Bad MPG and fuel sender
#1
08-07-2013, 02:03 PM
Bad MPG and fuel sender
Hey all, I recently bought a junk 02 monte carlo in an attempt to fix it up. As I expected, there was more wrong than advertised, and the guy oturight lied about somethings.
Currently, I'm having a few issues.
My Fuel Sender is broken, and thus my gas gauge does not work. I found fuel senders for $30 online, and Fuel pumps for 80. My mechanic says only get the AC Delco, which run about 100/300 for the sender/pump respectively.
2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Fuel Pump Replacement, In-Tank, Direct fit
This pump for example, would be in my affordable range, but my mechanic is wary.
Does anybody have a fuel pump they bought, for cheaper than the AC Delco, that worked well?
My other issue is that my MPG is atrocious. If i were to estimate, maybe 12mpg. The monte is supposed to get 19/29 if I'm not mistaken! And it was all mostly highway miles. I believe everything under the hood was cleaned
(reasonably). Including the throttle, and the air filters. Battery was definitely disconnected (it's also a piece of ****). My mechanic says my mpg is this horrible because the cars computer has to relearn for a couple hundred miles. Is this true? I know the computer has to relearn, but to get half of my expected MPG?!
Currently, I'm having a few issues.
My Fuel Sender is broken, and thus my gas gauge does not work. I found fuel senders for $30 online, and Fuel pumps for 80. My mechanic says only get the AC Delco, which run about 100/300 for the sender/pump respectively.
2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Fuel Pump Replacement, In-Tank, Direct fit
This pump for example, would be in my affordable range, but my mechanic is wary.
Does anybody have a fuel pump they bought, for cheaper than the AC Delco, that worked well?
My other issue is that my MPG is atrocious. If i were to estimate, maybe 12mpg. The monte is supposed to get 19/29 if I'm not mistaken! And it was all mostly highway miles. I believe everything under the hood was cleaned
(reasonably). Including the throttle, and the air filters. Battery was definitely disconnected (it's also a piece of ****). My mechanic says my mpg is this horrible because the cars computer has to relearn for a couple hundred miles. Is this true? I know the computer has to relearn, but to get half of my expected MPG?!
#2
08-07-2013, 05:39 PM
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mentor, Ohio
Posts: 12,156
I don't have advise on the pump, but I don't buy the computer relearn causing that big a drop in MPG. Before going crazy, calc out your MPG to know for sure. If it's truly that bad, you may want to start with:
- Plugs and wires (AC Delco or NGK plugs, NO BOSH PLUGS)
- Upstream O2 sensor (on the back of the exhaust manifold)
Those are two very direct items that can impact fueling and performance.
- Plugs and wires (AC Delco or NGK plugs, NO BOSH PLUGS)
- Upstream O2 sensor (on the back of the exhaust manifold)
Those are two very direct items that can impact fueling and performance.
#3
08-08-2013, 09:40 AM
I also forgot to mention there is a hole in the exhaust I'm waiting to get fixed. There's also a ****ty battery (that I've had to jump about 3 times last week) that is getting replaced this weekend.
I had some theories related to the exhaust and the computer adjusting itself to a terrible exhaust would be the cause of 12.5 mpg. From my calcuations (and after friggin $85 in gasoline), I got 11mpg all last week.
Trying my theory further, this is the first week I had the car (so I drive it more like a 17 year old kid), so my mpg would already be poor!
Anybody think this would be plausible?
I had some theories related to the exhaust and the computer adjusting itself to a terrible exhaust would be the cause of 12.5 mpg. From my calcuations (and after friggin $85 in gasoline), I got 11mpg all last week.
Trying my theory further, this is the first week I had the car (so I drive it more like a 17 year old kid), so my mpg would already be poor!
Anybody think this would be plausible?
#4
08-08-2013, 09:49 AM
Hi `Josh,
How many miles are on your Monte Carlo ?
Do you know how many previous owner's had your Monte ?
Have you checked your plugs to see their condition...A spark plug can tell you a of information about your ride...
Check out the below link...
How to Assess Trouble by Checking Your Spark Plugs
6 of 6 in Series: The Essentials of Replacing and Gapping Spark Plugs
You can actually read your spark plugs for valuable “clues” about how your engine is operating. If your plugs indicate that something is seriously wrong with your engine, ask a professional for an opinion.
To read a spark plug and assess engine troubles, you first have to remove it. Use a spark plug wrench with an extender. Once you get the socket over the spark plug, place your hand over the head of the wrench, grasping the head firmly and pull the handle, hitting it gently with the palm of your hand to get it going.
Once you have the plug in your hand, check out its various parts to look for tell-tale signs of trouble. The following figure can help you identify the different parts of a spark plug.
You should also check the gap between the center electrode and the side electrode. Take your wire or taper feeler gauge and locate the proper wire and slide it into that gap. If the gauge has a lot of room to wiggle around, your old plug may have worn down its center electrode, causing a gap that’s too large. If the gauge can’t fit between the center and side electrodes, the gap is too small, which means that the spark plug isn’t burning the fuel/air mixture efficiently.
Compare the state of your spark plug with the table below to diagnose any problems.
<table style="font: 12px/20px arial, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: top; white-space: normal; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" border="1" cell-margin="1" cell-padding="0"><caption style="width: 555px; text-align: left; padding-bottom: 6px; font-size: 1.08em; font-weight: bold;">What Your Old Spark Plugs Tell You about Your Vehicle</caption><tbody><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><th style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">Condition</th><th style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">Clues</th><th style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">Probable Causes</th><th style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">Remedies</th></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Normal plug</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Brown or grayish- tan deposit on side electrode,</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Everything’s fine.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Just clean and regap the plug.</td></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Carbon-fouled plug</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Black, dry, fluffy soot on insulator tip and electrodes.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Overly rich fuel/air mixture, dirtyair filter, too much driving at low speeds, or idling for a long time.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Switch to “hotter” plug. (The higher the plug number, the hotter the plug.)</td></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Oil-fouled plug</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Wet, black, oily deposits on insulator tip and electrodes.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Oil may be leaking into cylinderspast worn pistons or poorly adjusted or worn valves.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Clean and regap the plug, or replace it, but find out where the leak is coming from.</td></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Burned plug</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Blisters on insulator tip, melted electrodes, burned stuff.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Engine overheating, gap is too wide, wrong or loose plugs, overly lean fuel/air mixture, or incorrect timing</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Replace the plug.</td></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Worn plug</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Severely eroded or worn electrodes</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Plug has been in there too long</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Replace the plug.</td></tr></tbody></table>Check all your spark plugs, but work on only one plug at a time, and don’t remove a plug unless the one you just dealt with — or its replacement — is safely back in the engine.
To keep your engine operating efficiently, don’t mix plugs in varying states of wear. Either replace all the plugs with new ones or clean and reinstall all the old ones. If you find that a few of your old plugs aren’t too worn and are in fairly good shape but you need to replace the others, clean and regap the salvageable plugs and store them in your trunk compartment tool kit for emergencies.
Sometimes you can cure a problem — such as carbon-fouled plugs — by going to a hotter- or cooler-burning plug. You can identify these by the plug number: The higher the number, the hotter the plug. Never go more than one step hotter or cooler at a time.
Please post as much information as you can about your Monte & it's problems & it will help our member's help you....Good Luck
How many miles are on your Monte Carlo ?
Do you know how many previous owner's had your Monte ?
Have you checked your plugs to see their condition...A spark plug can tell you a of information about your ride...
Check out the below link...
<cite class="bc" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 42); font-size: 14px !important; font-style: normal;">NGK Spark Plugs USA › Home › Tech Support › Spark Plugs › Faqs</cite>
A: Being able to "read" a spark plug can be a valuable tuning aid. ... In general, a light tan/gray color tells you that the spark plug is operating at optimum ...
6 of 6 in Series: The Essentials of Replacing and Gapping Spark Plugs
You can actually read your spark plugs for valuable “clues” about how your engine is operating. If your plugs indicate that something is seriously wrong with your engine, ask a professional for an opinion.
To read a spark plug and assess engine troubles, you first have to remove it. Use a spark plug wrench with an extender. Once you get the socket over the spark plug, place your hand over the head of the wrench, grasping the head firmly and pull the handle, hitting it gently with the palm of your hand to get it going.
Once you have the plug in your hand, check out its various parts to look for tell-tale signs of trouble. The following figure can help you identify the different parts of a spark plug.
You should also check the gap between the center electrode and the side electrode. Take your wire or taper feeler gauge and locate the proper wire and slide it into that gap. If the gauge has a lot of room to wiggle around, your old plug may have worn down its center electrode, causing a gap that’s too large. If the gauge can’t fit between the center and side electrodes, the gap is too small, which means that the spark plug isn’t burning the fuel/air mixture efficiently.
Compare the state of your spark plug with the table below to diagnose any problems.
<table style="font: 12px/20px arial, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: top; white-space: normal; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" border="1" cell-margin="1" cell-padding="0"><caption style="width: 555px; text-align: left; padding-bottom: 6px; font-size: 1.08em; font-weight: bold;">What Your Old Spark Plugs Tell You about Your Vehicle</caption><tbody><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><th style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">Condition</th><th style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">Clues</th><th style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">Probable Causes</th><th style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">Remedies</th></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Normal plug</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Brown or grayish- tan deposit on side electrode,</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Everything’s fine.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Just clean and regap the plug.</td></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Carbon-fouled plug</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Black, dry, fluffy soot on insulator tip and electrodes.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Overly rich fuel/air mixture, dirtyair filter, too much driving at low speeds, or idling for a long time.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Switch to “hotter” plug. (The higher the plug number, the hotter the plug.)</td></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Oil-fouled plug</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Wet, black, oily deposits on insulator tip and electrodes.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Oil may be leaking into cylinderspast worn pistons or poorly adjusted or worn valves.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Clean and regap the plug, or replace it, but find out where the leak is coming from.</td></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Burned plug</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Blisters on insulator tip, melted electrodes, burned stuff.</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Engine overheating, gap is too wide, wrong or loose plugs, overly lean fuel/air mixture, or incorrect timing</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Replace the plug.</td></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Worn plug</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Severely eroded or worn electrodes</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Plug has been in there too long</td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: top;">Replace the plug.</td></tr></tbody></table>Check all your spark plugs, but work on only one plug at a time, and don’t remove a plug unless the one you just dealt with — or its replacement — is safely back in the engine.
To keep your engine operating efficiently, don’t mix plugs in varying states of wear. Either replace all the plugs with new ones or clean and reinstall all the old ones. If you find that a few of your old plugs aren’t too worn and are in fairly good shape but you need to replace the others, clean and regap the salvageable plugs and store them in your trunk compartment tool kit for emergencies.
Sometimes you can cure a problem — such as carbon-fouled plugs — by going to a hotter- or cooler-burning plug. You can identify these by the plug number: The higher the number, the hotter the plug. Never go more than one step hotter or cooler at a time.
Please post as much information as you can about your Monte & it's problems & it will help our member's help you....Good Luck
Last edited by Space; 08-08-2013 at 09:51 AM.
#5
08-08-2013, 11:10 AM
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mentor, Ohio
Posts: 12,156
Honestly, I don't think your hole in your exhaust will relate to MPG issues. Heck some people with big exhaust holes report better MPG as exhaust is flowing more.
Also, I assume you meant E85 and not $85 gasoline??? To my knowledge, none of the '00-'05 Montes are "Flex Fuel" (means that run of E85 or regular gasoline). That being said, don't run E85, plus from what I understand, E85 gets lower MPG. I'm not sure what harm E85 can do to a car not built to run E85.
Also, I assume you meant E85 and not $85 gasoline??? To my knowledge, none of the '00-'05 Montes are "Flex Fuel" (means that run of E85 or regular gasoline). That being said, don't run E85, plus from what I understand, E85 gets lower MPG. I'm not sure what harm E85 can do to a car not built to run E85.
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