Bad fuel mileage - '00 SL1

I have noticed that the fuel mileage in my '00 SL1 has slowly been
deteriorating over the last few months. I am currently only getting aroun
22-24 MPG (dpending on how accurate my conversion is). I feel that I should
be getting better, especially since the pric of gas has increased so
dramatically...

The car is an automatic, and has been well maintained since new. It has
65,000 kms on it and I have owned it since 40,000. The air filter was
changed at 52,000 as were the tranny fluid and filter, and spark plugs. I
change the oil as soon as the light comes on.

I was told by someone that the O2 sensor May be the culprit, but I wanted to
ask some people in the know before I take it somewhere to have it looked at.

Any ideas or recommendations?

 

I had replaced my o2 sensor on mine. It wasn't reading right. The car was
getting to much fuel. You could actually smell it coming from the exhaust.
The car was warmed up, but with the sensor gone, the computer figured the
engine was still cold. Therefore sending out to much fuel.
The sensor was fairly cheap. $60 Aftermarket part(not from the dealer). It
took only minutes to put in. It cured my problem

Good luck

 

Isn't there two sensors? If so, which one did you swap (exhaust manifold)?

 

I'd have a look at the ECTS. That's the coolant temp sensor screwed into
the cylinder head. Prior to 2002, they were made of plastic and had a
tendency to crack. The new ones are brass. Symptoms of a failed ECTS are
poor gas mileage, hard starting, and erratic temp gauge readings. They
won't throw any diagnostic codes when they go, however the O2 sensor
will.

 

Thanks, I will look into that too. Sometimes, the car is a llittle hard to
start...

 

What is "normal" mileage for a '00 SL1 auto ? I do round town and
some highway mixed driving and it seems rather sad at 25 mpg-27 mpg.
combined with the smallish gas tank it is a short range drive between
gas stations for me...

I just got the car Apr 3 with just over 9,100 miles on it from a
Saturn dealership. I'd been driving a '90 Corolla 5spd with just over
58k on it before that and the Corolla was getting a min of 31 mpg for
the same driving.

I had expected that 10 years of advancements in design etc would have
had the Saturn doing much better than the old Corolla. I know autos
get lower mpg than standards, but I did not expect such a poor
showing.

The sales dude played dumb on mpg to be expected of course.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" - Ben Franklin

 

I was curious of the same thing after I posted my message. I did some
research and the '00 SL1 was rated for 29 MPG city, and 40 MPG highway. I am
getting nowhere near that...

 

Those showroom ratings are for reference only. They are taken under very
favourable conditions, such as DRL turned off, no accessories used, constant
speed, fixed temperature, no wind, etc.

Real life fuel consumption is influenced by all of the above variables AND
driving habits (how hard do you accelerate, what are you AC or heat
settings). They will vary from car to car and driver to driver.

 

I am getting 41-43 MPG highway and 35-37 MPG city (summer) - 2002 SL
5-sp. BTW, believe it or not, I started getting better MPG (1-2 miles)
after I disabled DRL about a year ago.

 

The highbeam lamps are running in series when in a 'DRL' state, meaning
that each uses about half of the electricty normally used to power the
lamps. How could this possibly affect the MPG? Do the DRLs really put
that big of a strain on the alternator? If it really does, then it
seems logical to disable all "extraneous" electrical equipment - radio,
instrument panel, etc.

I would tend toward saying that 1-2MPG difference could be attributed to
a whole host of factors including slight average temperature
differences, tire pressure, road conditions, different fuel mixtures
from the oil companies, slightly different if imperceptible driving
habits, etc. Without proper experimental control conditions, it really
is nearly impossible to account for that slight of a change. It would
be VERY interesting to measure alternator output (amps, volts) and
engine output (RPMS) in a garage setting with and without: the DRLs,
normal headlights, high beams. While not conclusive, I think it would
be enlightening.

Secondly, disabling the DRLs, while your choice, is also defeating a
safety feature of the vehicle. We don't turn on our headlights in the
rain (the law in most states) because it helps us see better - but
because it helps others see us better. Before DRLs were popularized, a
study in Europe found that you were some 30% less likely to be in an
accident with your headlights on - simply because of the added
visibility and how our brains react when we see light rushing toward us.
Since I read that, I always turn on my headlights in vehicles not
equipped with DRLs; and turn on the parking lights on my DRL-equipped
saturn so that I'm (slightly) more visible from behind as well.

-rj
98SL2

 

Most of us don't live in Finland or Sweden or Norway, so a
study conducted a Nordic Country before DRL were common (and
thus obviously different), probably has very little
relevance to some guy riding around in Florida in August.
Persoanlly I hate DRLs, and I especially hate my Vue's DRL.
They are too bright, and I can't tell you how often I have
forgotten to turn on my "real" lights at dusk becasue they
appear to me to be just like the headlights (except for the
stupid green warning light on the dash).

Ed

 

Agreed. One could assume that his engine started to break in and seal better causing better mpg.

I disabled mine not because I think it would give me better gas mileage
or because I think they dont improve safety. No I disabled mine because
those damn halogen bulbs arent cheap and I know how to turn on my own
lights when visibility diminishes for me or anyone else. What I do when
it starts to rain is to just turn on my "parking lights".
The DRL's are ran through a resistor which brings the lights down to
40% of their normal brightness. I've driven 18 wheelers and turning on
your headlights does help in the since that with the lights on people
tend to think your closer than usual. However with drl's its impossible
to flash your lights at the other lane to let them know a cops up ahead.
Thats another reason I disconnected them.
I think they should route the drls to the turn indicators like on
vettes and firebirds (hideaway headlights is why they done those that
way). I've seen to many people driving at night with just their drl's
because they think they got their lights on. Thats another reason to
disconnect them... No tail lights at night is worse than no headlights
in the day.

 

I'll bite - What is "DRL" ?
Very impressing mileage - Don't see anything like it - and your's is a
standard so it should get something better than an Auto...

Is it better to Snipe or be Sniped ?
TheSnipeAtdisplace-MindspringPeriodCom < AntiSPAM spelling

 

Daytime Running Lights

 

I have a 2002 SL1 standard with over 74,000 Km already. I experienced a
significant drop in fuel economy a few months ago before having the
recommended emissions cleaning done by the dealer. The economy was
immediately restored. I just did some mostly highway travelling of over 1000
Kms in 4 days and used less than 2 tankfuls of gas (about $45 Cdn).

Also note I drive my car hard much of the time. I laugh at my friends who
spend a fortune on gas with their 2L standard 2002 Neon compared to my
Saturn.

Stuart