Fuel Economy on a Volvo 740GLE (2.3L petrol)

[Mark Hobley]

With increased fuel prices, my Volvo is now costing me £20 in fuel for
every 105 miles, rather than the 150 miles, it was doing this time last
year.

Is there an effective way that I can cut fuel consumption making the
car more economical to run without spending more than £100. I want more
miles to the gallon and I don't mind sacrificing performance to achieve
this.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

Mark.

 

[James Sweet]

With increased fuel prices, my Volvo is now costing me £20 in fuel for
every 105 miles, rather than the 150 miles, it was doing this time last
year.

Is there an effective way that I can cut fuel consumption making the
car more economical to run without spending more than £100. I want more
miles to the gallon and I don't mind sacrificing performance to achieve
this.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

Mark.

Sounds like something has changed significantly if your driving habits have
not. Check the tire pressure, clean out the flame trap, throttle body,
vacuum nipples, check/replace the cap, rotor, plugs, HT leads, check the
injector flow pattern, O2 sensor, make sure the brakes aren't dragging and
wheel bearings are ok. Does it have an automatic or manual transmission?
Does overdrive engage?

 

[mjc13]

Sounds like something has changed significantly if your driving habits have
not. Check the tire pressure, clean out the flame trap, throttle body,
vacuum nipples, check/replace the cap, rotor, plugs, HT leads, check the
injector flow pattern, O2 sensor, make sure the brakes aren't dragging and
wheel bearings are ok. Does it have an automatic or manual transmission?
Does overdrive engage?

After you check the above, try making the following changes:

* Inflate the tires to 5psi below the maximum rated pressure as listed
on the tires. The will probably mean about 38psi. If the car oversteers,
try about 35psi.

* Try to accelerate as gently as conditions allow. The speed you cruise
at doesn't matter as much to fuel economy as how fast you get to it.

* Coast as much as possible. If it's an automatic, engine braking will
limit this, but you can still do things like anticipate a light changing
a block ahead, and take your foot off the gas early. If it's standard
shift, you can coast quite a ways in neutral, espcially going downgrade.

* Don't carry any heavy items in the car that don't need to be there.

 

[bills]

With both our old 240 and with the 740, I noticed seasonal variations that
were predictable. There are probably many possible explanations. Without
special effort to keep in tip-top shape, mileage would vary between 19 and
24 mpg with the best in the spring and fall. One reason may simply be that
your fuel formulations have changed.
..

 

[Mark Hobley]

Sounds like something has changed significantly if your driving habits have
not.

Yeah Petrol has gone from 90p to 105p per litre. Thats from $6.71 per
gallon to $7.83 per gallon, if my maths is correct.

Check the tire pressure, clean out the flame trap, throttle body,

vacuum nipples, check/replace the cap, rotor, plugs, HT leads, check the
injector flow pattern, O2 sensor, make sure the brakes aren't dragging and
wheel bearings are ok.

Ok, thanks for that. I'll investigate that lot (if I know what I'm
doing).

Does it have an automatic or manual transmission?
Manual

Does overdrive engage?

Yes it does.

Its a 1989 2.3L Petrol vehicle. I wonder how it compares to other Volvos
of a similar size and age.

Mark.

 

[Mark Hobley]

* Don't carry any heavy items in the car that don't need to be there.

Hah hah - You mean like my ex-missis?

That's good advise. I'll remember that one.

Mark.

 

[James Sweet]

Yeah Petrol has gone from 90p to 105p per litre. Thats from $6.71 per
gallon to $7.83 per gallon, if my maths is correct.

From your post, I assumed that the miles per gallon of fuel had changed, if
that hasn't and it's simply the cost of fuel you're referring to, then not
all of my advice applies.

Its a 1989 2.3L Petrol vehicle. I wonder how it compares to other Volvos
of a similar size and age.

They're all about the same. Automatic transmission is a significant penalty
to economy, turbo models are generally a bit less due to the lower
compression motor, and the extra power if you use it. None of these cars
were ever fantastic when it comes to fuel economy but they compare favorably
to cars of similar size and comfort level of the era.