TheSamba.com :: View topic - Moved now gas mileage is horrible *Solved*

Wed Mar 17, 2010 9:22 am

I moved from the mountains of Appalachia to the flatland of Sunrise FL. Now the wife's Beetle is getting shit for mileage whereas before we eeked out 20ish mpg even with all the hills. Now its about 10. Any ideas?

I did do a tune up when we got here (valves, points, and timing) so I could adjust the carb but it isn't much better. Any ideas?

Wed Mar 17, 2010 10:17 am

Even though the 009 is not doing you any favors, I think I would rebuild the carb first to see if that helps.

Pay attention to the correct fuel pressure and the correct float level.

Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:17 am

Randy in Maine wrote: Even though the 009 is not doing you any favors, I think I would rebuild the carb first to see if that helps.

Pay attention to the correct fuel pressure and the correct float level.

The carb is really new, like december 2008 new. Also it ran well back home but since we have moved the performance has been bad.

Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:59 am

Are the heat riser and the auto choke working like they should?

Wed Mar 17, 2010 1:08 pm

Just throwing this out there,it could need to have the jets changed out. I know altitude does have an effect on the air fuel ratio so this may be something to look into to.

Wed Mar 17, 2010 2:09 pm

i dont have a stock carb anyone so i dont know forsure..but isnt there a winter summer choke thing? the temp is prolly way different in florida..might wanna change that.

Wed Mar 17, 2010 2:48 pm

Both heat riser get too hot to touch while the car is running and I did adjust the choke when I did the carb. I confirmed it is opening up completely when the engine warms up.

Since the week we got here we noticed the consumption has been high but the car appears to perform fine. I just wanted to clear that up.

Matt Anderson mentioned jets, can someone mention how I might change them?

Wed Mar 17, 2010 3:12 pm

TGOT wrote: Both heat riser get too hot to touch while the car is running and I did adjust the choke when I did the carb. I confirmed it is opening up completely when the engine warms up.

Since the week we got here we noticed the consumption has been high but the car appears to perform fine. I just wanted to clear that up.

Matt Anderson mentioned jets, can someone mention how I might change them?

Generally it's the opposite... IF your jetting was actually changed by some one for above 5K operation then you would be LEANER at sea level as they would have put in smaller jets for altitude so...

I would look elsewhere. Check fuel pressure etc... also what model carb is it?

I have some other ideas but need to know the model of the carb.

Wed Mar 17, 2010 3:30 pm

How about ethanol content of the fuel? THat would be a significantly smaller change.. but noticeable. Different wheels or tires... broken ODO?
Worth double checking. Leaky tank? If its running well without any black smoke.. or super stinky exhaust, you know, the kind that burns your eyes it can't have changed that much can it?
I can't believe a minor carb issue could reduce mileage 50% without causing very noticeable drivability issues. Maybe the choke.. but again.. you should be able to notice that.

You don't have a seized wheel bearing or stuck brake do you?

Wed Mar 17, 2010 7:31 pm

Are you sitting in more traffic idling? Man that eats gas.

Wed Mar 17, 2010 7:41 pm

I live in Fl. and in my other car, my Super is not on the road yet, my mileage varies greatly depending on where I buy my gas from. If I can help it I) stay as far away from the Citgo(Tom Thumb) stores as I can. I get the worst mileage from them. Try the better gas stations.

Wed Mar 17, 2010 7:55 pm

gt1953 wrote: Are you sitting in more traffic idling? Man that eats gas.

Yup. When I was making adjustments to the timing/carb and had to let the engine idle for a while, my fuel economy (for those tanks) dropped significantly. Of course, only get like 12ish anyway. There's probably something wrong with my car as well, I'll have to watch this thread...

Wed Mar 17, 2010 10:01 pm

zeroman wrote:

You don't have a seized wheel bearing or stuck brake do you?

Nothing on the car has changed (tires engine parts etc.). However I am going to check out the wheels tomorrow and make sure they are not dragging, good idea.

Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:12 am

Have you pulled your plugs to get an idea of your combustion (look at the color)?

Don't give up on the jetting idea just yet. If you are running lean, you may be opening the throttle more to get the power/rpm you expect. If you get to the point where the boost venturi is dumping fuel, your mileage will go down fast.

You might want to pull the jets and report what size they are. Maybe someone can tell you if they are close enough for "low altitude" driving.

Thu Mar 18, 2010 6:43 am

Zeroman has a good point about ethanol in fuel.

In May and June of 2009, I drove the area where you moved from. I noticed that the Chevron stations (not available locally here in NJ), had signs stating "NO ETHANOL IN OUR GAS". I may have seen other brands with the same signs.

Here in NJ, the gas pumps state "CONTAINS 10% ETHANOL", when in reality, when tested, it's closer to 20% depending on brand. It's way cheaper for the oil companies to load the gasoline up with it in the name of emissions.

At any rate, using the Chevron I filled up with in NC, I got 4 to 5 mpg better mileage on the trip home up I-81/PA Trnpk in my carburetored Suburban than I did driving down on NJ's ethanol loaded HESS. Plus the truck had way more "yank" and ran a lot smoother too.

I have also noticed that the mileage drop with ethanol affects carburetored cars more than today's computer controlled EFI. It also eats up a lot of the older carb parts.

Just my 2 cents on mileage versus fuel types.

Thu Mar 18, 2010 6:52 pm

So I got the car up today and found that the passenger rear wheel felt as though the brakes dragged half the time, like the drum was out of round. Took it off and the splines on the inside that engage the axle stub where almost gone causing the wheel to wobble about and making it drag the brakes. The axle nut was tight as could be and no way could have loosened from when I put it in, it must have been worn down for a while and the long highway drive knocked off center maybe. Anyways, I'll replace and see if the mileage improves. Thanks for all the suggestions. I wouldn't have thought to look away from the engine if it weren't for zeroman.

Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:51 pm

TGOT wrote: So I got the car up today and found that the passenger rear wheel felt as though the brakes dragged half the time, like the drum was out of round. Took it off and the splines on the inside that engage the axle stub where almost gone causing the wheel to wobble about and making it drag the brakes. ...
When was the last time the drum was replaced?

I've heard others report that the quality of brake drums has gone downhill. You might want to make sure your replacement comes from a good source or maybe find a good OG (German) one that can still be turned (resurfaced).

Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:07 pm

awww shucks...
:oops:
combo of ethanol and effed up wheel maybe..

thing is.. we use gas for a reason... it has a lot more energy than pretty much anything else.

Its just a shame that something like 90% of that goes to heat your engine.

Thu Mar 18, 2010 11:08 pm

My old super had that altitude adjuster thingamabob in the engine compartment on the right side. It was dead by the way. I guess they dont make them anymore. Did they really help that much seeing that there's not anything like that used anymore on these cars, or is there something that does the same thing now technology wise?

Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:35 am

Yes.. your modern engine will TRY to adjust to burn corn oil in a vacuum. Of course it would fail.. but between knock detectors. .. oxygen sensors..et al there's no need for an auto or manual leaning valve.
I wonder where those cars with the alt gear sold... or was it an option?