1954 Chrysler MPG

[Guest grouchyandugly]

purchased a nice 1954 Chrysler NY Deluxe about 2 weeks ago, so I joined the WPC yesterday.

did not expect great MPG, but I am getting some 9.1MPG with mine......as I have no idea what

these older hemi's get, asking for opinion/help.  it is a 4 door sedan, 4bbl carb, duals, about as

original a find as possible.  runs great, just the gas gauge operating whenever it wants to.

"babe" does not want to start unless I do not touch the gas pedal, once I touch it before starting,

I have a difficult time getting it running.  

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[carbking]

Difficult starting when the engine is hot is, unfortunately, a byproduct of modern fuel.

 

Difficult starting when the engine is cold if you touch the footfeed may indicate carburetor issues. Steel fuel needles were still being used in 1954. These would, over time, wear a groove in the needle, and wear the orifice of the seat such that the needle would extend further into the seat; resulting in the float being too high and the fuel level in the carburetor bowl being too high. This condition would create the touchy cold starting and a resultant decrease in fuel economy.

 

A couple of comments about fuel economy. The odometers on older vehicles are not known for GPS accuracy! Plus, any variation in the tire circumference from original will contribute to odometer error. Before throwing rocks at the fuel economy, check your odometer against the highway mile marker signs. Also, dragging brakes or underinflated tires will contribute significantly to lower MPG.

 

Jon.

Edited September 1, 2016 by carbking (see edit history)

[Guest grouchyandugly]

thanks jon.  I use non-ethanol (boat) gas.  no problem starting when hot (as long as I do not touch the gas pedal).  I understand

about the "little' things that might mess up an accurate mpg count......but I am getting 9.1mpg.......I suspect my dumb

dirtyword carb., and will order a carb kit next week and then have someone rebuild it for me (I am excellent at taking things

apart, but lousy/lousy at putting them back together correctly).  my carb is:  2041S

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[carbking]

G & U - the Carter WCFB is not a difficult carburetor to rebuild. Armed with an original service manual, a good kit, and a few good tools; you should have no trouble doing it yourself. Often, a consciencious owner will do a better job than a local "professional" because the owner has a vested interest in doing a good job. You do have this forum for questions.

 

When I first started doing carburetors some 55 years ago, I would make drawings of the linkage, etc. when redoing a carburetor I had never seen before. Later, when camcorders became affordable; I would set a camcorder on a tripod, directing the camcorder at the carb as I was disassembling, and talk to the camcorder "throttle closes left to right with plate upwards" etc.

 

Today, just get your wife or girlfriend (NOT BOTH  ) to take a video on their cell phone. Then you have a record of how it was, should you need it.

 

Jon.

[Guest grouchyandugly]

big problem.....I do not have a wife or girlfriend (and definitely NOT a boyfriend....)......and at 75 am content and, content.

I do have a friend who restores Model A's and T's, will see if he will do it or help me, whole process won't take but a

week or so.....(kidding)......and "a good kit" ????  does that mean I will have to go to Scotland???

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[28 Chrysler]

You should be getting around 17 /18 MPG in city traffic and around 22ish on the open road without a heavy foot.

I suspect carb problems is the main reason for 9 MPG, low compression may also be part of the problem.

[Guest grouchyandugly]

that is about what I had assumed.  have ordered a carb kit and will redo the carb when possible.

she fires right up after turning once or twice, so I do not think it has low compression (I hope....).

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[Rusty_OToole]

I was going to say 17MPG, less in city traffic. A lot of stop and go could drag your mileage down to under 10. Keep in mind that is a VERY heavy lump of iron and is not fully warmed up until you cover 10-20 miles. Until then mileage will be poor. And I hope you know better than to use 30 oil?

[Guest grouchyandugly]

 hi Rusty....thanks......but, 30 quarts of oil???? (kidding) I changed it with 15w40 Delo diesel CI4.

I live some 18 non-stop miles to town, so there is no stop-n-go traffic, and little in our town.

heavy?  my title lists it at "only" 4,160lbs.  as soon as my dumb dirtyword carb kit arrives, will

make plans to change it......query.....my shop manual says to drain coolant before removing the

carb....??.....would the problem be in the height of the water passages in the intake which would

pour over into the interior ???  I will obey what it says.

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[28 Chrysler]

There is a water passage in the intake, it is suppose to help with the warm up

Check the ground on the sending unit for the fuel gauge. It might be a pain in the butt to get to.

I had a 54 a while back and always got in the 20s for MPG on the highway, better than my wife's 2 year old Pontiac with the 301 engine.

[Rusty_OToole]

I was referring to the weight of the engine, 735lbs. It takes a long time to warm up compared to modern motors, and will not run at its most efficient until warmed up.

 

There is a water passage through the base of the carburetor for faster warmups. That is why you must drain the coolant. If you don't it will pour out all over the engine.

[Guest grouchyandugly]

roger on the water passage/intake.  will check the ground sometime later, as right now concerned with my

motion-lotion disappearing faster than I can pay (!) for it.

different query":  on these spark plug tubes....I assume they sorta pull straight out?  bought some seals for them, but

as I have never done this before at this point in time, would appreciate  any help/info/advice/opinion....

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[Guest grouchyandugly]

woweeeee........just thought I would drive to town in my mazda pick-em-up, as I had lost electricity here again......

bad ideeeee.......drove thru the heaviest rain I have been in in over 15 years.......was going 35mph for some

7=9 miles.......got to town, and changed my mind and drove back home......worst of the rain had passed.....

where I am located at, N.E. Fla I have not had sufficient rain for over 2 months time, and had a fish kill in my

pond, which was almost a mud puddle......now I suppose I will have to get my fishing stuff and go fishing to

replenish my stock.....hee hee....

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[Rusty_OToole]

The spark plug tubes replace the spark plug gasket. In other words you take the gasket off the new plugs when you put them in.

 

With the spark plug out the tube should pull out. You are supposed to replace the tube when the bottom gets chewed and worn but I don't think you can get them anymore.

[Guest grouchyandugly]

Quote

 

thanks rusty.  info I needed.

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[tom1954]

I have a 54 with the 331, 2 bl., single exhaust not the 4 bl dual exhaust model. We were getting about 8 mpg. had some work done on the carb and am now getting about 10, sometimes 11 or 12. Does not really make a difference if it is all around town or x-way cruising. Now starts easy when cold, once to the floor and turn the key. When it is warm it still takes a bit of cranking. I disconnected the hot water flow thru the carb base as it was causing issues on shut down when the car was hot (evaporating the junk fuel out of the carb). Only the 2 bl's had this and Chrysler said it was to prevent carb icing when temps were below about 45. I have driven it when it was 30 degrees and had no problem (probably due to the alcohol in todays fuel).I beleive the biggest issue with the mileage is todays fuel and the 2 speed trans. I have new plugs, wires, cap and rotor and petronix electronic instead of the points. Still keeping the 6 volt system also. Also modified the oil bath with a paper filter element, still looks like the oil bath from the outside but it is paper inside.

[Guest grouchyandugly]

wow, not good news.  i'll see what happens after the carb is rebuilt.....will let you know.

I have been searching unsuccessfully for a paper filter type air cleaner, so will see if I can use your input and adapt

what I have.  have been thinking about petronix; but "babe" runs/starts great (at this point in time).

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[Rusty_OToole]

You don't need a paper filter. The oil bath is better. When you change oil check the oil level by removing the top of the filter. Be sure the oil is up to the line or nearly. When the oil reservoir is over half full of dirt, take it off, pour out the oil and wipe clean with rags or waste. Rinse the filter in kerosene or varsol and let it drip dry. Do not blow air thru it, you can make channels that defeat the purpose of the filter. Get a quart of straight 50 oil. Pour a little into the filter, and fill the base to the oil line. There you are done. If you drive on good paved roads it will be years before you need to do this again. 1 quart will service the filter several times.

[Guest grouchyandugly]

1. ok,  something that I do not have to do.  will leave it original.
2. checked my mpg today and without my carb rebuilt, etc., I am getting (more or less) 12mpg......somewhat better than 9mpg

[Rusty_OToole]

I just found an April 1954 Science and Mechanics magazine with complete road test of the 1954 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe with 235HP engine and Powerflite transmission. All this on a new car, with 231 miles on it at the start of the test. Using 20W motor oil. 24PSI in the tires, driving on a concrete hiway. Temp 42 degrees humidity 60%. Curb weight of car, 4400Lbs.

 

They reported traffic fuel consumption, simulated city driving, of 9.61MPG (true) or 9.93 on the odometer.

 

"Trick" driving, the max they could get using all the tricks like slow acceleration, coasting etc 21.7MPG

 

Steady speed MPG using 5th wheel and fuel volume flow meter while carrying 641lbs of passengers and baggage. So the total weight was over 5000 lbs.

 

True speed      True MPG    Odo MPG    

 

30                     14.8             15.3

 

50                      13.1             13.4

 

60                      11.8              12

 

70                      10.4              10.5

 

80                        9.0                9.0

 

So it seems you are about average. Especially given the thin fuel you get today.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[tom1954]

I had changed my air filter set up because when the carb was bad I had to constantly take off the air cleaner to shoot some ether in, got tired of playing around. I did not destroy my original center section. I found just the center on e-bay and used that one to experiment. Opened up the housing with a cut off wheel and pulled all the mesh out, figured out the dimension and it ends up that a briggs and stratton riding mower filter fit perfectly, cut a round piece of plexi-glass to cover the top of the filter, put the top on tightened down the wingnut, perfectly sealed, easy breathing and no mess, looks totally stock. Can revert to the original set up any time I would want to.

[Guest grouchyandugly]

thanks Rusty (sort of...).....at least now I know what to expect concerning my mpg......so guess I will just tootle

around my town about 15mph !!!  (kidding).  back in their days, motor mags had those mpg ratings at those

different speeds, which to me are more accurate than what is offered today.  thanks for finding that out

and sharing it.  fyi I am using non-ethanol (boat) gas.  never have liked that dumb dirtyword ethanol.

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[Rusty_OToole]

Grouchy what you have there is one of the top luxury cars of its day. It is a heavy, powerful car with the most horsepower of any car of 1954. Heavy gas consumption is normal. There isn't much you can do about it and if you did, it would cost more than you would save.

 

How many miles do you drive in a year? What do you pay for gas? If it got twice the gas mileage how much would you save in a year? A couple of hundred bucks? 

 

It will run perfectly on the cheapest regular gas,  anything 70 octane or higher. If it costs $50 - $75 to fill the tank that is what it costs to play 1954 millionaire. The best thing to do is put in the gas and forget about it. It only hurts for a little while lol.

 

If you really can't afford the occasional tank of gas the best thing to do would be to sell the car and buy a Plymouth or Volkswagen, something more in line with your budget.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[Guest grouchyandugly]

why not a Yugo? or a Lada?  (kidding).  I am on a dirty word limited income (s.s.), but have been tinkering, etc.

with cars since 1957, and enjoy it (mostly!).  not overly concerned with the mpg, as the only concern I had was

knowing what the mpg was for this car, because I wanted to know.  since I have bought it I am filling up

with non-ethanol (boat) gas which is a bit more expensive than the 87 or so regular.  I have owned a 1951

Saratoga 4dr sedan, and a genuine 1955 C300, and enjoyed them all.  wish I still have the C300 tho.

my major concern was my gas gauge not working, or it does bounce around whenever I get below 1/2 tank,

was to know the approx. miles I ran before I had to begin looking for a motion-lotion dispenser.  thankfully

my trip meter works, so when I reach 150 miles or so, I will replenish, and have a bit "spare" before it is

empty (gas tank).

I swapped a nice 1974 Nova coupe V8 for it, and happy/content/pleased with it.

thanks for your opinion, it is appreciated.

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[Guest grouchyandugly]

Thanks for all the input/info/opinion.

sometimes I am not tooooo clear as to what I want, or why I want it......

 

my "primary" reason for wanting to know what mpg I would get is because my fuel gauge not working,

and wanted to be able to judge when I was going to need motion-lotion before I ran out.  so, with

my trip meter working, and using 10mpg as a yardstick, I am going to use 150 miles as the point

in which I begin searching/looking for a motion-lotion dispersing outlet.

 

thanks again for all the help.

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[c49er]

Probably a good idea to find a new tank float on ebay or get yours rebuilt. The 8 cyl deeper 20 gallon tank float is different than the 6 cyl 17 gallon tank unit.

That's usually the issue with the 1941-54 Mopar cars.

I've replaced my fair share of them over the years.

[Guest grouchyandugly]

sounds great.....I will supply you with a cuppa 40-weight (coffee) if you will come and do mine.......(I would tooooo)

I have a 54 shop manual, which show nothing about the gas tank or the sending unit......question: does the

gas tank have to be dropped to get at the sending unit???  or what would you suggest?

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[c49er]

3 hours ago, grouchyandugly said:

sounds great.....I will supply you with a cuppa 40-weight (coffee) if you will come and do mine.......(I would tooooo)

I have a 54 shop manual, which show nothing about the gas tank or the sending unit......question: does the

gas tank have to be dropped to get at the sending unit???  or what would you suggest?

stay safe

thanks

G&U

 

To access the tank sender...Open the trunk..pull the mat up ..look for the round access cover and under it is the tank float sender unit retained by a lock ring. A special tool was used to remove the ring-and I do use that but you won't find one and can carefully use a brass drift to rotate the ring loose to remove the sender.

But to first test the dash gauge and wiring circuit ground the tank unit wire to the body. Then get in the car and while watching the gas gauge turn the key on for just long enough to see if the gauge needle begins to rise. If it does immediately turn the key off and fix/replace the float sending tank unit.

 

Edited September 8, 2016 by c49er (see edit history)

[Guest grouchyandugly]

thanks.....I can (yep) do that.

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[skyler]

I have a 54 Windsor, the gas guage does not work. I will try the check up that c49er says. your choice of a 54 Chrysler is awesome as these cars are not very popular in the collector car arena. I am a fan of these particular cars and have owned them since I was 17 years old in 1966. my current Windsor is a convertible. the 265 flat head will, at best, get about 14 mpg. good luck with your car. you will often be the only Chrysler at a show, and always the only 54 model.    skyler

[Guest grouchyandugly]

hi.  I checked my gas sending unit yesterday, and it checks out bad.  so.....next "payday" (Oct) I will buy and install a new one.

I bought a 1954 Chrysler Shop Manual, about 3 inches thick or so, but nothing (!) in it about the gas tank nor the sending unit.

stay safe

thanks

G&U

[c49er]

Yes that flesh colored 1954 chrysler factory shop manual does not say anything about the tank sender. Neither does the 1953 shop manual.

The 1954 plymoth one has plenty of info on the this subject,,, what was chrysler thinking?