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Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

18388 messages,  Last post on Dec 04, 2009 at 6:58 PM

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What is this discussion about? Subaru Impreza, Subaru Outback, Subaru Forester, Subaru Legacy, Coupe, Sedan, Wagon, SUV

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#51 of 18388 Re: Dealer advice . . . by rexaroo Jun 29, 2002 (7:43 am)
Avoid Amoco? C'mon, they really told you that? I'd find another dealer if that's the case. It's the highest rated gasoline of the buying public, and my two Subies have always run like Swiss watches on it. The one time I had an engine misfire was when I tried a tank of a local brand. I think the high standards Amoco requires its station owners to uphold is probably the best reason to use it, along with the quality of their products. If you'll recall, I said there was a "slight chance" of contaminated gas--that it was something to rule out if you are getting poor mileage. Of course, it could be an engine problem too, but if the dealer says no, you have to look at other factors.   Two other things to consider for poor mpg are chronically under-inflated or leaky tires, and again, the "slight" chance that gas is being siphoned off--not likely, but if you live in the inner city or park on the street overnight, it's cheap insurance to get a locking gas cap for the Forester.   Regarding the engine break-in, it should be virtually complete after no more than 3000 mi. The close tolerances they build engines to these days means the days of the 10,000 mi. break-in are long gone. I've even heard estimates that most of the break-in occurs within the first 300 mi. after you drive off the lot, so I'd agree your problem is not due to lack of break-in time.
#52 of 18388 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Jun 29, 2002 (8:54 am)
In addition to underinflated tires, poor wheel alignment on all four wheels can hurt mileage as well. People generally underestimated the effect of inflation pressures and alignment on fuel mileage, but it can be considerable.   Let me think here of significant factors that hurt fuel mileage:   1. Underinflated tires 2. Poor wheel alignment 3. Frequent use of A/C (a gas gobbler especially in city driving) 4. Improper shifting (lugging the engine in a higher than needed gear) 5. Trying to estimate fuel mileage over too short a period of time. If you miscalculate a fill-up of 15 gallons by just one gallon, that's like a 7 or 8% error right there.
#53 of 18388 Poor MPG is not a Forester thing. by goldencouple1 Jun 29, 2002 (12:50 pm)
I just took a 600 mile trip. Average MPG was about 28 mpg, city and highway. The best mileage on the trip was 30.3 MPG (almost exclusively highway 65 mph on cruise control). There was a city and highway combined segment that was 25+ MPG. And there was a pure highway segment that clocked out at 26+ mpg, driving 75 mph on cruise control. The air conditioner was on constantly. Gas octane varied between 86 to 88 (I get 87 where available: here in NM some places only have 86 as the "regular unleaded" octane). Tire inflated to about 31 psi cold. Ambient temperatures during driving hours were between 90 and 98 degrees F. No wind to speak of. Altitude was between 3500 and 5000 feet above sea-level. The terrain was hilly many portions of the highway segments. I have a rather light foot on acceleration; my wife, who drove about a third of the time, has a heavy foot.
#54 of 18388 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Jun 29, 2002 (6:44 pm)
a/c on the highway isn't so bad because with the windows closed you can sometimes cut aero drag quite a bit if you are in the 75 mph range.   Thanks for the input. That should give him a benchmark of sorts. 31 psi sounds about right and your numbers sound very plausible.
#55 of 18388 Poor mpg is indeed my Forester thing... by joe_sin Jun 30, 2002 (6:58 am)
Third tank of gas since SoA's last repair attempt. 100 miles on the highway with no A/C. 50 miles city driving with no A/C. 70 miles city driving with the A/C. 19.5 miles per gallon. Total average over three tanks of gas, 20.3. And for the other two tanks, I didn't use the A/C at all.   I used to get 24+ as an average with my 2001 Forester.
#56 of 18388 Joe_ sin: The only way to tell . . . by rexaroo Jun 30, 2002 (7:16 am)
if your results are within normal limits is to take the car 100% on the highway at the same speeds as goldencouple1 did theirs (with tires inflated to 31psi) and compare what mpg you get. Mixing city and highway driving isn't going to work because there are too many variables at work: how many stop lights did you hit and how much time did you spend idling? How fast did you take off from stop lights-- all these things are going to cause your mileage to vary. A 100% highway run at a steady speed and then fill up the tank is the only way you will know for sure, IMHO.
#57 of 18388 Re: Watered-down gas . . . by rexaroo Jun 30, 2002 (7:47 am)
All of us get gas that's a little water-contaminated in the winter-time whenever our gas tanks are almost empty. Moisture condenses on the inside of the tank and settles into the gas, which is why it's good to keep your tank full in cold weather. Also, say a gas-station owner taking on a shipment of 5000 gallons adds only 3% water (150 gallons) to the supply. I seriously doubt his customers filling their tanks there would notice any difference in terms of driveability, but if they stopped to figure their mileage, they would probably notice a slight decrease in mpg. I'm not saying this happens very often and stations do under-go periodic inspection, but it has been known to happen in the past.
#58 of 18388 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Jun 30, 2002 (9:07 am)
Well, 3% water in a 20 gallon tank would be 2 full quarts + of water. I think if you poured that in your tank your engine wouldn't like it one bit.   A tiny bit of water might even make an engine run better, if it were injected in a vapor.
#60 of 18388 Re: 2 quarts of H2O in the tank . . . by rexaroo Jun 30, 2002 (11:18 am)
Bet it would still run although you might notice a loss of power and some hesitation. We are still talking about a mixture that's 97% gasoline. I'm going to ask around and see if anyone has a definitive answer on this for us.

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