Hi, this weekend i went home to switch out my winter tires as one of them blew out this past weekend due to a nasty pot hole and i was riding on the doughnut. So when i got home i decided to put some new parts on seeing it would only take me an hour or so. So i went home put on my new All seaons, Eagle Gts, replaced the oil with Mobil One, changed out the fuel filter and put in new plugs. The weird thing was, i was getting around 30MPG on the way home and on the way back i was only getting 20 or less. Ive been driving it for a while, probably 400 miles since the new parts and still getting very horrible gas mileage. Any thoughts? Power is still where it should be for a T5 and dont notice anything different than before.<p>Any ideas would be great,<br>thanks a bunch
Horrible gas milage after changing out some parts, need help
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not sure i could say, but e10 and/or cheap gas could do that..
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1,180 Posts
gotta be the plugs and gap.
Re: (shagginwagon)
I bought the Volvo OEM plugs, i gapped them to spec, .7mm i belive it was. If it was poor gapping do you think i would notice a loss of power as well? I figured if it was the plugs i would have a power loss as well, but maybe not
I bought the Volvo OEM plugs, i gapped them to spec, .7mm i belive it was. If it was poor gapping do you think i would notice a loss of power as well? I figured if it was the plugs i would have a power loss as well, but maybe not
What was your tire pressure on your snow tires versus your all seasons?<p>The other stuff you did shouldnt have changed anything. The plugs would cause misfire codes if they were really that bad. The fuel filter might be the culprit, but i highly doubt it. <br>
Re: (Turb04S60)
I havent checked the tire pressure, that is something i will check. I know my snows were at 35, but the all seasons are at whatever the shop set them at, they seemed pretty stiff to me. I will have to run out tomorrow and get a gauge and see the pressure but i cant see it making that big of a difference. I notice it the most under acceleration. Before all these parts my "instantaneous" gas milage would not differ very much if i kept the gas pedal at the same spot. Now it fluctuates all over the place sometimes i get 8mpg other times 25mpg but never anything better and i feel it is moving around alot more than it used to.
I havent checked the tire pressure, that is something i will check. I know my snows were at 35, but the all seasons are at whatever the shop set them at, they seemed pretty stiff to me. I will have to run out tomorrow and get a gauge and see the pressure but i cant see it making that big of a difference. I notice it the most under acceleration. Before all these parts my "instantaneous" gas milage would not differ very much if i kept the gas pedal at the same spot. Now it fluctuates all over the place sometimes i get 8mpg other times 25mpg but never anything better and i feel it is moving around alot more than it used to.
Re: (swedeman)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>swedeman</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I bought the Volvo OEM plugs, i gapped them to spec, .7mm i belive it was. If it was poor gapping do you think i would notice a loss of power as well? I figured if it was the plugs i would have a power loss as well, but maybe not</TD></TR></TABLE><p>You could have been given the incorrect plugs. The last time I changed my plugs, I went to the dealership and told the parts man "sparkplugs for a T5" along with the other information that is commonly asked by the parts guy. Well, he gave me plugs for an N/A car. But, because he was the parts man, I didn't doubt him until I took the plugs to my mechanic, who promptly sent me back to get the right plugs.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>swedeman</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I bought the Volvo OEM plugs, i gapped them to spec, .7mm i belive it was. If it was poor gapping do you think i would notice a loss of power as well? I figured if it was the plugs i would have a power loss as well, but maybe not</TD></TR></TABLE><p>You could have been given the incorrect plugs. The last time I changed my plugs, I went to the dealership and told the parts man "sparkplugs for a T5" along with the other information that is commonly asked by the parts guy. Well, he gave me plugs for an N/A car. But, because he was the parts man, I didn't doubt him until I took the plugs to my mechanic, who promptly sent me back to get the right plugs.
Re: (swedeman)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>swedeman</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I bought the Volvo OEM plugs, i gapped them to spec, .7mm i belive it was.</TD></TR></TABLE><p>Why do you have to gap them to spec? Dont they get supplied gapped to spec? My new plugs were delivered as per the spec.<p>Sure you have the right plugs or spec?
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>swedeman</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I bought the Volvo OEM plugs, i gapped them to spec, .7mm i belive it was.</TD></TR></TABLE><p>Why do you have to gap them to spec? Dont they get supplied gapped to spec? My new plugs were delivered as per the spec.<p>Sure you have the right plugs or spec?
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Re: (SML)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>SML</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"><p>Why do you have to gap them to spec? Dont they get supplied gapped to spec? My new plugs were delivered as per the spec.<p>Sure you have the right plugs or spec?</TD></TR></TABLE><p>I been doing plugs and such for a long time, bikes and cars. NEVER trust the factory gap. Things settle in shipping and bump around, and can knock them out of spec.<p>It's just good to be sure.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>SML</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"><p>Why do you have to gap them to spec? Dont they get supplied gapped to spec? My new plugs were delivered as per the spec.<p>Sure you have the right plugs or spec?</TD></TR></TABLE><p>I been doing plugs and such for a long time, bikes and cars. NEVER trust the factory gap. Things settle in shipping and bump around, and can knock them out of spec.<p>It's just good to be sure.
Re: (Rezin S60T5)
the plugs were identical to the ones i pulled out, i double checked to be sure. I ordered them from IDP, and i double checked all the gaps to make sure they were set right. Some of them were at .702, while the repair manual says .7mm i figured that was close enough to the point where i should not mess with them. I guess i will pull them again and see whats up.
the plugs were identical to the ones i pulled out, i double checked to be sure. I ordered them from IDP, and i double checked all the gaps to make sure they were set right. Some of them were at .702, while the repair manual says .7mm i figured that was close enough to the point where i should not mess with them. I guess i will pull them again and see whats up.
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2,999 Posts
Re: (swedeman)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>SML</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Why do you have to gap them to spec? Dont they get supplied gapped to spec? My new plugs were delivered as per the spec.<p>Sure you have the right plugs or spec?</TD></TR></TABLE><p><TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>Rezin S60T5</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I been doing plugs and such for a long time, bikes and cars. NEVER trust the factory gap. Things settle in shipping and bump around, and can knock them out of spec.<p>It's just good to be sure.</TD></TR></TABLE><p>When you gap plugs, what are you doing exactly? I have come to the assumption that the center electrode is stationary, and you are bending the ground electrode closer/farther from it. Is this correct?<p>If so, I would suspect that the pre-gapping is quite accurate. I just did my plugs and they were all set darn-close to the 0.7mm spec. My old plugs had the center electrode worn down to a ~1mm gap, though... So, can you extend the life of a plug by pulling it out part-way through its life and bending the ground electrode in to shorten the gap?<p><br><TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>swedeman</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hi, this weekend i went home to switch out my winter tires as one of them blew out this past weekend due to a nasty pot hole and i was riding on the doughnut. So when i got home i decided to put some new parts on seeing it would only take me an hour or so. So i went home put on my new All seaons, Eagle Gts, replaced the oil with Mobil One, changed out the fuel filter and put in new plugs. The weird thing was, i was getting around 30MPG on the way home and on the way back i was only getting 20 or less. Ive been driving it for a while, probably 400 miles since the new parts and still getting very horrible gas mileage. Any thoughts? Power is still where it should be for a T5 and dont notice anything different than before.<p>Any ideas would be great,<br>thanks a bunch</TD></TR></TABLE><br>I just got my snows replaced with all-seasons a month ago and didn't notice any large drops/jumps in gas mileage. Although, 35 psi sounds a bit high for winter tires. Maybe your all-seasons are much too low?<p>And I just did my fuel filter and spark plugs (also from IPD) this last weekend, but I haven't driven enough to check mileage. Oil will be done soon... Will see if I have any severe drop in gas mileage, too! <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/eek.gif" BORDER="0"> <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/wink.gif" BORDER="0"><p><br><TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>swedeman</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ya, well when i get home in 3 weeks ill update and let you guys know what the issue was. It sucks having a tire iron as your only tool!</TD></TR></TABLE><br>Live near a Harbor Freight? Get yourself a $20 torque wrench to get you through college <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/tongue.gif" BORDER="0"> (Having one is better than nothing!)<p>How about a Sears? I've got <A HREF="http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00910025000P?vName=Tools&cName=Tool+Sets&sName=Mechanics+Tool+Sets&keyword=evolv" TARGET="_blank">this set of tools</A>. Comes in a handy-dandy carrying case and has a good variety of US and metric sockets and wrenches as well as a <i>very</i> good spread of torx screwdriver bits <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://********************/smile/emthup.gif" BORDER="0"> (You'll just need to get some sort of extension to get spark plugs in/out, but that shouldn't be a problem as you'll need a spark plug socket anyway!)<p><br>Here's a thought: maybe you didn't tighten your turbo charge pipe correctly after replacing your spark plugs? This was the first time I had done plugs on a turbo car and that stupid pipe was such a PITA! (Well, not really... Just one more thing to learn about how to get around... And it's worth having it the rest of the time! <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/biggrin.gif" BORDER="0"> )
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>SML</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Why do you have to gap them to spec? Dont they get supplied gapped to spec? My new plugs were delivered as per the spec.<p>Sure you have the right plugs or spec?</TD></TR></TABLE><p><TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>Rezin S60T5</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I been doing plugs and such for a long time, bikes and cars. NEVER trust the factory gap. Things settle in shipping and bump around, and can knock them out of spec.<p>It's just good to be sure.</TD></TR></TABLE><p>When you gap plugs, what are you doing exactly? I have come to the assumption that the center electrode is stationary, and you are bending the ground electrode closer/farther from it. Is this correct?<p>If so, I would suspect that the pre-gapping is quite accurate. I just did my plugs and they were all set darn-close to the 0.7mm spec. My old plugs had the center electrode worn down to a ~1mm gap, though... So, can you extend the life of a plug by pulling it out part-way through its life and bending the ground electrode in to shorten the gap?<p><br><TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>swedeman</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hi, this weekend i went home to switch out my winter tires as one of them blew out this past weekend due to a nasty pot hole and i was riding on the doughnut. So when i got home i decided to put some new parts on seeing it would only take me an hour or so. So i went home put on my new All seaons, Eagle Gts, replaced the oil with Mobil One, changed out the fuel filter and put in new plugs. The weird thing was, i was getting around 30MPG on the way home and on the way back i was only getting 20 or less. Ive been driving it for a while, probably 400 miles since the new parts and still getting very horrible gas mileage. Any thoughts? Power is still where it should be for a T5 and dont notice anything different than before.<p>Any ideas would be great,<br>thanks a bunch</TD></TR></TABLE><br>I just got my snows replaced with all-seasons a month ago and didn't notice any large drops/jumps in gas mileage. Although, 35 psi sounds a bit high for winter tires. Maybe your all-seasons are much too low?<p>And I just did my fuel filter and spark plugs (also from IPD) this last weekend, but I haven't driven enough to check mileage. Oil will be done soon... Will see if I have any severe drop in gas mileage, too! <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/eek.gif" BORDER="0"> <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/wink.gif" BORDER="0"><p><br><TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD><i>Quote, originally posted by <b>swedeman</b> »</i></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ya, well when i get home in 3 weeks ill update and let you guys know what the issue was. It sucks having a tire iron as your only tool!</TD></TR></TABLE><br>Live near a Harbor Freight? Get yourself a $20 torque wrench to get you through college <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/tongue.gif" BORDER="0"> (Having one is better than nothing!)<p>How about a Sears? I've got <A HREF="http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00910025000P?vName=Tools&cName=Tool+Sets&sName=Mechanics+Tool+Sets&keyword=evolv" TARGET="_blank">this set of tools</A>. Comes in a handy-dandy carrying case and has a good variety of US and metric sockets and wrenches as well as a <i>very</i> good spread of torx screwdriver bits <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://********************/smile/emthup.gif" BORDER="0"> (You'll just need to get some sort of extension to get spark plugs in/out, but that shouldn't be a problem as you'll need a spark plug socket anyway!)<p><br>Here's a thought: maybe you didn't tighten your turbo charge pipe correctly after replacing your spark plugs? This was the first time I had done plugs on a turbo car and that stupid pipe was such a PITA! (Well, not really... Just one more thing to learn about how to get around... And it's worth having it the rest of the time! <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/biggrin.gif" BORDER="0"> )
Re: (StarmanDXE)
ya thanks a bunch, let me know what happens to your MPG. My MPG computer says i am going down to as low as 4.4MPG and that is when im pretty much at 3/4 throttle but it still stays around 20MPG going anywhere from 30mph to 50mph so i know something is amiss. And i have tons of tools at home, just not where i am now. I cant wait to get home and start working on my car again. Its a bit of a problem i have. Haha.<p>And the reason i kept my winter tires high in air pressure was to get better gas mileage. Probably not the best idea but there wasnt anymore snow so i figured why not. Although the ride was pretty harsh
ya thanks a bunch, let me know what happens to your MPG. My MPG computer says i am going down to as low as 4.4MPG and that is when im pretty much at 3/4 throttle but it still stays around 20MPG going anywhere from 30mph to 50mph so i know something is amiss. And i have tons of tools at home, just not where i am now. I cant wait to get home and start working on my car again. Its a bit of a problem i have. Haha.<p>And the reason i kept my winter tires high in air pressure was to get better gas mileage. Probably not the best idea but there wasnt anymore snow so i figured why not. Although the ride was pretty harsh
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