Gas Mileage

[zildjian102]

Okay there has to be something wrong.. I don't have a lead foot when I drive this car. Last week I filled the gas tank. i had about two gallons left and the gauge was on empty. Since then I drove 200 miles and the gas gauge is at empty, where it was when i gassed up a week ago, so i probably have two gallons left. These cars have a 15.9 gallon tank right? If so, I used about 14 gallons in 200 miles..

[charliekuney]

How hard were you driving?

[zildjian102]

98% of the time normal, easy around town driving. 2% of the time is when a song that makes me want to floor it comes on but seriously.. i dont know why its getting such horrible mileage

[greentee76]

o2 sensor been changed? That would be the first thing I would do.

[zildjian102]

I dont really know the history of what has and hasnt been changed in my car but knowing the previous owners, i doubt it. Ill check that out. Could being out of time affect gas mileage alot?

[ecogabriel]

I got a partially stuck thermostat and my car would not enter into close loop (LX-i).
I do not know how carbed 3Gs work but thermostats are cheap and easy to replace.
Another thing that may sound dumb but kills gas mileage is tires that are underinflated.

As a rule I get lower MPG when the weather is very cold as the car takes longer to warm up and our trips are usually short

[2ndGenGuy]

Needle hits "E" with over 3 gallons left. Gas light comes on at about 3 gallons. You probably haven't used even 13 yet. Fill up and tell us how many gallons you actually put in. You could just have a weird gauge.

[zildjian102]

Well i tried replacing the thermostat with my uncle.. and when we were trying the get the screw out, it broke in half, so now i cant get the thermostat out... and I'll let you know next time i top the tank off.

[Dr_Snooz]

Bummer. The thermostat housing can be pretty difficult.

I had a pretty big vacuum leak that gave me just horrible mileage.

[ecogabriel]

Bummer. The thermostat housing can be pretty difficult.

I had a pretty big vacuum leak that gave me just horrible mileage.

Sorry to hear that; I got lucky when I removed mine (bolts did not break) but I used antilocking stuff when installing.
You may have to go to the junkyard and get another one. If you do not have one close by, it is still possible to drill the broken bolt and then re-tap the hole.

Is it easier to get the whole housing out including the part with the sensors attached to it?

[Bluntman]

Well i tried replacing the thermostat with my uncle.. and when we were trying the get the screw out, it broke in half, so now i cant get the thermostat out... and I'll let you know next time i top the tank off.

Here is my experience with the housing. I wound up getting a new one from dealer and was well worth it. Old one will be all corroded and not worth the trouble in my opinion. With all new it went back together smooth as silk. To me tapping it or EDMing it out was not worth it on a old corroded part.
https://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71441

[zildjian102]

So.. to get the thermostat out do i have to drill the broken screw out? I already have the new thermostat too.

[Pico]

You can try using vice grips to remove the broken screw, if there is enough of it to grab.
Soak the area with penetrating oil to help loosen up the corrosion.
If that does not work than you will have to drill it out and possibly retap the hole.
Keep us up to date on your progress

[AZmike]

Is it easier to get the whole housing out including the part with the sensors attached to it?

Removing the other side of the thermostat housing (holds several sensors) would give you much better access to the broken bolt. You'd only need to remove some sensor clips, a small water hose, and 2 12 mm nuts if I remember correctly.

[Dr_Snooz]

Is it easier to get the whole housing out including the part with the sensors attached to it?

Well, you'll be trying to drill a steel bolt out of soft aluminum housing. If you're even slightly off center, you'll slip off the bolt and start drilling your housing. If you leave the housing in the car, then you'll be fighting assorted hoses, wires, etc. as you try to drill straight. You'll have to take the housing off and once you have it off, you'll think, "why don't I just replace the whole thing instead of fighting with it."

I wound up getting a new one from dealer and was well worth it. Old one will be all corroded and not worth the trouble in my opinion. With all new it went back together smooth as silk. To me tapping it or EDMing it out was not worth it on a old corroded part.
https://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71441

I wouldn't buy new myself. I found a good one at the yard pretty easily. It's not a wear item like brake pads or bearings so if you can get the bolts out, you're golden. It's a lot cheaper from the yard.

[zildjian102]

Well i cant access the broken part because its the end of the screw and its still in the hole so i cant get to it.. I'll have my friend who is good with cars do this because i dont trust myself working on my car yet lol. I just dont want to screw anything up. I appreciate all of the help!