fuel leak?

[JWis]

Ive been noticing that my gas milage has been getting worse and it seems like im getting worse milage on the highway over city,. ive been under the car looking for anywhere it might be leaking out but i cant find anything. where else should i check to see if i can fix the problem myself before i take it somewhere and pay someone to fix it

[jamesdc4]

o2 sensors going bad?

[mattmartindrift]

you'd smell a leak of that size most likely.

hvae any check engine lights, or codes?

[JWis]

would o2 sensors going bad make that much of a difference in fuel economy? and the car has 164xxx miles on it but i dont think they have been replaced. and i dont smell any gas. there are no check engine lights or codes either. thanks for the quick replys

[PatrickW]

When was the last time you did a tune up or any maintenance?

[JWis]

i changed the oil at 164000 that was the last time i did any work to the car. what all would i do to tune up and maintain my car, im from a not mechanically inclined family which doesnt help

[02540ico]

With that mileage:
New spark plugs, air filter and at least the upstream O2 sensors. With 164K on the clock, I'd do the downstream O2 sensors as well.
May want to make sure you have no vac leaks too.

[Gumbi4u]

Hey Jwis, was your sig pic taken close to Centralia?

[JWis]

Alright thanks for the replys, i gotta figure out how to check for vac leaks now and my sig was taken in Latrobe Pennsylvania

[02540ico]

Alright thanks for the replys, i gotta figure out how to check for vac leaks now and my sig was taken in Latrobe Pennsylvania


There are several different methods. Smoke method, which I've never used so hopefully someone experienced with it can chime in.
With the engine idling, carb cleaner can be sprayed around vac lines and connections; if there is an increase in idle speed, you're sucking in the carb cleaner somewhere. Find the spot and fix the vac leak.

[JWis]

ight thanks for the replys where would vac lines be at on my car? roughly

[mattmartindrift]

ight thanks for the replys where would vac lines be at on my car? roughly



......really?




everywhere under the engine cover, some going further out than that.

[Blauanzug]

i think it would be best to take it to someone if you don't known where the vacuum lines are. Doesn't sound like a fuel leak if you don't smell something in the morning. Have you changed your driving style recently? that can affect the fuel consumption up to 30%. like accelerating more harshly, etc...

And yes o2 sensors can affect the fuel consumption that much considering they are the main sensor the car uses to determine the amount of fuel to send to the engine. Anything could be doing it at 160k, btw how many miles has it been since that oil change, and do you do the oil changes yourself?