gas mileage Topic is solved

_Jake_ · Post by **_Jake_** » 10 Jan 2006, 16:25

I calculated the gas mileage for my '91 740, and it came out about 15mpg. Is this normal, or is there anything I can do to improve it? This is after mostly city-type driving, not much highway. I mostly drive a lot of local places, as well as do deliveries with it for my pizzeria. But as that gauge goes down, so does my money!

Rip Calloway · Post by **Rip Calloway** » 10 Jan 2006, 19:17

I own an '84 240 DL and its currently getting around 20mpg city, slightly higher on freeways. But to anwser your question, No, its not very normal. If your driving habbits are to floor it from every stop light then it may have somthing to do with it, other wise there is somthing resticting fuel economy. Here are some things to try in the quest of better gas mileage:

>Replace Air Filter, (if you have the money I would get a K&N so you dont have to worry about it for a long while)

>Try putting higher octaine fuel in it from a gas station other than Arco lol. (this is more pricy but try it for a few months and see if you get more kick/better economy)

>Check Air/Fuel mix. (if the mix is a little off, not so much to feel the engine being weird but enough to drink fuel faster than normal)

>Check for proper tire inflation

these are the easyest to try, other than that you can talk to a dealer and see what they say.

_Jake_ · Post by **_Jake_** » 11 Jan 2006, 19:51

Thanks for the suggestions. I also forgot to mention that I have snow tires on it now, if that has something to do with it. But even before that, it seemed like the needle would go down pretty fast.

John DeBrock · Post by **John DeBrock** » 11 Jan 2006, 23:48

Snow tires would have some affect on economy but not enough to really show.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 12 Jan 2006, 05:35

I've been battling with fuel economy in the same range as yours since I bought my 89 740T this summer. Did all the usual stuff, tuneup, replaced all fluids, ect, O2 sensor, cleaned intake/Throttle body, etc. Suspension and tires are fine. Still getting around 15 MPG's!

I've done alot or research on this and have found peoples mileage varies consideraly, from the 15-25 mpg range for combined driving. However it seems like the baseline should be in the low 20's which is what I am shooting for. I'm running out of things to do but I'm certain this is not normal and it is preventing me from using and enjoying the car. I'm determined to track it down. I'm not sure if it applies to your car but I found that turbos have an issue with the intake hoses deteriorating with age. They develop leaks which are sometime difficult to find results in increased fuel consumption. I found a hole in mine and duct taped it as a temporary fix and I'm tracking my mielage now to see if it helped. I sure hope this it the problem.

Dave

_Jake_ · Post by **_Jake_** » 18 Jan 2006, 17:07

Mine is not a turbo, but hopefully that works for you. I recalculated this time and got about 21mpg, and it might be because I tried not to accelerate too fast from a stop, and last time was an estimate so I didn't drive till I ran out of gas. Still, the gauge needle moves so fast, but it swings back and forth according to how I'm driving or if I'm on a hill or not. It still bugs me though, cuz I'll drive a short distance and it will have moved significantly. Hopefully I can continue to get somewhere in the low 20s cuz it seems like that's all these cars get. Good luck with your mileage.

KMB · Post by **KMB** » 20 Jan 2006, 15:12

I got a pretty big boost in my gas mileage after I had my fuel injection checked out in my '92 960 back in September. It had some buildup and since the service I've been able to go further than I ever did on one tank of premium.

_Jake_ · Post by **_Jake_** » 24 Jan 2006, 09:07

I've heard that Volvo 'recommends premium,' but the previous owner of the car said he just used regular and it was fine, and that's what I do as well. Do you think running it on premium would make a difference? Not that I have the money for it, but out of curiosity.

dripcandles · Post by **dripcandles** » 13 Feb 2007, 05:17

You need to change your O2 sensor. That always gives me a big mpg increase! They usually need to be done every 60 kmi. When they are bad the car goes into a closed loop cycle and it makes it run very rich.

mevin13 · Post by **mevin13** » 30 Mar 2007, 22:34

We had a small hole in the intake hose that goes to the turbo, we duct taped it and forgot about it, 6mo later the car wouln't start. Some of the duct tape had gotten sucked into the turbo. Fortunately, it didn't damage the turbo, but it could have. The hose was $176 at the mechanics, just for the part.