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need help with fuel economy


sumplot
08-22-2005, 12:39 AM
I Have A 95 Windstar With The 3.8l Eng. And It Is Getting The Worst Fuel Economy In The World When Idling O Mpg I Have Checked Everything Also Does Anyone Know How To Find The Code For The Keyless Entry ..........i Need Help Bad!

raflores
08-22-2005, 04:23 AM
Well ford claims the 2001 Windstar to do around 17 mpg on the city but I'm getting around 12 mpg based on refueling liters and trip odometer readings when empty tank. It's driving me nuts specially now when fuel price is rising. I let my wife use it daily since my girl is in school and I consider the Windstar safer than my corolla because of the riding height of both passengers and driver. One thing I did when I bougth the van was install a K&N Filter. I didn't monitor how much milleage I was getting since fuel was a lot cheaper that now. But could the K&N Filter been affecting my MPG?? I guy at work told me that it could be a factor since allows more air in and the flow sensor sees more air going in and also more fuel.

sumplot
08-22-2005, 09:05 AM
Actually In My Van I Replaced My Stock Filter With A Custom Built Ractive Cold Air Intake In An Attempt To See If That Would Cause The Mixture To Lean Out Some But I Still Get The Same Mileage While Idling And According To My Gauges About 65 Mpg At About 70 Mph With The Pedal Left Out So The Filter Had No Real Effect On Economy But I Got A Few Extra Horses Not To Mention Looks And Sounds Cool

raflores
08-22-2005, 10:18 AM
Well I did install a cold air intake to my ex 300zx and results were good but fuel economy was the worst of it also low end torque was lost. The intake I installed didn't have a radius on the tube inlet so according to some calculations on some physics book I was getting around 73% of the efficiency at the air inlet. The cold air system was replaced by it's actual owner and told me that the car is running much better with better mpg. The car did ran very good after 3500rpm but for cruising around the engine speed was around 2000-2500 in fifth gear. At those speeds I had to downshift to pass quickly to another vehicles. I didn't have to do that before the cold air system. Maybe is a car thing.

sumplot
08-22-2005, 10:47 AM
how do you calculate air efficency what exactly do you mean by a radius in the inlet is that the same as havin a wider port to create a venturi effect

LeSabre97mint
08-22-2005, 11:44 AM
I Have A 95 Windstar With The 3.8l Eng. And It Is Getting The Worst Fuel Economy In The World When Idling O Mpg I Have Checked Everything Also Does Anyone Know How To Find The Code For The Keyless Entry ..........i Need Help Bad!

Sumplot

What do you mean "When idling"? is this when moving or not moving?

Dan

stratovani
08-22-2005, 12:23 PM
I've got a 95 Windstar myself , and let's face it everyone, it ain't never gonna get the mileage of a Toyota Prius!! I figure I get anywhere from 15 to 18 MPG right now, which is expensive considering how much gas is. Luckily, I'm not making any car payments so that softens the blow a bit.

DRW1000
08-22-2005, 03:48 PM
Sumplot

What do you mean "When idling"? is this when moving or not moving?

Dan

LOL. I had the same question. I thought he/she was joking when I first read it.

sumplot
08-22-2005, 04:27 PM
idling is when the engine is on but you are not giving it any throttle does not matter if it is in park, neutral, drive i still get o mpg

DRW1000
08-22-2005, 08:14 PM
idling is when the engine is on but you are not giving it any throttle does not matter if it is in park, neutral, drive i still get o mpg

If it is in Park or Neutral then you should be getting 0 mpg. If it is in drive and moving then you are not getting 0 mpg.

Are you suggesting that your van doesn't drive?

LeSabre97mint
08-22-2005, 10:26 PM
If it is in Park or Neutral then you should be getting 0 mpg. If it is in drive and moving then you are not getting 0 mpg.

Are you suggesting that your van doesn't drive?


Do you have a read out that tells you your MPG? If it's staying at Zero, there is a problem with the electronics. I've never had a vehical with a readout.

Fill your tank, reset the trip OD, let your tank run down, Fill it up, record the milage on the Trip, and divide it by amont of fuel it took to fill up the tank. You will find your true MPG.

Dan

sumplot
08-22-2005, 11:30 PM
when the van is stopped or idling the mpg per gallon should be anywhere from 7 to 9 mpg also what exactly do you mean by a read out is it like instant mpg during engine operation i will have to try that method what should i expect more or less for my actual mileage using that formula

raflores
08-23-2005, 05:15 AM
Venuri effect. Yes the ideal is that the cold intake has a radius to be able to draw air from all directions around it. When the tube is cut and left like that it only draws air from the front of the tube.

12Ounce
08-23-2005, 08:26 AM
When the vehicle is stopped, it is getting "zero miles" .... zero miles per hour, per day, per litre, per gallon, or per anything else.

It will always be this way, ... unless there is a Holy Intervention and the physical laws are all rearranged.

raflores
08-24-2005, 05:16 AM
I think that the zero miles is getting nowhere. Let keep talking about the fuel economy and how can we increase it.

If we drive slower, let say we do 55mph everyday and we reduce the speed to 50mph or even 45mph it will take us a little longer to get there but it will be increasing the mpg. The van has a huge frontal area that does friction with air and the faster were going this increases the resistance making the engine demand more fuel.

12Ounce
08-24-2005, 07:12 AM
Good advice Raflores.

But we can't ignor "zero miles". We must take advantage of every opportunity to kill the engine to avoid the long periods of idling because, during standing/idling, fuel is still being consumed.

Some examples:

If a train has us held up at an crossing intersection. Shut the engine down.

Instead of standing abd idlilng at the bank or restaurant drive-thru ... park and go inside.

Avoid morning engine warm-ups. Its better to drive away slowly upon start-up.

DRW1000
08-24-2005, 09:21 AM
I think that the zero miles is getting nowhere. Let keep talking about the fuel economy and how can we increase it.

If we drive slower, let say we do 55mph everyday and we reduce the speed to 50mph or even 45mph it will take us a little longer to get there but it will be increasing the mpg. The van has a huge frontal area that does friction with air and the faster were going this increases the resistance making the engine demand more fuel.

I think that about 30 years ago the accepted optimum speed for fuel economy for a typical vehicle was 55mph. (In fact US highway speeds were all cjhnaged to 55 for a while in the 70's) However all cars have different coefficients of friction so that particular ot apply to Windstars. Most modern vehicles have 4 gears now (and did not 30 years ago) and that may affect the optimum speed

If we accept that 55 is the optimum speed then driving slower will not increase fuel economy. Nor will driving faster. The whole concept of optimum speed is the point at which the wind resistance, RPMs and engine load combine for the best possible combination. If one drives slower they will have less resistance but they may only be in 3rd gear instead of 4th or they will be at a different RPM that loads the engine less efficiently. This is why manufacturers cannot simply add gears to increase fuel economy at 80 mph or so becasue the vehciles would get to a point where the engines work too hard even though the RPMs are low.

Having said all that I think you make a good point in that driving at speeds such as 70 MPH is not an efficient speed. Keep the vehicle around 55 - 60 and you will obtain good economy and decent time (another trade off). Constant speed is helpful too as a vehicle uses more fuel accelerating then at constant RPM.

dandi
08-24-2005, 10:54 AM
The best things you can do for fuel economy are the basics -

1) Accelerate slowly up to speed.
2) Anticipate traffic, lights, turns, etc., to try and maintain a constant speed as much as possible. Use cruise control on the highway.
3) Make sure your tires are properly inflated.
4) Do oil changes every 3,000 miles to keep the engine properly lubricated.
5) Check and clean your air filter on a regular basis.
6) Don't let the car idle for extended periods of time.
7) Use the A/C when on the highway instead of opening windows, creating drag.
8) Keep the engine in tune.
9) Don't set your mileage expectations high! It's a big heavy car with a smallish engine and a lot of frontal area.

Do all this and you'll get your 15 mpg around town, 19 on the highway!

Dan D

DRW1000
08-24-2005, 01:02 PM
The best things you can do for fuel economy are the basics -

1) Accelerate slowly up to speed.
2) Anticipate traffic, lights, turns, etc., to try and maintain a constant speed as much as possible. Use cruise control on the highway.
3) Make sure your tires are properly inflated.
4) Do oil changes every 3,000 miles to keep the engine properly lubricated.
5) Check and clean your air filter on a regular basis.
6) Don't let the car idle for extended periods of time.
7) Use the A/C when on the highway instead of opening windows, creating drag.
8) Keep the engine in tune.
9) Don't set your mileage expectations high! It's a big heavy car with a smallish engine and a lot of frontal area.

Do all this and you'll get your 15 mpg around town, 19 on the highway!

Dan D

# 7 is a good one and one that many have a hard time believing. But it is true.


If you use Canadian (imperial) type gallons you can increase a couple of MPGs....................... LOL

baumbr
08-24-2005, 02:36 PM
As long as we're on fuel saving techniques:
Use the cruise control when you can do so safely;
Avoid jack rabbit starts and hard stops;
Many times taking your foot off the gas is as good as punching the brake;
Don't rest a foot on the brake pedal;
Look and plan well ahead for lane changes, exits, etc. so that you don't have to punch it or brake it to get into your lane, exit, etc.;
Watch for that idiot up there who is about to do something stupid and cause you to make a panic maneuver - stay in a zone where you can take it easy;
And like raflores said, slow down.

Now what good technology is out there to improve our vans MPG's?

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