So I'm in Indiana finally. Car is running really strong and smooth but something isn't quite right. If I'm cruising at 70-75 its getting like 14 mpg. Temp is running a steady 200 degrees with a 195 t-stat, and it pings. Timing is at 10 BTDC. If I run 65 I get like 17 mpg. I really suspect the speedo is off tho so the exact fuel economy is slightly unknown here. It just seems to be running a bit warmer than expected, and this thing has never ever pinged before. Its done it on several brands of fuel so it wasn't just a bad tank. When I had a 180 tstat, it ran about 160-180 degrees. This 195 puts me at a solid 200 on the mechanical guage, and over at the L on the in-dash guage. Oddly tho, the in-dash one started reading perfectly center scale somewhere in mid-state Ohio while the mechanical stayed at 200. I'm gonna pop a few plugs here to see whats going on but any suggestions? Fuel pressure is also at 38 PSI with the vac line unhooked. Is it perhaps running a little on the lean side causing the higher temp? It was running that temperature with the pressure at 42 psi and the fuel economy was about the same then too. My other thought is the shit exhaust with 148k mile cats causing excessive backpressure making it run hot and work harder. The exhaust was supposed to have been done before this trip but the parts didn't show up in time. Shi*t happens.
On the plus side, after a round trip to South Carolina, a trip to Skippyville, and now to Bloomington, I've only used about a half quart of oil in roughly 3000 miles. Its running smooth as glass and has great power. Passing people needs no effort and the few times I stepped down on the throttle to get by clusterfucks of retards (holy shit people in Ohio can't drive) the speedo cranked right up and I was gone. It also drives fbeautifully with a proper alignment. No drift, no dartiness, no pull, just decent feedback on the wheel and extremely responsive steering. I'm very pleased with this steering gear upgrade and I do reccomend it to anyone who wants better steering. The ride with these new springs is a bit stiffer but its not harsh. I do need to have the driver's side seats re-padded tho. The lower back support is just about gone and the foam under my ass is getting pretty flat. I shuffled it around so the pillow tops aren't screwed looking anymore but its still beat. Maybe I'll gut a passenger side seat in the yard sometime and use it's foam on my side.
On the plus side, after a round trip to South Carolina, a trip to Skippyville, and now to Bloomington, I've only used about a half quart of oil in roughly 3000 miles. Its running smooth as glass and has great power. Passing people needs no effort and the few times I stepped down on the throttle to get by clusterfucks of retards (holy shit people in Ohio can't drive) the speedo cranked right up and I was gone. It also drives fbeautifully with a proper alignment. No drift, no dartiness, no pull, just decent feedback on the wheel and extremely responsive steering. I'm very pleased with this steering gear upgrade and I do reccomend it to anyone who wants better steering. The ride with these new springs is a bit stiffer but its not harsh. I do need to have the driver's side seats re-padded tho. The lower back support is just about gone and the foam under my ass is getting pretty flat. I shuffled it around so the pillow tops aren't screwed looking anymore but its still beat. Maybe I'll gut a passenger side seat in the yard sometime and use it's foam on my side.
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