Volvo 1988 740 GLE Low gas mileage.

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Sharshera - 11 Aug 2006 05:23 GMT

I have a 1988 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon. It runs very rich. It does something
like 18mpg or so in the city and around 23mpg or so on the highway.

I changed the O2 sensor, the spark plugs are relatively new, the gas
pressure regulator, the fuel filter. I have tried additives to clean
injector but all this just went in vein.

Does anyone have any clues as what to investigate? What might be the
problem?
I like the car very much and hope that I can drive more often but I
only try to take it in longer trips because of its bad fuel economy.

The car has 150Kmiles on it.

Any help will be very much appreciated.

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John S. - 11 Aug 2006 23:52 GMT

You are stumbling around changing parts with no real idea of what the
problem is. You still have the chance to save yourself some money.
Just take the car to a mechanic with the proper diagnostic equipment
and let them find the cause of the problem and fix it.

> Sharshera wrote:
> I have a 1988 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon. It runs very rich. It does something
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Any help will be very much appreciated.

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Sharshera - 13 Aug 2006 03:48 GMT

> You are stumbling around changing parts with no real idea of what the
> problem is. You still have the chance to save yourself some money.
> Just take the car to a mechanic with the proper diagnostic equipment
> and let them find the cause of the problem and fix it.

You are actually right. I want to do that but the problem is sometimes
if you go to some mechanics they would just rip you off to make money
and I try to minimize that rip off as much as possible. I was wondering
if my concern is real or it is just fine as it is. I am not really
sure.

I have seen a manual transmission 1989 Volvo 740 GL do on the highway
something like 28 or 27 mpg according to a mechanically savvy friend.
Is that difference is only attributed for the difference in
transimission only. I don't know?

I will probably get it to the nearest dealer? Or known Volvo mechanic?

> > Sharshera wrote:
> > I have a 1988 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon. It runs very rich. It does something
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> >
> > Any help will be very much appreciated.

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Mike - 12 Aug 2006 01:49 GMT

>I have a 1988 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon. It runs very rich. It does something
> like 18mpg or so in the city and around 23mpg or so on the highway.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Any help will be very much appreciated.

What engine and transmission do you have ? What kind of mileage are you
expecting ? You stated " It does something like 18mpg or so in the city
and around 23mpg or so on the highway." How did you arrive at these figures
? The only way to accurately figure fuel mileage is to divide miles
travelled by the amount of fuel used. You need to do this over several tanks
of gas to get an average.

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Sharshera - 13 Aug 2006 03:44 GMT

> >I have a 1988 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon. It runs very rich. It does something
> > like 18mpg or so in the city and around 23mpg or so on the highway.
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> What engine and transmission do you have ? What kind of mileage are you
> expecting ?

The engine is the B230F. It is a 8valve nonTurbo.
I don't have the Automatic Transmission exact model.

> You stated " It does something like 18mpg or so in the city
> and around 23mpg or so on the highway." How did you arrive at these figures
> ? The only way to accurately figure fuel mileage is to divide miles
> travelled by the amount of fuel used. You need to do this over several tanks
> of gas to get an average.

I did that for the highway miles. I took to around 5 Long road trips
(1200 miles per trip). And that is how I computed the mileage for the
highway. I did it similarly for the city driving.

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Mike - 15 Aug 2006 05:57 GMT

>> >I have a 1988 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon. It runs very rich. It does something
>> > like 18mpg or so in the city and around 23mpg or so on the highway.
[quoted text clipped - 29 lines]
> (1200 miles per trip). And that is how I computed the mileage for the
> highway. I did it similarly for the city driving.

EPA mileage figures for your car are 22 city, 28 highway so your mileage
figures look a little low. You say the car is running very rich, how can you
tell ? Have you checked coolant temp sensor ? If the sensor has failed and
is telling the computer that the engine is colder than it actually is your
mileage will be low. You also need to make sure the thermostat is working
properly or the engine may never fully warm up which will also cause it to
run rich.

There are many factors which affect fuel economy. Tire pressure, engine
tune, engine condition, high speeds, heavy traffic, etc..... will also cause
a reduction in mileage. Any decent mechanic should be able to check your car
over for any problems that may cause reduced mileage. One other thought,
cheap gas from cut rate stations can also cause a substantial reduction in
mileage.

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