lolol Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I picked up a 1991 Legacy L Wagon with ~200K miles. It runs and drives ok, but its getting 15mpg combined. If I park the car and go back to it in a few hours, the power brake boost is gone until I restart the car, so I'm guessing there's a vacuum leak. Not sure if that will cause the issue. It's a beater so I don't want to spend a ton of money on it. Is 15mpg combined normal for this car, or is there something wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 15 mpg is pretty bad. Have you done a tune up yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I used to have a 91 Legacy L Sedan in fairly good condition, with I think about 160,000 miles, that got about 20mpg combined city/highway. Don't know if that helps gauge where you're supposed to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolol Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 15 mpg is pretty bad. Have you done a tune up yet? What's there to do? I can't drive a manual right now (hence buying this automatic one) It's a beater I'm going to dump right around when the tags expire (1 1/2 yrs) so I'm not going to put a ton of money into it. Since its going to be daily driven for a year and half, fixing up 15mpg would be nice if it can be done so reasonably cheap. I'm going to throw in a set of new plugs and a new air filter. What else is there to do ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 There is an mpg stick in the second gen forum that has lots of things that you can do for not very much money: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3506948&postcount=2 New plugs and an air filter is a great start, I would recommend NGKs. Next I would replace the fuel filter (about $30). Then I would get a $9 can of Seafoam and slowly pour 1/3 - 1/2 of it into the master brake cylinder vacuum hose. It will clean your vacuum lines out really well and may show where your vacuum lines may be leaking. Then pour 1/3 into your oil, and 1/3 into your gas tank to clean up the injectors. Cleaning your throttle body is a good idea since you don't know when the last time, if ever that it was cleaned. At the very least, your car will run better and be more fun to drive. But read the MPG sticky and do what you feel comfortable doing. My second gen wagon doesn't get great gas mileage (about 23 city driving), but it is a lot of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolol Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 There is an mpg stick in the second gen forum that has lots of things that you can do for not very much money: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3506948&postcount=2 New plugs and an air filter is a great start, I would recommend NGKs. Next I would replace the fuel filter (about $30). Then I would get a $9 can of Seafoam and slowly pour 1/3 - 1/2 of it into the master brake cylinder vacuum hose. It will clean your vacuum lines out really well and may show where your vacuum lines may be leaking. Then pour 1/3 into your oil, and 1/3 into your gas tank to clean up the injectors. Cleaning your throttle body is a good idea since you don't know when the last time, if ever that it was cleaned. At the very least, your car will run better and be more fun to drive. But read the MPG sticky and do what you feel comfortable doing. My second gen wagon doesn't get great gas mileage (about 23 city driving), but it is a lot of fun. Cleaned the MAF and throttle body. Air filter was filthy. I dropped the old filter on the ground and there was a dust impression the shape of the filter on the ground Spark plugs were way overdue as well. This Subaru doesn't specify platinum plugs, so the change interval is only 30K miles. I installed the NGK V Power BKR6E-11 which is specified as OEM. The manual specs 0.040 to 0.044. The old plugs were so worn out. They were widened to about 0.08 The old ones were the exact same type. I wonder how many miles were put on to wear them out that much. The center electrode still had a sign of V but it edge was so nice and rounded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Well, how does it run? edit: What kind of air filter did you get? I got a spectre. It costs twice as much but you can clean it and use it again and again. There is another type called KNM or something that is basically the same deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolol Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 Well, how does it run? edit: What kind of air filter did you get? I got a spectre. It costs twice as much but you can clean it and use it again and again. There is another type called KNM or something that is basically the same deal. It runs just the same. It ran just fine with the old plugs and filter. I'll find out the mileage when I fill up next time. I got the cheapest air filter they had at the parts store. Parts Master/WIX which is $6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Well, at least pretend she runs better, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolol Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 No change in fuel economy. 15 combined, 18 hwy. Someone else posted that he's getting 27mpg combined in his 5spd 91 2WD, same as mine except mine is automatic. I expect some difference between a manual and a 1991 design automatic, but not that much. Something is definitely F'ed on my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halwith Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 keep in mind the car is 21 years old, you may have to go a bit further into the ignition system than plugs. is the check engine light on? check tire pressure and tires for bad alignment wear. does the engine hesitate on initial acceleration? check the brakes carfully, a caliper that has hung on its slider pins can cause drag. is it drum rear? make sure they arent over adjusted. make sure the parking brake is fully releasing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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