Bad Gas Mileage


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Old 12-21-08, 03:51 PM
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Bad Gas Mileage

I have a 2003 Saturn Ion 3 with 45,000 miles. Six months ago I was getting 28 mpg City. I am now getting 18 mpg City. What could be wrong?
 
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Old 12-21-08, 03:57 PM
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make sure you are running the correct fuel, some vehicles will get poor gas milage with fuel containing alchol, second have the computor codes read to see if any trouble codes pop up, could be any of several sensors causing the problem. lastly have you kept the tires aired properly, or changed the tires for a different size lately? if no trouble codes, when was the last time you had the air filter changed?, have you ran any fuel injector cleaner through the fuel system lately? I like BG44K through the fuel tank about every 2 years.

Murphy was an optimist
 
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Old 12-21-08, 04:06 PM
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Bad Gas Mileage

I am running the same fuel. I did get a new set of tires a few months ago but they are the same size. I had the air filter changed last oil change.
I will try some fuel injector cleaner.
If it is a bad code, what might it be and what kind of expense might I be looking at?
 
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Old 12-22-08, 05:50 AM
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Just for the heck of it I looked up the epa mileage figures on the '03 Ion. They show 21 city/29 highway. Getting 28 city would have been well over their estimate. By comparison, my wife's '01 Camry is rated 20/29 and she routinely gets 24/32. Have you tried taking a trip at highway speed to see how that compares?
 
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Old 12-22-08, 06:04 AM
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Bad Gas Mileage

I took it on a trip in May and got 33 mpg. In September I took it on a trip and got 30 mpg. For the past couple of months, I have been getting 25 mpg City but I have been able to see it decreasing.
 
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Old 12-22-08, 06:25 PM
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one of the most common problems causing poor fuel economy is O2 sensor starting to go out, cost varies greatly model to model depending on exact type necessary

life begins when the kids leave home and the dog dies
 
 

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