URGENT! Need Help With Mileage!

[goshoryuken]

Hey. I filled up my 89 240sx with a full tank of regular gas on Sunday, and since then it ran 160 miles. It ran out of gas today on 161. My question is, why is my car running like this? Is it supposed to be running like 9 - 11 miles per gallon? I thought it ran 22 miles per gallon or around there. What's the problem here? I dont have a cat, I have an hks dragger exhaust, a magnaflow intake, and that's it. I bought this car from someone all trashed, and the mechanic put a working ka24e in there. The engine feels and runs fine. What can I do to improve the mileage? PLEASE HELP! At this rate, I'll be paying more for gas than for mods. I drive it about 35 - 50 miles a day. How many gallons does the 240sx hold? What's wrong with my car, if anything? PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!

[dankar]

Look for gas leaks, sometimes they are hard to detect.

[goshoryuken]

Look where? I'm a complete newb at this. I always check the floor near where I park and I never see liquid or oil leaking or on the floor. I have checked under the hood and haven't found the leak. When I had it filled all the way up on sunday, it smelled like gas . . really bad in my car.

[p00t]

possibly an injector problem, if an injector is leaking or stuck open it will definately cause these symptoms. open your hood and check the injector rail, look closely, see if you can see any gas comming from that area (leaking seal).

im not sure how to check if one is stuck open, possibly a spark plug fouled from being to rich would indicate it? (someone help me out here!)

last but not least, if your O2 sensor is faulty your car will run excessively rich, try a new one or have a shop check it if they have the equipment.

Did you just get this car? your first fill up? if so then maybe a good tuneup is in order as well.

[C-Kwik]

Check for any leaks inside the car. If you smell it inside, there is a chance it could be making it's way into the passenger compartment somehow.

[goshoryuken]

I dont smell anything under the hood. I do know that my car over heats because my radiator leaks, and my radiator coolant reserve tank is cracked, which I have to get a new one. My cars in the shop getting the state inspection done today. Since this post, I've been putting plus gas in my car and I have noticed a slight improvement. $6 of plus gas got me 53 miles. Don't know how efficient that is, but it's better than 160 miles for a full tank of regular. With $6 of plus gas, that's about 3.7 gallons of gas. So basically on plus... it ran 14.3 miles per gallon and on regular it ran about 10.85 miles per gallon.

[quiksilvia]

you are always gonna run a lot better with plus, when i run premium, i run faster and smoother, if i run reg. i get a lot of noises from the engine, detonation problems etc..., and looking for leaks is gonna be hard since fuel evaporates so fast, i would run the car, maybe have a friend rev it up, and stop look and listen before u cross the street-oops wrong advice, but look and listen and smell for gas