posted 17 years ago
My car has one of them nifty little com-pYOO-ter things in it. Tells you the average gas mileage, among other things. When you reset it, it resets the calculation, and the numbers waver a lot at first, then settle down. I end up pushing that reset button a lot, because trying to drive so that the number goes up helps me avoid jackrabbit starts and other nonsense.
So over the last month I noticed a 3-4 MPG drop in fuel economy. Not so drastic that I immediately took it to the garage, but a real and noticeable change. I was just starting to become convinced that something was wrong with the old girl when she starts running real rough, splutters, coughs, and dies. She'll turn over, but won't start up again -- just more spluttering and coughing.
To make a short story even shorter, it was the fuel pump. As soon as they replaced it and I drove out of the service station, I noticed two things: more pep power, and improved mileage, back to the way she used to be.
So my question is, if you're still with me: ol' paint wasn't leaking gas, as far as I could tell. So how could a bad fuel pump cause low power and low fuel economy, both? If not much fuel was getting through, you'd see low power but if anything, the mileage should go up, it seems to me. You?