To The Moon: Upping economy in a 2000 Dodge Caravan

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Lose the bug deflector on the hood.

There's probably a flush, transparent tape substitute, to guard against stone chipping.

[101Volts]

I'd like to take that off but it'll stay for now. I put the battery on a trickle charger for now and hopefully we'll have an oil change soon.

[101Volts]

A full synthetic oil change and a new oil filter were had today. However, The van feels different now; My MPG doesn't seem to be quite on par compared to how it was before, Especially considering this thread with the aerodynamic drag I had:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...0-a-24779.html

I didn't go on the same trip today but I went on a similar one. I think that pulse and gliding doesn't work or I'm exceeding the best engine load, I didn't turn the engine off for this though. Also, The tires are over-inflated; I must find the most efficient tire pressure.

EDIT, 2013-September-18: I wasn't used to how the van felt after the oil was changed.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

So, if the A/C belt is off, why don't you also take all its hardware away? An A/C compressor, condenser, evaporator and other stuff is quite heavy...

[101Volts]

It hadn't occurred to me to do that, I'll ask my Father about it. We don't actually know if the A/C works. Thanks.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by 101Volts

It hadn't occurred to me to do that, I'll ask my Father about it.

If you ever do that, it would be better you make sure any remaining cooling gas (in the case it might be the R-134a) to be drained and recovered instead of just thrown away at the atmosphere, since it's a "greenhouse gas". Ironic, isn't it?

We don't actually know if the A/C works.

Often, an A/C doesn't work due to the absence of the cooling gas

[Fat Charlie]

Another likely reason is the compressor or its clutch. A belt and a $300 clutch are a lot more spendy than opening your window. Lots of folks'll just cut the old belt off and move on.

[101Volts]

I set the tire at 45 PSI and the van accelerates quicker than at 50 or 55 PSI.

Edit: I don't think the MPG numbers I was reporting were accurate, I don't believe this Scangauge II was set up very accurately.

(Edited again, 2013-September-18)

Another edit: I wonder if it still accelerates faster at a lower pressure?

[101Volts]

The bug deflector was removed. The ScanGauge has been calibrated a bit, The Speed setting was upped by 2% over stock settings so far but it may require even more to be accurate with the stock Trip meter. The ScanGauge speedometer must be fairly close with the trip Speedometer prior to adjusting the Tank settings, Right?

It also seems as if heavy-load low-gear acceleration pulse and gliding from 45 to 65 and back to the Drive gear doesn't work very well in this van or if it does there's not much of an improvement over other methods I've tried plus it maims my judgment of other drivers and when I should pull out from streets to roads (Which may cause tailgaters to be behind me) and other things; I'd also rather not damage the transmission too much.

EDIT, 2013-September-18: If I am to glide more I need more glide time. Also, Changing the Speed setting distorted the SG2's estimated Miles Traveled and the van's on-board Speedometer reads a bit high.

[101Volts]

I must report failure; My previous high MPG numbers were false readings. I'm still calibrating the ScanGauge II but at the moment the current MPG is at about 25, According to the pump and stock Trip meter even with discrepancies at the last fillup though even that may be a little optimistic. I wonder how high the FC was prior to removing the tire on the roof.

I still believe I can get over 35 in this van, Though. I only need to keep going.

Edit, 2013-September-18: I didn't understand the SG2 instruction manual very well prior to "Calibrating" the SG2 in my earlier days. We also didn't have complete fill ups often when I originally posted this reply.