Me and my Previa
 

Hi All,

It's my first post here, so maybe I'll introduce myself. I'm from Poland and a proud owner of '95 Previa. I bought it recently, and finally I had ability to hit a long road to check it's FE. I haven’t modified anything yet just to check the base level of FE. I just changed spark plugs and wires, new oil and cooling fluid.
So I filled it up and started my trip. My only weapon was my right foot and the consciousness. Car is stock 8 seater, and I haven’t took from it yet. So I was driving with all the seats, spare tyre, some stuff I need for my work and myself.
I was counting for something around 10l/100km (23.52 MPG US), but it seems that I was better than that because FE was at level of 9.2l/100km (25.57 MPG US).
That’s my starting point. I wish to reach level of 7.5l/100km (31.36 MPG US). So keep your fingers crossed for me.

I think you will make that,A tip for you is put high air pressure in the tires and lighten the load by removing all of the non essential seating,aka the bench seats, then drive slow & steady with some pulse n glides and coasting, be fully economical in your driving style.

Thanks for the tip ;-)

Czesc Andrzej, witamy na EcoModderze!
Where in Poland are you from? Is your driving mostly city or highway?

9 l/100km is already good in a minivan like that, but it is still possible to improve on. Check out what Orange4boy has done with his Previa:
The Golden Egg mod thread. Mostly minivan modding

Get rid of as many seats as you can! That weight is a killer if you drive mostly in the city. Tire pressure can be raised, and a grille block will help. Oh, and an engine kill switch for red lights:)
Pulse & glide works, even with the engine on, as long as you're not going too fast. And I know how hard it is to go slow in Poland!!

Welcome to ecomodder.

9L/100km in a Previa is already a good start - helped by the manual transmission - as these had a reputation of being gas guzzlers back in the day.

Welcome... I went to Germany a few years ago and most of the mini-vans I saw there had like a 1.9L motor. You have a bit of meat under your hood as far as european cars go, don't you?

Not really ;-) There's a lot of mini-vans with engines from 1.6 to over 4 liters so mine is a middle class :)


Thanks for all replies (Piwoslaw - we have to meet someday!). Just to let you know yesterday I got back home from my trip abroad and two more full tanks were burn ;-)

Here are statistics:
1. 602km distance 52.16 litres = 8.66 l/100km (27.16 MPG US)
2. 795km 64.02 litres = 8.05 l/100km (29.22 MPG US)

I just blocked grill with a piece of carboard, inflated tyres to more PSI and I think I slightly improved my eco-driving. Mostly because I know better my car, and I was driving a bit slower this time.

So my goal may be easier to achive than I thought previously. We'll see how high with MPG I can get with my Previa. Keep your fingers crossed!

Woohoo! If you keep it up you'll pass your goal quite soon:) Unfortunately winter will be here soon...

I think something could be arranged. Where are you from? You may have seen me on the roads in central or southern Poland.

I doubt that your '95 Previa is OBDII/EOBD compatible, but if you are good with electronics then maybe you could get a MPGuino working? Keeping an eye on certain engine parameters helps with hypermiling.

I'm from Grodzisk Mazowiecki and I'm working in Warsaw so we're practically neighbours:)

Yes you're right Previa is not OBD II compatible, and I thought of MPGuino, but maybe I'll find another solution for MPG analyzer.

Right now I'm planning to change the radiator fan from belt driven to electric. That will be my first modification. :cool:

I'm sure that will make a noticeable difference, both in engine load and warm-up times:D

"Neighbours" in a way: I live on the far side of Warsaw (Falenica), but I'm in Piastów about once a week (sometimes weekends, sometimes weekdays), though usually by train and/or bike;) I'll let you know next time I take the car there (no sooner than January, probably), maybe we could meet somewhere in between?

I count on that! And yesterday I got an idea to change radiator completely for a bit smaller one. I have two of those in my garage. It will be much easier mod then because I have both of them with fans already and what's the most important switches to turn fan on if the temp will go too high.

And regarding our meeting I'm on! Just let me know when and where and we'll think of something. Maybe someday afterhours in Warsaw?

One more mod you may want to try, if you haven't done so already, is a Warm Air Intake (WAI). Taking air from the warmer engine bay, instead of from the cooler outside, makes a petrol engine consume slightly less fuel.
Check your intake first, as it may already be a WAI.

I know of WAI but it's not that simple with Previa. It has engine in the middle and air intake under the bonnet. So to grab some hot air for the intake I'd need to use pretty long pipe, then hot air won't be so hot anymore if it has to travel from the engine to the front of the car, then go back trough another long tunnel to the intake. But intake mainfold is pretty long, it's made of aluminium, and it's placed above the engine so air entering the combustion chamber is pre-warmed anyway. My plan is to insulate engine a bit more so it will run slightly warmer than it used to. Hope it will help my FE.

Very good mpg for a van. Dont see those Previas around much anymore

Hopefully I'll go higher with my mileage :)

And sadly it's true you can't see first gen Previa much often...

Hi All it's me again. I'm preparing to my next long trip with Previa. In a meantime I've installed LED DRLs, and criuse control as described here http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...lock-7624.html
Today I should finish installing MPGuino, because I want to see when I’m burning too much fuel and when I’m saving it. Hopefully I’ll be able to post some pictures soon.
I’m planning some simple and very fast aero mods before I’ll start my trip. So keep your fingers crossed. We’ll see how it will affect FE.

Can you post pictures of your cruise control throttle lock set up? I am trying to get an idea how it is set up.

cool i love previas. too bad they're all in bad shape by now :(

That would explain why the idle rises at idle on a cold day when stationary after the engine has warmed up. Is it fair to say the engine is over-cooled?

I would consider a grill block on my mum's Previa, but she'll probably only have it another 6 months.

It's good to see the work on your Previa going along. Let us know how the MPGuino is working.
Good luck on your trip!

Hi Guys,

I wanted to describe here current status of all mods I've done to my Previa.

For now my mods are:
1. Belt driven fan deletion and electric powered fan installation for the radiator.
2. LED DRLs and front marker lights
http://andrzejm.superhost.pl/Previa/Previa3.jpg
(3.6W DRL, 1W marker)
3. Cable actuated throttle lock as described here:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...lock-7624.html
http://andrzejm.superhost.pl/Previa/Previa1.jpg
http://andrzejm.superhost.pl/Previa/Previa4.jpg
4. MPGuino (metric version) - still needs callibration.
http://andrzejm.superhost.pl/Previa/Previa2.jpg
5. Grille blocked
6. A/C deletion - it wasn't working anyway :)

And the most important modd of all - the nut behind the wheel adjusted :)

TBC

As you can see I've put throttle lever on a gear stick. Control cable is going directly to throttle body and it can open throttle up to about 80%. I've used bicycle 7 gear shifter.
If you'll have any questions don't hesitate to let me know I'll try to explain it further.

My first aeromod ever
 

Today I was preparing Prevka for my next long trip and I've decided to modfy aerodynamics a bit. I've decided to modify front bumper and cover all "unecessary" holes.

http://andrzejm.superhost.pl/Previa/aero1.jpg
http://andrzejm.superhost.pl/Previa/aero2.jpg
http://andrzejm.superhost.pl/Previa/aero3.jpg
I've used PowerTape and a poliurethane foam pannels.

Then I slightly modified my grille block and I'm ready for the trip. I have 3,5kkm ahead, so I'll test my mods troughly :)
I'll let you know of the results as soon as I finish my trip there, and then after I'll get back home.

wow

Another quick-modd done :)

Internal rear view mirror:
http://andrzejm.superhost.pl/Previa/mirror1.jpg

How is the view from the internal side mirror? In my case it's not the same as the external, but the wife (and other passengers) is happy that she can see something;) A wide-angle central mirror does wonders for blind spots, though.

Hi Guys!
Today I can tell you a real success story.
Right now I'm about 1500km from home and during my trip I've succceeded to reach FE level I tought I can only dream of

32.5 mpg (US) - 7,24l/100km:D

Results from the pump, because I'm still calibrating MPGuino. Anyway, right now I have 530km more on the odo and MPGuino is still showing 7.2l/100km, I'll check it on the next fill up.

One more thing - the throttle lock is working miracles! BIG thanks for an idea!

After you get used to it it's great. You know Previa has external mirrors in the size of small TV so the difference is huge. But since internal mirror is wide angle one you can see a bit more actually, just in a different scale :)

More miles behind and suprising FE 6.66 L/100 km / 35.33 mpg (US). Not bad for an old gas guzzler, don't you think so? :) I've tested P&G with the engine on, for the approximately 1/3 of the distance driven. I think I have to change my goal, it's getting too easy and for now any serious mods were made.
Anyway I'm still over 1000km from home and I want to check if I can beat 1000km barier before "feed me" light will show up. :)

That's amazing! What do you think has proved most beneficial? I'd definitely consider spending some money on my mum's Previa if the cost could be recouped so quickly.

My mods, are:
1. Belt driven fan delete
2. LED DRLs
3. A/C delete - it haven't been working anyway
4. Grill blocked - see photos
5. Internal right side mirror - external present but in closed position
6. Tyres inflated to ~45 Psi

And of course I use hypermilling techniques. I have around 1300km ahead of me to get back home then I want to share my thoughts and some statistics with you. So get back here soon (2-3 days)

I'll definitely get that grill block done now then, and I'll check what her sidewall rating is. Can't say I can do much about her eco-driving but she loves pulling off in 2nd.

Get her MPGuino! It's amazing what you can actually accomplish according to FE if you have a direct feedback from the car. I think that was my most important eco-modd :)

If you need any assistance or info regarding Previa don't hesitate to contact me. I have some interesting materials.

How did the trip go?

Oh yeah the trip ;-) I've started my trip back home early to avoid heavy traffic and I suceeded for the first of 24 hours I've spent in my car, but after that it was like a nightmare. Imagine a lane of 10-15 trucks and a hill long for 3-4 km or even more sometimes which is rising from 6-10% So unfortunately I had to push the pedal to the metal sometimes. Anyway I managed to squize 685km on 50.45 litres (7.36l/hkm), so it wasn't so bad. After that tre road was slightly better and it was night so traffic wasn't so bad either. I've tested P&G on different speeds on the highway and some other tests while driving. Anyway I've managed to reach 13.9 km/l on the last fill up but i think it should be better because MPGuino was showing 14.2 km/l, probably gas station owner was messing with the pumps. Maybe that's why the fuel was so cheap there ;-) But 7.19l/hkm is still a good FE for Previa which is just slightly modded. Don't you think so?

Good going:thumbup:

Have you noticed that driving in Poland kills your milage? On a few trips I've had better milage in neighboring countries. For example, on our way back from Slovenia the OBC was showing 3.5-3.6 l/100km, but right after we passed the Polish border it went to 4.0-4.2 and I couldn't get it lower, even though I was driving at night, slower with less traffic.
I think that the reason may be the state of the infrastructure, not only potholed roads, poorly planned intersections, lights and speed limits in dumb places. In Austria we drove though some road construction and the speed limit was 80km/h, even when changing lanes and traffic patterns. Back here each lane change in a construction zone required you to suddenly slow down to 30 or 40, then quickly speed up, then slow down again. The signs were located in places where you saw them at the last moment, so you had to slam the brakes, etc.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-pi...-rantonoff.gif

Yes you're right Poland is a nightmare for ecodriving, not only the infrastructure is the reason but many of those dumb drivers who are honking because you're driving to slow and they are in a hurry. And to be honest I think that fuel quality is lower here than in other countries. So you have to burn more to get the same power.

Hello AndrzejM,

I Own a 1992 Previa - Campervan and I'm very interesting in your experiences. I've read the entire post but I can't find the picture. Could you please re-post them with the grip mod and the electic Fan ?

I actually use my Previa with a 20l of Super SP95 and Ethanol E-85 qithout modification. It's cheaper than SP95 (SP95 =1.5 euros /l , E-85 =0.90 euros /l ...) but it increase consumption. Now my FE is less than 12l/100 with this cocktail.

Sam