Redoing a Metro...how far away am I from normal MPG?

[PushnFords]

A friend of mine decided to get rid of a '91 Metro and I bought it when I found out they only wanted $400. Didn't really expect the $850 I've put in it but I am happy with it. I know there are a few things left I need to fix but I'm trying to see how close I am to the MPG this car SHOULD get given its current condition and my driving style. So...here are the details:

'91 Geo Metro 1.0L 5spd. with 206,000 miles. It came with a stack of receipts and I don't believe the engine has ever been rebuilt. I've done a tune up with new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel filter, air filter, etc. My route to work is approx. 45 miles. About 5 miles is city driving, about 15 miles running 55-60mph, and the remaining 25 miles is driven at 65-70mph. I drive normally and usually pass at least one car during the trip. Also, I have 1 stop sign and two turns to make so that is 3 times I have to either slow to below 20mph or stop and then reaccelerate. Out of three tanks of gas I've averaged 41mpg. Does that seem about right? I know the window sticker shows 45/50mpg but I doubt that rating is for the speeds I'm driving...or the high miles on the car.

Thanks,

Derek

[Ford Man]

Originally Posted by PushnFords

A friend of mine decided to get rid of a '91 Metro and I bought it when I found out they only wanted $400. Didn't really expect the $850 I've put in it but I am happy with it. I know there are a few things left I need to fix but I'm trying to see how close I am to the MPG this car SHOULD get given its current condition and my driving style. So...here are the details:

'91 Geo Metro 1.0L 5spd. with 206,000 miles. It came with a stack of receipts and I don't believe the engine has ever been rebuilt. I've done a tune up with new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel filter, air filter, etc. My route to work is approx. 45 miles. About 5 miles is city driving, about 15 miles running 55-60mph, and the remaining 25 miles is driven at 65-70mph. I drive normally and usually pass at least one car during the trip. Also, I have 1 stop sign and two turns to make so that is 3 times I have to either slow to below 20mph or stop and then reaccelerate. Out of three tanks of gas I've averaged 41mpg. Does that seem about right? I know the window sticker shows 45/50mpg but I doubt that rating is for the speeds I'm driving...or the high miles on the car.

Thanks,

Derek

I've never owned a Metro, but I have a friend who has one and he said he gets about 50 mpg just driving locally combined city/highway. I would think there is room for a lot of improvement. The high mileage shouldn't be a big factor if the car has been maintained properly. I've got an '88 Escort with 481,000+ miles and the engine has never been rebuilt and I'm averaging nearly 45 MPG combined city/highway driving with most trips being less than 20 miles each.

[FunkSkunk]

The base model metro (yours) should easily break 50MPG! I have to work pretty hard to keep mine around 50 (the 1.3L). Read this 100+ hypermiling / ecodriving tips to increase gas mileage - EcoModder.com and you'll get better gas mileage on tomorrows commute guaranteed!

[Johnny Mullet]

I highly suggest you perform a compression test on all 3 cylinders first. This will answer many questions.

[Coyote X]

For the speeds you are driving that seems about right if not a bit low. You might want to change the oxygen sensor if you think it is the stock one. They are like 15 bucks and not really worth testing or messing with the old one. I think you should be looking at closer to ~45mpg if everything was perfect they way you are driving unless you are really pushing the car hard.

Things to check that I can think of off the top of my head other than general tune up stuff.

O2 sensor
exhaust leak at the mainfold
vacuum leak on one of the hoses
dragging brakes or wheel bearings
worn suspension
wheel alignment
Ignition timing set wrong

Any of those things can drop your mileage 3-8mpg depending on how bad they are. If all those things check out good then it is probably just driving style that is keeping you from 50mpg. Slowing down your acceleration rate and coasting longer without braking as much should get you a pretty good bit closer to 50 without really having to drive slower on the highway.

[PushnFords]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

I highly suggest you perform a compression test on all 3 cylinders first. This will answer many questions.

Yea, I should do that but haven't. I've actually been surprised to find that this car burns very little oil. Since I knew the history on this car and knew it didn't smoke that I'd seen I decided to just drive it and see how it did.

Originally Posted by Coyote X

Things to check that I can think of off the top of my head other than general tune up stuff.

O2 sensor
exhaust leak at the mainfold
vacuum leak on one of the hoses
dragging brakes or wheel bearings
worn suspension
wheel alignment
Ignition timing set wrong

The O2 sensor was changed when I got the car along with a full tune up, air & fuel filters, PCV valve, etc. Also put on new tie rod ends, tires, and had a 4 wheel alignment done. Probably should check the timing...a new timing belt was installed about 35K ago and I think that was probably the last time it was touched. Struts are the originals but the car rides decent so I decided to leave them due to my budget. I know the LH rear emergency brake cable doesn't release fully and that wheel drags slightly although I did put new rear wheel bearings in the car for the previous owner last year. The LH front wheel bearings and CV shaft were just replaced the week before last along with the brake rotors/pads/hardware. I put new RH wheel bearings in when I did the brakes but plan on replacing them when I do the CV shaft (which is starting to vibrate slightly). I think they were pretty poor quality and I may have nicked the cage slightly knocking one of them in.

Usually I track my mpg and compare it to Fuel Economy and find I can better the "combined" rating by 1-2mpg with my driving style. That just happens to be what I'm doing in the Metro so far...but from your responsed I do think I could get another 2-5mpg out of it if I put another couple hundred $$$ in it. Further mpg gains require a lightening of my right foot! I need to get my LH window to roll up/down and my seat cover replaced before I dive into that stuff though. I snagged a RH seat cover from the local junkyard and I think I can make it work on my LH seat.

Thanks for all the help and advice!

Derek

[Coyote X]

The window is usually pretty easy to fix once you take it apart and look at it.

If it just jumps off track and rolls up crooked then the roll up mechanism just needs taken out and straightened. The long channel in it will usually bend open and let the window jump track. Just take the crank assembly out and you will see the track. Just bend it back nice and square, grease it up and it should work fine. Just a tiny bend is enough to make it jump track.

If it is just not working at all then you will probably need to find a mechanism out of another car and swap it in. Just make sure you straighten the track while it is out.

As far as the dragging brake, you would be surprised how much that will actually drop your mileage depending on how much it is dragging. As the car is coasting to a stop it should feel like a bicycle and roll really free. If it feels like it comes to a stop like a normal car then it is dragging somewhere and can cause it to drop a few mpg. It would be a good idea to take the parking brake cable off the car and soak it in something to get it moving good again. They are easy to get out, just look under the parking brake cover trim and you will see how it comes out. It might just be a matter of it is not adjusted properly also so check that while you have that cover off. Either way it should not cost anything other than time to get it working good.

Also check your tires, make sure they are at the max sidewall pressure. That is usually 44psi but could be 36 or 51 so look on the tires and set them to whatever it says if you haven't already.