1999 pontiac grand prix 3800 series engine gets 17 mpg in the city and 18.3 highway. is that normal? also, coolent leaking on the rack and pinion, radiater is fine, hoses look ok and waterpump looks new. where else can it be coming from, small leak?
2006-11-18 09:49:31 · 6 answers · asked by dabomb_562000 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
that sounds about right for fuel mileage. id check the thermostat housing where the top hose goes into the engine, sometimes those leak, one thing ya gotta remember is to check for leaks while the car is warmed up, metal expands when it warm and if there is a small crack in something it may not leak when its cold
2006-11-18 09:59:30 · answer #1 · answered by paranoidandroid581 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I jus had same problem solved bout 1 week ago. The gas mileage is very bad and not even close to normal. Maybe do full service on your car if u plan on driving it for a while. With my leak it started out really small but couldnt ever find culprit. We even had it looked over by a pro. I'd say about two weeks later it was overheating and still not showing wear leakage could be from. A few days after it overheated(we had to check water every trip), I went to fill the water and it started pouring out of the front cap where water pump sits. The mechanic thinks this was a change in the size of the cap due to extreme heat. Don't completely rule out waterpump just yet. Also, keep an eye on water levels until u repair ur car. Sorry I couldn't help more. There r some gas tank cleaners sold in your local gas station..they do help on gas mileage just every so often is good. Put entire bottle in empty gas tank then fill with gas as usual.
2006-11-18 18:18:00 · answer #2 · answered by des 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your coolant leak could be a bad head gasket which would also explain the poor fuel economy. Are gettting any visible exhaust emmissions or finding contaminated, foamy looking oil on the dipstick? These are the common signs of a bad head gasket.
What is more likely, however is the two problems are not related.
I would suspect a bad oxygen sensor for your fuel economy.
When the o2 sensor fail, the fuel mixture goes to "full rich" which makes the engine run well, but inhales fuel.
The location of the coolant leak sounds like hoses (which you checked) a water pump, or (least likely) a bad head gasket.
2006-11-18 18:32:19 · answer #3 · answered by kstrucker69 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The water leak might be water from the airconditoner. Pick up a little on the tip of your finger and touch it to your tongue, -- if it isn't bitter tasting, -- it isn't engine coolant! If it stops when you aren't runing heater or a/c,--- it would confirm it is coming from there (as a/c runs in both heat and cool settings!)
The mileage sounds fine for city, but I would expect it to be a little higher on the highway, unless you have a lot of 45 to 55 mph speed limits where you drive "in town"! This would also be affected if you speed up and slow down a whole lot on highway,- as the speeding up eats more gas, (and the faster you speed up the faster the gas burns)
2006-11-18 18:43:04 · answer #4 · answered by guess78624 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's way too low on the highway unless you're going 98mph. You just need to get the engine hot and running and look for that leak.
2006-11-18 19:13:01 · answer #5 · answered by Nomadd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That engine should give you 24 - 26 on the highway, probably
could use a tune-up. Find your air-filter and take a look at it.
If its solid black looking, then it definatly could use a tune-up.
2006-11-18 18:02:57 · answer #6 · answered by Rusty Jones 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋