Beemon Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 How many times did it take you all to realize that you had to stop making dumb choices when it came to cars? I got a replacement ignition module from a well known company to replace the module that failed before, stranding me at the college. They boast that the module saves you gas mileage, but I guess they mean by walking because that's what happened after work tonight. It was 35* outside and by the time I snapped the distributor cap back on, my fingers were numb. Keep it simple, stupid! I'm still learning. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 About the only way they'll "save gas" is from a consistent, solid spark each time. And save "your gas" from not having to change the points, as in the past. What happens as you lean over the fender . . . "variable". NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Any "snake oil" or electronic device to save gas will work. You wallet is lighter therefore you will go farther on a gallon of gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 On 2/2/2017 at 4:41 AM, Beemon said: How many times did it take you all to realize that you had to stop making dumb choices when it came to cars? Before there were online forums or after? Bernie 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 8 hours ago, 60FlatTop said: Before there were online forums or after? Bernie The same, only now a buncha yayhoos from across the globe can chime in, so you can't just mutter to yourself anymore. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 (edited) Y'all ARE forgetting about the "Trick of the Month", which was in a variety of car magazines, each month! Some which were spread "as gospel" by many who didn't know any better. After all, it was in "___ ___" or "____ ____ _____" last month! I came to the conclusion that in many "How To . . . " articles, that they left out about half of what went on OR what needed to go on between the times the pictures were taken. I also came to know that a somewhat simple project, for which a reputable labor/time guide "time" was available, really took about 1 night/stated labor hour, after work. Kind of goes along with the old adage that in estimating the time of a major project, double it. Enjoy! NTX5467 Edited February 4, 2017 by NTX5467 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Grimy's rule for estimating How Long Projects Take: If it should take 2 hours, double the number (4) and go to the next higher increment of time (days). Therefore, what should take 2 hours will actually take 4 days! Accordingly, a 2-minute job will take 4 hours, etc.... This Rule has never let me down.... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 (edited) "And then . . . there are the projects that keep getting moved back, for one reason or another, until it's absolutely time to do something. They usually end up taking only 15-30 minutes to do, everything goes well, and "it's done". Then I wonder why it seemed to be such a "big deal" that wasn't? Best way to "save gas"? Learn to drive more efficiently, stay out of the "power mixture", and (with fuel injection) learn to better use the "coast" orientation. Many people "drive" until they have to "stop". Many vehicles will coast with little to no throttle for a long distance (and not lose more than 5mph), at a computer readout of "99mpg". Takes planning and a little common sense. Once, I was on a section of a metro loop Interstate. I was in an Impala SS V-8, at the speed limit with the cruise on. A jacked-up HD2500 diesel pickup was approaching, so I nailed the throttle, quickly reaching 95mph (and him in "the dust"). I got to an empty traffic space, changed lanes, and coasted back down to the cruise control setting. Cruise mpg was about 31mpg@70mph, "accel" instant mpg was about 4mpg, "coast" instant mpg was 99mpg. Much more time spent at 99mpg than 4mpg! That little deal ended up increasing the "Average MPG" by about 1mpg.. The contestants in the old Mobil Economy Run KNEW their vehicles well. They knew how much throttle they could use and stay out of the power enrichment fuel circuit on the carb. They also stopped the engine at red lights, usually. They knew by "feel", engine sounds, and the angle of the liquid in their drink containers. No formal instruments and all under the watchful eye of rear seat observers. All maintenance had to be performed "to spec", so an "advance team" would scout the dealership network for "good shops", many times. In the "break-in" phase, also under the eyes of observers, 2-ply rayon tires could be "worn" and replaced by similar 4-ply nylon versions. Lots of little things can all add up. Higher tire pressures, minimized tow-in settings, driving techniques. As for that last item, if you have access to a newer vehicle with a trip computer that has "Instant Fuel Economy" function, put the readout in that mode and you can easily see, in real time, just how little fuel economy your "habits" might be yielding AND how small changes can increased it markedly. Been there, done that, for many years. In a 1975 Chevy Impala owner's manual, under fuel economy, it recommended "brisk" acceleration to cruising speed" to maximize time spend at the more economical fuel use situations. Not WOT, just "brisk", but not "with an egg under your bare foot on the footfeed". Also, adjust the automatic choke to come off after about 2 minutes of driving. Might need to alter the fast idle speed screw setting a little, too. AND . . . minimize use of the "Remote Start" function, if equipped, or idling to warm a cold car. Enjoy! NTX5467 Edited February 4, 2017 by NTX5467 (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Gee whiz, Willis, that is no fun!! But you are right. An old cliche " the best fuel saver is your right foot" is very apt. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 I took a 5 mile walk along the canal, trying to figure out a way to save gas. I didn't think of nuthin'. Bernie 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 (edited) Something to ponder....... How much fuel would be saved if ALL car wheels were centerline solid disk aluminum with Moon hub caps. and all wheels with any kind of "spoke" were outlawed. Each car would eliminate 4 "fans" inside the tires. Anybody want to try and calculate the $$$ and fuel savings/ year ? Edited February 5, 2017 by FLYER15015 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Certainly would be a saving in mpg but what about the cost to the environment to make all those aluminum disk wheels and all the pollution to dispose of all the spoke wheels. Of course if you had wood spoke artillery wheels only the hubs and felloes would not be biodegradable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airy Cat Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 If you want to save gas, walk, take a bus or train. If you own a Buick I can't see how you would save gas. I drive them like I stole them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 3 hours ago, Tinindian said: Certainly would be a saving in mpg but what about the cost to the environment to make all those aluminum disk wheels and all the pollution to dispose of all the spoke wheels. Of course if you had wood spoke artillery wheels only the hubs and felloes would not be biodegradable. Having been in the metals business for over 30 years, I can tell you that aluminum is one of the most recycled alloys there are. Ton for ton it is well above the % rate of steel and copper. It takes 1/3rd the energy to make new aluminum from scrap as it does from raw ore. And besides, if we went back to wooden wheels, we would have to get the wood from Canada. We have so many national monuments down here, most of the loggers are out of business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 The "save gas" feature came from their variable dwell setting in the ignition module based off of RPM and the hall effect. Like I said, it worked, just didn't intend to walk home to get the tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 33 minutes ago, Beemon said: The "save gas" feature came from their variable dwell setting in the ignition module based off of RPM and the hall effect. Like I said, it worked, just didn't intend to walk home to get the tools. Next time you have a dwell tach handy, hook it up to the engine. Let tne engine idle as if you were setting the timing. Then rev the engine and see what the dwell reading does . . . with a point distributor. As the vacuum advance and centrifugal advance start to happen, it's very possible that the dwell reading on the tach will decrease. The reason for the dual point distributors on many 1950-60s high performance factory motors was the increased dwell time/reading. This allowed the coil voltage to increase to a higher level before the plug was fired. Hence, "hotter spark" and an allegedly more complete fuel mixture burn. Halogen headlights are supposed to save fuel. They decrease the load on the electrical system so the alternator "load" on the motor is lessened. In the CCOT (cycling clutch orifice tube) a/c systems, the size of the orifice in the tube can relate to the heat load the a/c system sees, which relates to the load the a/c compressor puts on the motor. In both cases, "less engine load = fuel saved". Dark window tint could also decrease the heat load on the a/c system too! Perhaps, everything together, the savings might be a few percent? NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 On 2/4/2017 at 10:15 AM, NTX5467 said: In a 1975 Chevy Impala owner's manual, under fuel economy, it recommended "brisk" acceleration to cruising speed" to maximize time spend at the more economical fuel use situations. "Brisk acceleration" was also recommended on auto transmission cars in the 50's and 60's but the reasoning was to get the torque converter more fully engaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBulldogMiller55Buick Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Last month, the brakes on my 2003 Durango started making that noise that tells "you need new brake pads". Several years ago, the rotors had been on a lathe , and the minimum thickness was reached. Knowing I could go a week, if I took it easy. I drove another week. That week, driving EXTRA carefully, increased my fuel mileage 25% 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 18 hours ago, FLYER15015 said: Something to ponder....... How much fuel would be saved if ALL car wheels were centerline solid disk aluminum with Moon hub caps. and all wheels with any kind of "spoke" were outlawed. Each car would eliminate 4 "fans" inside the tires. Anybody want to try and calculate the $$$ and fuel savings/ year ? Not nearly so much as if dogmatic transmissions were outlawed except for those with handicap stickers! Have converted several of my own that came with dogmatics to manual transmissions; expect to gain at least 25 percent in fuel economy, and have yet to be disappointed. Actually got more than 35 percent a couple of times. I have thought for years that eliminating the dogmatic would transform the USA from an oil-importing nation to an oil-exporting nation! Jon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 19 hours ago, FLYER15015 said: Something to ponder....... How much fuel would be saved if ALL car wheels were centerline solid disk aluminum with Moon hub caps. and all wheels with any kind of "spoke" were outlawed. Each car would eliminate 4 "fans" inside the tires. Anybody want to try and calculate the $$$ and fuel savings/ year ? Not nearly so much as if dogmatic transmissions were outlawed except for those with handicap stickers! Have converted several of my own that came with dogmatics to manual transmissions; expect to gain at least 25 percent in fuel economy, and have yet to be disappointed. Actually got more than 35 percent a couple of times. I have thought for years that eliminating the dogmatic would transform the USA from an oil-importing nation to an oil-exporting nation! One of the commonly used practices to save fuel during WWII when fuel was rationed, at least in north central Missouri, was do disable the accelerator pump. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 An automatic transmission that's "well-matched" to the engine in front of it can enhance the driving experience. That means that min. throttle upshifts don't happen too soon or too late, that part throttle activity happens such that the engine's capabilities are maximized, and that at WOT, lots of "happy sounds" happen as the speedometer spins toward "triple digits". Many don't come that way from the factory, by observation, but some small tweeks in the preload on the kickdown rod adjustment CAN "get it there". End result is that less throttle for more acceleration, which should help keep manifold vacuum higher and out of the "power mixture" range. No large adjustment changes, usually just a few more turns of the rod adjustment will do it. I've found that the min. throttle upshift speed into high gear should approximate about 1000rpm once the shift is complete. For example, a 2.76 axle ratio with H78x15 tires would be about 29mph, but with a 3.23 axle ratio, closer to about 25mph (with the same tire size). Key thing is that if the shift to top gear happens too soon, as some DO, then once the shift happens, it's up to the torque converter to slip until higher road speed is reached. If the shift occurs at the higher road speed, then less converter slippage AND better throttle response. This, of course, presumes that "top gear" is the normal 1.00 ratio and not an OD gear (as many 4+ speed automatics tend to be). When exhaust emissions started to be measured in "grams/mile", fewer engine rpms resulted in fewer grams/mile of emissions, it appears. Therefore, lower rpm shift points in many vehicles . . . which made "runners" into "sluggish beasts". Doing the manual shift routine, to determine where the shift points need to be is necessary, as to how the engine "likes" things. You can progress from there. Again, key thing is "less throttle", "higher manifold vacuum", better acceleration, and less fuel used to get to cruising speed. These things can, many times, be indicated by the "Instant Fuel Economy" readout on newer cars. A slow acceleration might yield 8mpg, but a little faster would be 6mpg, for example, and better keep up with traffic. On an older carbureted vehicle, driving with a vacuum gauge could do the same thing, IF you know the vacuum level at which the power mixture starts. In the earlier 1970s, Holley started to use a 2-stage power valve on some of their 4bbl carbs. This allegedly allowed the main jets to be about 2 notches leaner for better cruise emissions and fuel economy. The first stage usually started at 10"Hg, with "all in" at 5.5" Hg (the normally accepted level). I had my Camaro hooked up to a digital exhaust analyzer one Saturday. In gear, it idled at 10.5" Hg. When I throttled into it to lower the vacuum, at just below 10" Hg, a modest enrichment happened, but when I hit the 5.5" Hg level, major enrichment. On metering rod carburetors (i.e., AFB, AVS, 1960s+ QuadraJet), you'll need to know which power valve spring is being used and at what vacuum levels the thinner parts of the metering rod come into use (or the base "economy" section is not in the metering jet any more). LOTS of little tuning and driving interfaces to consider and exploit! NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 We know that in comparison to some "no speed" automatic transmissions, a manual transmission can transform the whole character of the car. In some cases, the gear ratios of a 3-speed manual can approximate the ratios in that maker's 3-speed automatic transmission, which can be interesting AND give a direct comparison for performance and fuel economy. The comparison will widen when compared to a "no-speed" automatic transmission, though. In a copy of the old "Pontiac Enthusiast" magazine, there was one year of fwd Grand Prix which had a 3.1L Chevy V-6. It was available with the normal 4-speed OD automatic and also a manual transmission. The magazine guy was astounded at the difference in the character of the car with the manual transmission as he could better match the gears to what he really wanted, sometimes. For him, the manual transmission car was much more fun to drive. I suspect fuel economy went down, too. But there can be some downsides to a manual transmission, which can be highly dependent upon where you normally drive. I know of one '70 Wildcat 3-speed car that regularly returns 20mpg on road trips. With the "highway gear" in the back, it can be less fun in rural towns, but on the open road (originally sold in a expansive western state), it would be great. In urban traffic jams? NOT so great! When I ordered my Camaro in '77, I toyed with the idea of a 4-speed manual over the THM350. Compromise was to order the THM350 with the optional 3.08 PosiTrac. Car ended up being built with a 305, which meant a 2.56 PosiTrac. My eventual reasoning for ordering the automatic was that I knew I could do atf and filter changes myself, but NOT clutch changes. A few atf changes were much less expensive than ONE clutch and pressure plate. Be that as it may . . . I really like "passing gear" on automatics, myself! No involved pre-pass calculations of what gear, what rpm, how soon, etc. Just nail it and go, as appropriate. NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Want to save gas, check out the "hyper-milling" web sites. Lowest ratio rear ends they can find, tall shinny tires blown up to max or over, no side mirrors, aluminum rims with full moons, underbellies covered with aluminum pans, and on and on. just to see how far they can get on a gallon of gas. Kind of makes the Bonneville guys feel like they are on the right track. Gonna put us drillers out of business...... Dang !!!!!!!!!!!! Mike in Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 32 minutes ago, FLYER15015 said: Want to save gas, check out the "hyper-milling" web sites. It's the 'egg shell under your right foot' trick. I've made a game of sorts of my commute. I try to see how well I can modulate my speed so as to hit as many green lights as possible. When I see a light go yellow ahead, I immediately lift my foot and coast as long as possible before having to apply brakes. During warm weather I can eek 19 mpg out of my 2004 Silverado 4WD 5.3L just to and from work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 The hyper-milers might have made some mechanical modifications to their vehicles, but there is also a driving technique which, I believe, involved quick accelerations to a little over-limit speeds and then a long coast to a certain below-limit speed. NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 On 2/5/2017 at 8:59 PM, NTX5467 said: The hyper-milers might have made some mechanical modifications to their vehicles, but there is also a driving technique which, I believe, involved quick accelerations to a little over-limit speeds and then a long coast to a certain below-limit speed. NTX5467 That is exactly what I do. Nail that sucker off the line so I can get to the next light and "idle" longer than the other guys. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 The only way to truly reduce fuel consumption is by elected officials creating laws and regulations. Then penalizing those whom don't comply. Did you know they stay up all night thinking of ways to save energy? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 That is very true Bernie. And if it weren't for those coal fired power plants cranking away all night, we would be watching TV by candle light. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 It was revealed today that over 5.7million homes can now be powered by wind energy. New projects will use excess generated wind power to pump compressed air into underground areas, then use that compressed air to drive generators "at night". TX is the leader in that situation. Land leases totaled over $60million last year. Before tv picture tubes got so bright, watching TV at night by the glow of the lava light was normal and upscale. NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now