can you get a 3 stripe margin without having someone fill the gap or have a proctologist F350 behind you.

regards
mech

[user removed]

Always nice to get the PO to build the tranny then goof up the grounds so they sell the car and you fix it quickly.

regards
mech

[pgfpro]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Nice to hear you have revived it's potential, now keep away from those morons. You know getting it running perfect means it now has a moron magnet under the rear bumper. I know drafting is frowned upon here but when the traffic gets heavy here, the question is not do you draft but can you get a 3 stripe margin without having someone fill the gap or have a proctologist F350 behind you.

regards
mech

So well said Mech!!! Rush hour is a War zone!!!

[H-Man]

Originally Posted by pgfpro

So well said Mech!!! Rush hour is a War zone!!!

I live in the LA area. Rush hour isn't just an hour.

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by H-Man

I live in the LA area. Rush hour isn't just an hour.

I have to drive the 210 freeway every morning, I feel your pain.

[H-Man]

Originally Posted by Baltothewolf

I have to drive the 210 freeway every morning, I feel your pain.

US101-CA23-CA118. I get up at 530 so I can avoid the worst of the idiot parade, downside is that I'm almost falling asleep on the drive home (not enough stimulants in my blood after 6 PM), upside is that I do my coursework while I'm awake and then I'm able to just cruise in the right or middle lane at 60 MPH and hopefully starve off the tinnitus that is getting worse every day.

I've had days where I literally drove on every single highway in ventura county trying to avoid traffic and go places I had to go for my side gig. I'd take the train but it costs twice as much to take the train as it does for me to drive and pay for parking.