<VV> 1968 110HP Engine= Crappy Gas Mileage

[kevin nash]

> Message: 5
> Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2011 09:56:43 -0500
> From: Tom Hughes <corvairdad at gmail.com>
> Subject: <VV> 1968 110HP Engine = Crappy Gas Mileage
> To: VirtualVairs AA <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
> Message-ID:
> <AANLkTinSKNfzr8oNqFC8NpsTywyiy9G0F4p+GLQVCszT at mail.gmail.com>
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> 
> My daughter's '68 engine has been de-smogged (pump and plumbing removed,
> openings plugged). When we first got it back on the road, it only got around
> 15 mpg in mixed driving. That was with earlier carbs, tune-up, and retarded
> timing.
> 
> Since then I've rebuilt and reinstalled the stock distributor and stock
> carbs, set the timing at 16 deg BTDC, and replaced the fuel hoses. The
> compression is good in all cylinders. The engine starts and idles nicely,
> pulls well and, *other than a tiny amount of bogging at 65 mph*, cruises
> smoothly. However, it still only gets 15 mpg. My other 'vairs get 20 or
> better.
> 
> Are the '68 smog engines different enough to account for this dramatic drop
> in gas mileage? Is there somthing that can be done to smog carbs to improve
> things?
> 
> Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated.
> 
> -- 
> Tom in Baltimore
> corvairfleet.blogspot.com
> 
  Tom-
 What do the plugs look like? I like to check all of the plug colors, just to make sure that 
they are all even. If they are not, is there a pattern to it? is one side lean and one side way
rich? or does one side (2,4,6 for example) go rich to lean? all of those kind of problems
can end up causing the timing to be set too retarded and then you get bad gas milage from
the timing. Also, what does the aircleaner look like? If its dirty, that has something to do with 
it also. One last thing, if the plugs are all just dirty black, are the chokes coming off when
they are supposed to?
Kevin Nash