The new eco-ride... - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Oval_Overload · 08-02-2009, 03:22 PM

Drumroll please...

I give you Oval_Overload's new ecomobile... well sort of. It burns more oil than Saddam Hussein's Army, but I can live with that in a car that gets nearly twice the fuel mileage of my old ride.

Its a Saturn SC1! Rated 29/40 as opposed to the 18/22 of my old Taurus.

And, its the bargain-basement model! I'm actually quite thrilled that it has almost no options because there is nothing to break. The power locks and windows never worked on my Ford in the winter, so I won't miss those [in]conveniences at all.

The only options it has are power steering, air con, and a spoiler. The air con is never used except occasionally on the highway, because with just 100 horsepower, using the A/C often causes the engine to stall if I'm not lightning fast on the clutch. The spoiler is coming off as soon as I find some time when I'm not supposed to be doing something useful. One of the hubcaps looks nasty, so I think I'll be heading to the 'Kitchen & Bath' department at Walmart for a replacement set

In the OBDII side of life, I need to fix the EGR valve to solve an internment high idle, an apparently common problem that everyone I know with an S-Series has. It also throws an EVAP code, but that probably means a leaky gas cap. Simple fix.

I plan on installing a kill switch and a starter switch to make EOC easier (cranking with the key causes the radio to reboot. Its sinfully annoying). I also might install an accessory cutoff switch to kill the alternator and A/C when I'm accelerating or driving in traffic.

One last mod, as suggested by Sean T. is to take advantage of Minnesota's irritating requirement of front license plates. I'm going to remove the big fugly plate bracket and mount the plate over the conveniently small grill. Instant grill block!

And now the car needs a name. Is it a he or a she (or a tranny? I know a few

). I've been calling it "Smarter Car, because I think it is better than a Smart. Sean calls it Sharon, in the same vein as my old car, 'Angila'.

Lets hear some ideas!

~Jimbo

Christ · 08-02-2009, 05:20 PM

Those really have a suicide rear door? That's freakin sweet.

Oval_Overload · 08-02-2009, 05:33 PM

Yes it does! Its like the doors on an extended cab pickup or a utility van. My favorite game is to have people clamor over the seat into the back and when we arrive at our destination, I open the suicide door. I get allot of "$%#* you"s for that :P

ecl · 08-02-2009, 06:42 PM

im assuming a 01 or 02 right? I had a silver 02 ad loved it got 42 mpg on the freeway with out even trying, I could of easly got alot more had I tried and a few mods. Of course had it and sold it before I found this site. Check out saturnfans.com theres alot of info on that site especially for the S-Series.

RobertSmalls · 08-02-2009, 11:14 PM

Nice.

My solution to the front license plate was less elegant than yours. I screwed the plate directly to the bumper cover (feel free to make new mounting holes in the plate), then inadvertently drove gently into a snow bank, pressing the plate into a more aerodynamic shape.

I would definately delete those fake brake cooling ducts in the bumper cover, too.

Christ · 08-02-2009, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Nice.

My solution to the front license plate was less elegant than yours. I screwed the plate directly to the bumper cover (feel free to make new mounting holes in the plate), then inadvertently drove gently into a snow bank, pressing the plate into a more aerodynamic shape.

I would definately delete those fake brake cooling ducts in the bumper cover, too.

Move that license plate down a bit, and you've got a partial grille block. :Thumbup:

cfg83 · 08-03-2009, 12:46 AM

Oval_Overload -

Argghhhhh! You have the 2nd Gen SC1 with the assymetrical suicide 3rd door. No #@%*& power windows and steelies for racing disks. I'm jealous and that's a compliment!

On saturnfans.com, they do a "stealth antenna". They take apart the plastic over-the-window trim and route the antenna inside there. Not as good reception. but livable.

You can route a fuel-injector kill-switch (on my todo list).

How many miles does it have?

You could call her SCarlett.

CarloSW2

Oval_Overload · 08-03-2009, 02:46 AM

Oh! I like SCarlett

CarloSW2, you read my mind... I've been contemplating ways to rid myself of that awful antenna. Removable plastic body panels for the win!

I do need to do something about those fake ducts, but I don't want to screw up the bumper, as the car only just rolled over 130k, which is considered quite new in my family. Its a 2000, btw.

I'm thinking of putting my switches in the blank space under the radio, though some people put the kill switch on the gearshift. What do you guys recommend?

Christ · 08-03-2009, 02:54 AM

I'd use pilot switches (the ones with safety covers on them) in the space under the radio, still mount a kill switch on the gear selector, but make it stealth, like it's supposed to be there. Perhaps on the front of the "knob"/"handle", just out of your middle finger's reach?

You could always foam-fill the areas that you want to get rid of on the bumper. That way, it's somewhat removable, and clean, since you'd be making a plug of foam, and sticking it back in the hole with foam mounting tape.

Other wise, thin polycarbonate and some very small L brackets, which would require at the very least, some small holes for retainer pins.

cfg83 · 08-03-2009, 12:54 PM

Oval_Overload -

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oval_Overload

Oh! I like SCarlett

CarloSW2, you read my mind... I've been contemplating ways to rid myself of that awful antenna. Removable plastic body panels for the win!

I do need to do something about those fake ducts, but I don't want to screw up the bumper, as the car only just rolled over 130k, which is considered quite new in my family. Its a 2000, btw.

I'm thinking of putting my switches in the blank space under the radio, though some people put the kill switch on the gearshift. What do you guys recommend?

I agree with Christ that a pilot-switch is a good idea. Here's what I did for other switches :

Custom switch panels... - SaturnFans Forums

If you have a 2000, then your console *might* be different.

I wanted room for Wolfman's (famous saturnfan) radiator fan switch. When my OEM radio went out, I got a cheap Kenwood and an aftermarket stereo dash kit that had room at the bottom for up to 6 switches. I have 3 holes cut, two buttons mounted, and one hole covered. The red circles are for future buttons. The notch in the bottom is for the wires. This way the wires stay attached to the button when I take it apart.

I think I got my dash kit on ebay, but I can't find my exact one right now.

I wouldn't put the kill-switch on this setup because I would want the kill-switch to be alone. I'm not comfortable with a switch on the shifter because I think I would accidentally trip it. But, other people are cool with this, so you may be also.

If your SC1 is a base model, it probably doesn't have CC. However, the *connections* for installing the CC should still be in the steering wheel, so in theory you could route a kill-switch through the CC wiring.

Another option I've thought about is putting the switch on the plastic that covers the steering wheel "trunk" (sorry, don't know the right word). That would make it "near" but not easy to hit by accident.

Oh, and this man is the KING when it comes to care and feeding of your Saturn :

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=...6a&view=videos

CarloSW2