Bad gas mileage in the cold

oneye
Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:25:20 +0000
Maintenance/Repairs

My 91 Subaru Loyale is killing me!

When it gets cold, and it is cold in Colorado 9 months a year, my gas mileage drops from 30mpg to 22mpg. It is costing me hundreds of dollars a year!

It is NOT my a/c - yes, I get 22mpg when I run the a/c - but the a/c is disconnected to take it out of the equation. I also lose no power in the cold.

My o2 (Oxygen) sensor is disconnected. It is bad (Engine light is on) but it is fused into the exhaust and I can’t extract it.

One mechanic said without an o2 sensor my computer is not able to determine how much gas to squirt in the injectors. So why would it squirt 25% more in the cold?

This same mechanic suggested cutting a new hole in the exhaust and putting a new o2 sensor in.

Is this the right solution, and what should it cost (he says $150 labor!)?

10 posts - 10 participants