Gas mileage had gone down in the last 2 weeks!

[Tim_K]

That 3000 rpm test was done in Park, not driving down the road. If that matters.

I could try throwing in another 1989 Turbo 2.5 SMEC from a Turbo Minivan...

Maybe that would help?

I'd have to wait until tuesday for a scanner, thanks to the holiday tomorrow. And that's assuming the local Mopar dealer even has one. And I can't afford a whole lot of cash for some mechanic to tell me what he THINKS is wrong.

What could be done with the data stream anyhow? Can I get a copy of it saved and printed or burned to a CD or something to be reviewed by someone who knows what to look for?

[turbovanman]

Check your fuel pressure reg, could be leaking, that would kill your mileage!

[22dodge]

sounds like you are chasing your tail right now and consuming excessive gas, can you afford to keep this up?

Inorder to do a job, you have to have the right tool for the job. A carpenter needs a hammer, square, tape measure

A mechanic needs basic hand tools, but a technician NEEDS a scanner. Because the computer technology in today's cars, it is imparative to have some way of reading the data. codes only point to some direction (not always right) but a general area. being able to see what the PCM sees is crucial to proper diagnosis. If I had a scanner hooked to your car, I could determin in under 15min what is wrong with your car. without the right tools, I'd could be spending hours. I in my advanced auto class 9 of 12 highschool students own a scanner. 5 have mt2500 snapon, 2 have otc 4000, on has a pro-link and one actually got a Genisis. Granted in most cases mom/dad flipped the bill but they are the kids that see the necessity of having the right tools.

[Tim_K]

I just checked the FPR, it has 55 psi. It's a new black one from TU, not even 2 months old.

Where would it be leaking from / to? Into the vaccum / boost line going into the engine?

I could swap the stock FPR back in and see if that helps.

I'll inquire at some local Mopar dealers on tuesday about getting a scanner put on the car. But it'll have to be reasonably priced (cheap).

[22dodge]

why take it to a chyrsler dealer? what's wrong with a local repair shop, local highschool autoshop or technical college automotive program.. that latter 2 would be free. you know autozone will check your car free. just tell them your check engine light came on and would like it tested. they may come up with something (of course they want to sell you parts)

[Tim_K]

I could take it to a local AutoZone, there's one not too far away. I wonder if Advance Auto Parts has scanners to use also, there are several in my area.

I'm not aware of any auto mechanic training programs in my area. There is a local high school vo-tech place, but I'd have to call the office and ask. As long as it's free, no problem.

I thought Chrysler dealer mechanics would have at least seen the problem before and have a history of how it was fixed. Most of the local "mechanics" are some of the most incredible dumb-asses that I wouldn't trust to check my tire pressure. This is not a very popular area for Mopars, 90%+ of their experience is GM and Phord.


I just got an idea for testing the AFPR. I have a hand held vaccum pump from back in my RWD Mopar distributor vaccum advance testing days. And I have a length of clear hose that came with my fuel pressure gauge. I could let the engine idle and put a vaccum on the FPR hose outlet, maybe 18-20 inches, and see if it leaks fuel into the hose. That would eliminate one source of the leak / fuel loss!

[Tim_K]

The FPR passed its test. I let the engine idle, and put vaccum on it in the 16 to 19 inch range for over a minute. No leaks at all.

[Lee'sdaytona]

A few kinda stupid questions: I thought that the newer scanners only work on vehicles 1996 and newer, correct? I beleive before this time, each car manufacture had their own scanner....so autozone couldn't help here I would think..?? Also, I remember hearing on the radio here in New Jersey that some of these fuel companies are starting to put additatives in the fuel which actually kills gas mileage. I don't know if this was something in the planning stages or if it has been done already....just food for thought....

[22dodge]

many gas companies are putting in 10% ethanol or other oxygenated fuel attitives. these types of gasoline provide cleaner tail pipe emissions and will reduce fuel milage but that reduction is under 10% so if you are getting 25mpg with normal gas, reformulated gas you can expect fuel milege to drop 2-3 mpg.
Autozone by me has a generic scanner and I have seen them test an early 90's taurus for a customer.

[Lee'sdaytona]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 22dodge many gas companies are putting in 10% ethanol or other oxygenated fuel attitives. these types of gasoline provide cleaner tail pipe emissions and will reduce fuel milage but that reduction is under 10% so if you are getting 25mpg with normal gas, reformulated gas you can expect fuel milege to drop 2-3 mpg. Autozone by me has a generic scanner and I have seen them test an early 90's taurus for a customer.

Well I knew they put something in the gas....but obviously thats not his problem....as for the scanner thing, they MUST have had an adapter because the generic plug they use from 96 on up is definately NOT on our TD's. So there must be tons of adapters for the older cars
-Lee

[turbovanman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee'sdaytona Well I knew they put something in the gas....but obviously thats not his problem....as for the scanner thing, they MUST have had an adapter because the generic plug they use from 96 on up is definately NOT on our TD's. So there must be tons of adapters for the older cars -Lee

Prior to 96 and some 95's, it was called OBD1 and each manufacterer had there own diagnostic plug or none at all, it was a royal pain in the ass and very expensive for us aftermaker repairers. I had to buy numerous adapators and cartridges to read data and codes. On top of that, some didn't even give you data, alot of the older Imports and Ford till around the 90's. Now its called OBD 2 and now there thinking OBD 3. All the diagnostic connectors are universal so you can use one adapater and different software to read. This was supposed to make it cheaper and easier for us to fix and diagnose cars. It worked but the OE's didnt want too and still don't.

[Lee'sdaytona]

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbovanman Prior to 96 and some 95's, it was called OBD1 and each manufacterer had there own diagnostic plug or none at all, it was a royal pain in the ass and very expensive for us aftermaker repairers. I had to buy numerous adapators and cartridges to read data and codes. On top of that, some didn't even give you data, alot of the older Imports and Ford till around the 90's. Now its called OBD 2 and now there thinking OBD 3. All the diagnostic connectors are universal so you can use one adapater and different software to read. This was supposed to make it cheaper and easier for us to fix and diagnose cars. It worked but the OE's didnt want too and still don't.

Exactly my point; so autozone will not be able to check an older model car without the universal diagnostic connector because they probably don't have the adapter or just don't care to look for one. BTW, isn't our connector right in front of all the vacume solonids?

[Tim_K]

I went by the local Autozone and they put the scanner on it. It wasn't much trouble to find the correct adapter to plug into the car with.

He said the only thing that showed up as being bad was the coolant temp sensor being too high.

I checked it again, this time with a digital multimeter, and it showed 850 ohms with the engine hot. Too much resistance, the computer thinks the engine is colder than it is. I do have a 180 thermostat in it, but that's been there for over a year.

So I blew $9 on a new coolant temp sensor. I'll put it in this afternoon.

This tank of fuel is almost gone, and I just went over the 200 mile mark.

[turbovanman]

I don't think thats your problem, 99% of the time, it will set a code if its bad!

[22dodge]

if you unplugged any sensor with the key on, you will get a fault code in the PCM memory. you may also have a MIL illumination. however if the problem is repaired and you cycle the key, the MIL light goes out however the code is still in memory. you just bought a coolant sensor for no reason (unless you cleared codes before you took the car to the ZONE).