bad gas mileage and exhaust odor

XxbmxlsxX

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in the last month or two ive been noticing my gas mileage isnt near what it was. only like 270 miles to a tank. ive also been smelling what kinda smells like exhaust or gas inside the car even when driving. seems to run good, maybe a little down on power. no codes. kinda started when it first got really cold here in st louis. went from 21mpg to 16mpg. been cleaning the air filter so thats not it. havent checked plugs yet, doesnt run rough

suggestions?
 
Given that you have an aftermarket intake ("been cleaning the air filter"), I would start with a check for air leaks and a good cleaning of the MAF.
 
first, make sure your air filter is in good condition, or replace it, it's cheap. Then tank up with premium unleaded and get out on the superhighway or other open road where you can drive at sustained high speed to heat up the platinum catalyst and burn out the gunk.
many cars make that stink when started from cold, because the converter can't convert all of the rich mixture that keeps a cold engine running smoothly. It's less noticeable with fuel-injected engines, because of the more-accurate fuel metering. there's sulfur in fuel additives; your engine isn't burning it completely and your catalytic converter is storing it and then releasing it as hydrogen sulfide when you add load to the engine and force more air through.try switching gas stations, or fuel grades; then try a thorough tune-up: replace the spark plugs, plug wires, fuel and air filters, and oxygen sensor, and clean the fuel injectors. If that doesn't do it, replace your converter.if the bad smell you smell is like rotton eggs or sulfur, it has something to do with the cats, a catalytic converter will get over heated if the engine is running too rich. Check the fuel pressure. Also, check the fuel injectors to see if they are leaking and scan the computer for fault codes. Your problem sounds like too much fuel is being put into the engine from the fuel injectors. Have the fuel injectors replaced. also, A/C will make this happen because the computer is enriching the mixture to account for the horsepower requirements of the A/C compressor.
 
first, make sure your air filter is in good condition, or replace it, it's cheap. Then tank up with premium unleaded and get out on the superhighway or other open road where you can drive at sustained high speed to heat up the platinum catalyst and burn out the gunk.
many cars make that stink when started from cold, because the converter can't convert all of the rich mixture that keeps a cold engine running smoothly. It's less noticeable with fuel-injected engines, because of the more-accurate fuel metering. there's sulfur in fuel additives; your engine isn't burning it completely and your catalytic converter is storing it and then releasing it as hydrogen sulfide when you add load to the engine and force more air through.try switching gas stations, or fuel grades; then try a thorough tune-up: replace the spark plugs, plug wires, fuel and air filters, and oxygen sensor, and clean the fuel injectors. If that doesn't do it, replace your converter.if the bad smell you smell is like rotton eggs or sulfur, it has something to do with the cats, a catalytic converter will get over heated if the engine is running too rich. Check the fuel pressure. Also, check the fuel injectors to see if they are leaking and scan the computer for fault codes. Your problem sounds like too much fuel is being put into the engine from the fuel injectors. Have the fuel injectors replaced. also, A/C will make this happen because the computer is enriching the mixture to account for the horsepower requirements of the A/C compressor.
 
my car only sees mobile or bp 93, nothing else. thats what its tuned for. no codes. cleaned the k&n filter. smells like exhaust not really rotten anything. really weird just only getting 250 miles a tank. i need to check the plugs but theyre only a few months old from when i put this engine in. no misfires, runs totally smooth, doesnt seem to have an exhaust leak either. pissing me off
 
bad gas and exhaust odor....maybe your car is becoming obese?

cause obese ppl got bad exhaust smell/ bad gas.....very frequent bloating, I hear
 
it really smells like gasoline to my buddy and i inside the car after its been running. nothing dripping. i hate little problems, i like this car better when the motor blows apart. its easy to identify the problem and move forward, i am so impatient and get really frustrated with crap like this. swapping motors and stuff is easy
 
How many miles does a full tank get on a 2nd Gen V8 with no mods/rims/stereo etc.?

I usually get around 331 miles a full tank. Is that good?
 
i get like 193, straight city driving.....i sometimes want to kill myself, i have k&n intake and straight pipes....n my check engine light came on but everyone who reads the codes is sayin its the cat....
 
I am kind of in the same boat as you bmx, no smells though.. Just the tank doesnt get as high as it use too.. but could be because of the different fuels they use for the winter.. Summer time i'd fill up and it said around 320 miles about a month ago 300 now its at 270 when I just filled up today.. I've just heard of the having different mixtures for the winter weather.. *shrug*
 
Not sure but what if the plugs are gapped wrong, would that make it run rich? Just a thought since you mentioned you just changed them with the motor.
 
*REZ FROM THE DEAD* Where is a good place to get cheap replacement Cats that do not set off the CEL.. ? Pretty sure its my cats, when I turn on the heat it smells like bounce that shake it throw it out the window..(bad, rotten eggs) also my exhaust sounds like its making a clinking sound like change it in it.. taking to muffler man tomorrow they said they will check the cats.. Either way suggestions on where to purchase new ones please?
 
How many miles does a full tank get on a 2nd Gen V8 with no mods/rims/stereo etc.?

I usually get around 331 miles a full tank. Is that good?

With rims I get just about 310-330, depends on how I drive. With the stock 16's I get around 340 or so. But I do a lot of highway drivin
 
hey scoopa did u ever figure the reason why your tank fill up dropped? mine dropped from 321 til like 250 now. at one point it was like 320 then it dropped til like 280 then i changed my battery it jumped back up to 321 now its back down to 250. let me know if u found the fix for the fluctuation miles til empty
 
My average MPG is like 14.1 right now.. Mostly in town but some on the highway.. I have a cat code.. Replacing the cats and rest of the system next week:D..
 
all this talk about getting 300-340 mpg is kind of p*ssing me off lol, i only get like 190 or so on a good week i'll get maybe 220
 
If your like me, the foot is like a magnet attracting to the floor :D.. I always accelerate quickly, hurting my gas mileage of course..
 
I think your "till empty" is really based on your MPG. Like during the winter I was getting around 15 mpg..(I do 100% city driving) and I was getting around 260 till empty or so.. then soon as the warm weather came around I am getting around 17.2mpg and now the till empty says like 282? I think. Took it to muffler man and they said the cats seem fine but I dont think they are, I had coil trouble and drove maybe 200-300 miles so.. Either way I am not sure WHY or havent found the solution bc when I got the car and maybe 4 months after I was getting 320 till empty! So I dunno..
 
hmmm.. makes sense i guess just dont understand why it fluctuates from fill up til fill and why it changed when i replaced the battery. im gonna unplug the battery tomorrow for awhile then fill up and see what it gives me then
 

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