A couple of niggling little issues

[xcastaway]

Since it's a slow posting weekend here, I thought I'd try to get answers to a couple of annoying little problems I'm trying to fix.

Last summer, I took a 1300 mile jaunt thru Oregon, looking for somewhere to move to. Before hitting the road, I filled my gas tank for the first time in my then 11 year ownership.I planned on keeping track of mileage, so reset the MPG on my onboard computer after filling it. To my surprise, it started showing first 12 mpg on the freeway, then dropped down to 6 mpg, which it has been showing ever since. Thankfully, it isn't accurate, but it would be handy to figure out how to get it working again, since I've another 1000 mile trip coming up next month. The range is still pretty accurate. Maybe related, or not, I recently checked the temperature on the computer, and it said it was -535 degrees out, which also was off just a wee bit, thank goodness. The temp went back to reading normal the next day. Being a probable (?) electrical issue, I haven't even a guess as to where to look to try to cure the problem with the mpg reading.

The other main issue I'm trying to fix is the strong smell of burnt oil after stopping the car. I finally cured all the oil leaks the car came with, and can't find any oil coming from anywhere, though it still uses quite a bit. I seem to recall a thread that mentioned oil leaking into the intake manifold as a likely cause, but I haven't been able to find it or to remember how to fix the problem. Any help with these issues would be appreciated.

I did finally cure my clunking wiper issues, after having mis-diagnosed where it was coming from and causing myself no end of issues, some of which (blower motor) I still have to get around to fixing. The cure? I stuck a 20 inch blade on the passenger side in place of the 22 it calls for. No more of the what sounded like a large rock slapping the windshield every stroke. It still swipes nearly the same amount of windshield, just quietly now. My guess now is that a worn wiper arm is the problem, but with the shorter blade it doesn't do it. I'll probably replace the arm in the future, just to be sure it is fixed permanently.

Thanks for reading, and for any ideas anyone can come up to help cure my current malfunctions.

[dannyzabolotny]

Before hitting the road, I filled my gas tank for the first time in my then 11 year ownership.

Wait, how did you go 11 years without filling the tank??? I fill mine at least once or twice a week.

I planned on keeping track of mileage, so reset the MPG on my onboard computer after filling it. To my surprise, it started showing first 12 mpg on the freeway, then dropped down to 6 mpg, which it has been showing ever since. Thankfully, it isn't accurate, but it would be handy to figure out how to get it working again, since I've another 1000 mile trip coming up next month. The range is still pretty accurate. Maybe related, or not, I recently checked the temperature on the computer, and it said it was -535 degrees out, which also was off just a wee bit, thank goodness. The temp went back to reading normal the next day. Being a probable (?) electrical issue, I haven't even a guess as to where to look to try to cure the problem with the mpg reading.

The -535º could be an intermittently fault ambient air temperature sensor, those do fail. It's located in the bumper on the driver's side, it just clips in. Check the sensor and the wires. As for the range being inaccurate I think there may be a calibration that can be done to it? Not 100% sure about that though.

The other main issue I'm trying to fix is the strong smell of burnt oil after stopping the car. I finally cured all the oil leaks the car came with, and can't find any oil coming from anywhere, though it still uses quite a bit. I seem to recall a thread that mentioned oil leaking into the intake manifold as a likely cause, but I haven't been able to find it or to remember how to fix the problem. Any help with these issues would be appreciated.

Double check and see that your valve cover isn't leaking or seeping still, as burning oil smells are almost always caused by oil dripping onto the headers. I had a customer 525it that kept leaking onto the headers even after doing the valve cover gasket several times, and the solution was just replacing the valve cover entirely with a known good one that wasn't warped.

I did finally cure my clunking wiper issues, after having mis-diagnosed where it was coming from and causing myself no end of issues, some of which (blower motor) I still have to get around to fixing. The cure? I stuck a 20 inch blade on the passenger side in place of the 22 it calls for. No more of the what sounded like a large rock slapping the windshield every stroke. It still swipes nearly the same amount of windshield, just quietly now. My guess now is that a worn wiper arm is the problem, but with the shorter blade it doesn't do it. I'll probably replace the arm in the future, just to be sure it is fixed permanently.

A lot of catalogs are completely wrong about which size of wiper blades are needed, with some going as far as recommending a 24" wiper on the passenger side. I've always just run 21's on both sides, that seems to work fine for me.

[xcastaway]

Thanks, Danny!

I usually just toss $50 or so into it at a time, I've been flat broke for most of my ownership! The temp sensor was just a one time thing, and I do have another one here somewhere. It's the mpg that I would like to convince to work. The range seems to be pretty close to accurate, but not the 6 mpg.

I've de-greased the engine several times trying to find out where the leak and smell might be coming from, and can't locate any oil anywhere on the motor. The exhaust manifolds are clean and dry, and taking a clean paper towel as far around the vcg as it is possible to get yields nada in the way of oil. I've gone under the car and felt all around the exhaust and could not find any leaked oil on it, either. I will check again, though. I did replace the vcg around 10k miles ago, but would be willing to do so again if that turns out to be the most likely culprit. I have read some thread or other that iirc said there was something to do with the pcv getting oil into the manifold, but my memory sux these days, and I can't locate any such thread to refresh it, so, here asking for any possible solutions.

I'm just delighted to have the clunk gone, as it was really LOUD, and wipers get a workout here in the PNW. My wiper bushings were probably fine, but the wiper motor was definitely not attached to the mechanism correctly, the arms would slightly rebound when they reached the bottom of their stroke. So it was quite annoying that after all that to still have the clunk. Going with the shorter blade on the passenger side made it go away, so I'll take my small victory, and seek out these new dragons to slay.

Thanks for the reply!