3AC mods for HP & MPG gains.........

[Typrus]

As far as I'm informed, the Weber, like 90% of the power mods out there, increases mileage when you drive on the gentler side. But saps it down greatly when you lead-foot it. With more power comes more responsibility in choice. Its like the power chip we have in our PS Diesel. If you are gentle, mileage boosts 2-5mpg, you put your foot in and it goes down 3-10.

[Adelard of Bath]

good battery and starter, you can still get it to start (it takes a while) and you will have to learn to use the clutch alot to

wait wait a minute
everyone forgets
EVERYONE
forgets this one thing:
Don't spend more money than you will save!
Those mods are expensive....(okay the heated fuel ones and stuff aren't)
how much was that holley? $400 I thought I heard? okay...just let me make a couple assumptions here....lets say you put that holley on and your gas mileage went up some, like from 30 to 33mpg (assuming you could get your stock carb working right to start with)
okay
Now lets say you went on a 1000 mile trip. At 30mpg you would have to buy
33.3 gallons of gas. At 33 mpg you would have to buy
30.3 gallons of gas. So you just saved three gallons of gas....if you pretend it is two dollars a gallon (it isn't that high here but lets just pretend)
you just saved SIX DOLLARS! yay!
okay well six dollars is good, I would like to save six dollars
but that's for a THOUSAND MILE roadtrip. So if you are hoping to recoup the cost of the holley, you would have to do that trip over 66 times, that is
66,000 miles my friends.

And what about disabling your choke and stuff? okay that doesn't cost anything, except it is a pain in the ass...but some people don't mind
But what about all that extra strain on your battery? how much sooner are you going to have to shell out $50 to replace it? How about the clutch? wear out sooner? then you gotta buy the clutch AND the labour, and if you do it yourself, there's some time down the drain you could be out driving around or something, or camping or whatever.

This isn't a dis on anybody, 3ac don't think i'm puttin down your ideas... And typrus I still think you should buy the holley cuz I'm sure your first and foremost reason for doing so is to improve your engine, and if you get better gas mileage, well that is just a convenient fringe benefit.

But in the engineering world, we have to weigh the pros and cons like that, like in a factory, if you buy a new huge machine to replace an old one, sure it will be cheaper to run or whatever but sometimes it just doesn't make sense. Sometimes it does.

But people going out of their way to save gas, hm. I wanna save gas too...but just this morning I heard an ad on the radio for honda, "come buy our new honda and you can save huge money at the gas pump" Yes that is true, but that car is bling bling, you can buy ALOT of gas for the price of a new car....
The only time that makes sense is if you *need a new one anyway*

Like typrus and his carb for instance

[3A-C Power]

I think the 4A-GE is kind of the same - it is fuel injected so it will increase efficiency but if you drive it hard it will use alot more gas getting you up to speed. I want that engine for reasons other than power but I will probably end up putting my foot down alot anyway.

[Adelard of Bath]

Thought of something to add to the gas mileage threads, that I haven't read yet on this board: windshield wipers

Somebody on the Volvo group said they get two mpg better when they remove theirs. Took them off on my 93 Nissan Pathfinder SUV and got 21 mpg when usually I get 18 or 19, tops.

And here's the real fun part:

Recently took a 5000 mile road trip in a 97 Corolla with the 1.6 engine and auto trans. Dig these numbers I came up with after many tests: (it was a long trip)

Wipers on, 75 mph: 25mpg
Wipers on, 65 mph: 30mpg
crappy.
Wipers OFF, 65 mph: 35mpg

Yes my friends, taking the wipers off on the same day in the same weather on the same roads in the same state yielded a five mile per gallon increase. Rainy weather in Colorado etc, put them back on....I lost five mpg. Did this several times to prove it to myself cuz I could hardly believe 5mpg but yep.

Then it got better, I found that if I drove 68 instead of 65 mph, I got 38 mpg. Every day, all day. Except one day, I got 40, I suspect a tailwind.

Somebody should try it for a while and find out how well it works on the Tercel.

On the same token, roofracks are bad, KC-lights etc, antennas, anything that sticks out
I love those people that have little Hondas with huge ski racks on their roofs....all summer long.....where the nearest ski range is probably 1000 miles away

[takza]

Velly interesting.........makes the case for buying some low profile wipers?

Might be why some cars were made so the wipers park down behind the hood?

Sort of makes me look stupid for adding my roof rack...espec the way I designed it.

Yes...there is usually a sweet spot for mileage as far as highway cruising speed...don't know what it is for the wagon.

Good work.....!!!

[Typrus]

YAY! Now I'm down to 15mpg!! I HATE this! lol.
Well, Lower profile ones help. I mean, a 3/4inch sudden adjutment on a relatively flat surface does make for a good deal of turbulence. You might also try rigging the wiper mechanism so that the blades rest in the upright position. I saw a Volvo with that setup. Only excuse not to would be if you have a problem with a .5"x.75"x16" thing sitting in the middle of your window. That would make for the utility of being able to remove that sudden mud bit that truck that just got on the highway threw onto your windscreen while having most of the benefit of no wipers.

Ade. What year is your Terc?
I am in desperation for better mileage. My engine has never felt so sluggish, so hesitant, so gutless. I WAS able to idle up a hill in 1st in FWD and when it started to die, give it some goose and it kept going, but when I try to take off from a stop its like I am towing a trailer. Also when I try to go fast. I can't break the 65 mph barrier going on level ground. I can't break 75 going down a moderate decline.

Even with my fast and jumpy driving style, I was getting 23-26 mpg in the 86 when the carb was behaving. Now I have seen a high of 15mpg. Same engine, same driving style.

My idle was a good 1200RPM in the 86 but now it sits either around 2000 or nowhere at all.

My brakes also seem crappy, but thats another issue.


What am I missing? Where does the problem originate? I didn't touch anything on the carb except the filter housing and vacuum lines.


Oh yeah, I triple checked that I got the vacuum lines right and that none were leaking.

[takza]

Sounds like your ignition timing is retarded. You did something wrong or different for sure.

Why won't it idle down? Instead of a new carb...I think you've got something basic set up wrong....doesn't take a whole lot to check the cam timing vs TDC vs ignition timing. Remove the top timing cover-dist cap and see what you have?

[Typrus]

Well, I'll try advancing it, but that carb needed to be replaced to begin with. If it fixes it, hoorah for a temporary fix. If not, then the carb has to be done anyway.

[terceldude]

Adelard of Bath, I don't forget it. I just don't want to save too much. I have a great memory. I suggest you turbocharge your 3A-C.