Bad gas milage

Tiny
JGCARTER56
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 60,000 MILES
Used to get ~25 miles per gallon until about a year or so ago, now gets 19-20. New tires at proper inflation. Changed oil, oil and air filters. Had some under-the-hood timing thing done (don't remember what it was called but it had nothing to do with the timing belt or anything like that). Cooling system flushed. Any thoughts on what might be causing the problem (i.E. What should I try next)?
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 AT 10:54 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Could be needing a tune-up, wheel alignment/suspension problem and the list goes on-transmission slipping, etc
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Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 AT 11:04 PM
Tiny
JGCARTER56
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Thanx for the reply. The car drives the same as it always has and there are no indications that it has any alignment/suspension problems or transmission slipping. Wouldn't most of these things you suggest have some sort of indication in the way the car drives? I suppose I can get a tune-up but that is not one of the things recommended by the service manual (wouldn't hurt though). What are the other things in the list and what sort of indications would show up for them?
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Wednesday, August 10th, 2011 AT 12:52 PM
Tiny
FIXITMR
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  • 9,990 POSTS
Any luck? You aint been lead footin have ya? You only driver?
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Sunday, September 11th, 2011 AT 10:06 PM
Tiny
JGCARTER56
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Not lead footin' and I'm the only driver.

Took a 60 mile drive to get leaded gas and that bumped my mileage back to where it used to be. I think that stations in Texas have been using 15% ethanol instead of 10% and that extra 5% is really screwing up my mileage. I don't know this for sure but the fact that the only thing I changed was to use leaded rather than unleaded and it made that big a difference should tell me something. And I used to always get my normal mileage with unleaded up until about a year ago when, I've been told, stations started to use 15%.

Driving the 120 mile round trip just to get leaded gas isn't much of an option as the cost comes out to be a wash and I lose four hours of my time doing it.

If it is indeed the case that they are using 15%, I'm pretty teed off because the EPA says that you have to have a sticker stating that there is up to 15% ethanol and that cars older than 2001 (and motorcycles) are not supposed to use it. I'm going to write my state and national congress critters and see if they have any thoughts. Also, I'm going to call the EPA and see what they have to say about it.
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Monday, September 12th, 2011 AT 12:39 AM
Tiny
FIXITMR
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  • 9,990 POSTS
Thanks for all that info.
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Monday, September 12th, 2011 AT 7:48 PM

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