'93 SL2 gas mileage issues.

Hi all!

I've got a '93 Saturn SL-2 with 182K Miles on it and the car still runs well.
The current gas mileage is pretty poor on local drives and I can smell gas
exhaust when I stop the car. I've changed filters (old and air), plugs and
wires and was wondering if there is something else I should do before referring
this to the dealer.

MPG on mainly highway driving is around 30 but it drops to the low 20s when it
is only local driving. Maybe this is what I should expect from a car of this
age (in miles that is, not years) but I'm not sure, especially since I do smell
the exhaust.

Thanks for any suggestions.

- David

 

Quite likely at that mileage your oxygen sensor is worn out. As they age,
they tend to respond slower and tend to start reading more and more lean,
causing the system to increase fuel delivery and increase emissions.

 

I have a 93 SL2 with 139,000 miles, and I get 31/21 mpg. I thought this
was normal.

Meph