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Rich Mixture?


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Hey all,

Question.. I have a '95 SC400 with 85K miles. On start-up, the exhaust smells like there is a lot of gas in the mixture.. As if the mixture is very rich. I drive all highway on my commute. I was expecting to get about 24 MPG, but I'm only getting 20. Since I drive 70 miles each way, that's 7 gallons a day. If gas goes back up to $4 a gal, I'm not going to be likin' the fuel bill.

I've checked the obvious things like tire pressure. The distributer caps, rotors & spark plugs were changed 10,000 miles ago at the dealer.

Is there any adjustment for mixture? I am assuming the ECU makes all of those adjustments.. Thoughts?

Thanks

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Hey all,

Question.. I have a '95 SC400 with 85K miles. On start-up, the exhaust smells like there is a lot of gas in the mixture.. As if the mixture is very rich. I drive all highway on my commute. I was expecting to get about 24 MPG, but I'm only getting 20. Since I drive 70 miles each way, that's 7 gallons a day. If gas goes back up to $4 a gal, I'm not going to be likin' the fuel bill.

I've checked the obvious things like tire pressure. The distributer caps, rotors & spark plugs were changed 10,000 miles ago at the dealer.

Is there any adjustment for mixture? I am assuming the ECU makes all of those adjustments.. Thoughts?

Thanks

20mpg sounds about right. Are you saying you used to get 24mpg, and now only get 20? I feel glad whenever I get 20 with combined city and hwy driving.

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Seemed to me I got about 20-22 on the highway the first week, then as the weather turned colder it went diwn just a bit. I can't recall if my other cars also lost MPG in the winter. I had hoped that by using cruise control and keeping the speed just below 75 I could stretch it to 25 MPG consistently. All of my driving is highway.

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O2 sensor would pop a code. Since this has happened with the colder weather, I think you should check your stat. Faulty stat stuck partially open would prevent coolant from reaching proper operating temps. Ecu will run a richer mix until it receives the correct temp signal. Smelling fuel vapors on startup is normal. Open loop fuel prog enriches the mix for easier startup.

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O2 sensor would pop a code. Since this has happened with the colder weather, I think you should check your stat. Faulty stat stuck partially open would prevent coolant from reaching proper operating temps. Ecu will run a richer mix until it receives the correct temp signal. Smelling fuel vapors on startup is normal. Open loop fuel prog enriches the mix for easier startup.

I don't think it's the T-stat. It was changed last year and the car heats up quickly. I had a VW Passat with a stuck open T-stat. Not fun.. I froze!

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O2 sensor would pop a code. Since this has happened with the colder weather, I think you should check your stat. Faulty stat stuck partially open would prevent coolant from reaching proper operating temps. Ecu will run a richer mix until it receives the correct temp signal. Smelling fuel vapors on startup is normal. Open loop fuel prog enriches the mix for easier startup.

I don't think it's the T-stat. It was changed last year and the car heats up quickly. I had a VW Passat with a stuck open T-stat. Not fun.. I froze!

Is your temp gauge reading the same as in the summer? I don't think it has to be completely open for it to be cause a prob like this.

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