poor gas milage question

First thing find out what mileage you are really getting. If it is only about 22 you need to find another group to get sympathy. Although 4 cylinders, unlike modern 4 cylinder engines these are inefficient with low compression, poor carburetion and large displacement (for a 4 cylinder). DJ S estimate of 13-15 is about what I would expect. I agree with the others, get rid of the air cleaner. The fact that you start and run with the GAV closed is another hint, pointing to the air cleaner and the jets in the carburetor.

Charlie Stephens
 
Start by doing a mileage check. Not only the volume but the type of driving whether short hops or highway. Then if it is still bad start looking for the problem.if it is not too bad and you only drive a few hundred miles a year, keep driving and forget about the mileage. I get about 12 in town and 17 mpg on highway and I am satisfied. Wayne
 
Maybe Consider Laws Of Physics ?

Even from an uneducated point of view, prior to automobiles, a horse's performance and his exhaust ability was mainly dependent upon his intake not being constricted ...... why would a Model A engine be that much different ..... but .... what do I know about equestrian performance and miles per gallons of horse feed?
 
Being a retired firefighter, my concern with that air filter is what happens if you have a slight gas leak and then the car backfires when you attempt to start it? With a glass bowl above that filter as many A's have, I'm more afraid of fire than dust. We lost a concrete pump to fire with much the same set up. Never again.
 
When we are on a tour, and since we generally all top off our tanks at the same time/distance, it's pretty easy to see if we are "in the ballpark" with others. Other than that, (like Burner said in post #15) I really don't care.
 
Internal combustion engines require heat to be efficient. Do you have a thermostat ?
Is your thermostat working,closing when cold.
 
I care about mileage and the price of gas, but my Model A gets 22 MPG on the road and 15-17 in town, so that's about as good as it gets and I can't do much about it. A higher compression head and overdrive would help.

Mileage killers are low tire pressure, city traffic, stop signs and red lights, short drives, bad carb, poor timing, and cold weather. Check all that apply.
 
In Reply # 26, i.e., a leaking carburetor with filter below a dripping carburetor is a most reasonable safety warning.

The "Hi-Boy" filter arrangement, with fuel filter above the carburetor intake, like that of modern cars, appears to be a safety improvement ...... unless your Model A turns upside down ...... then all bets are off.
 
My '30 came with an air cleaner attached. BUT, it had not been driven in 20 years. Once I got it running, I noticed it seemed to go thru a lot of gas. It also had a backfiring problem. I removed the air cleaner after reading some articles here on the Barn and have not had that problem since.
Of course I've done lots of other work too........
 
I don't care about the mileage, just want to know, whats the conclusion after this discussion? take the wire mesh filter off? or leave it on?
 
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1929 said:
I don't care about the mileage, just want to know, whats the conclusion after this discussion? take the wire mesh filter off? or leave it on?
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Normally the wire mesh was dipped in oil and left to drip off the excess. This would trap dust and not give much restriction to air flow. I'd try it both ways and check the performance and mileage.
 
J Franklin said:
An air filter is a good thing BUT the carburetor needs to be "balanced" so it can do its job and not affect your milage.

The heavy cars get worse milage than roadsters. but you should be able to get 16-20 MPG out of a properly tuned car with a good carb. Drive like you have a raw egg on the gas pedal under your foot and milage goes up. Slow down and the MPG improves greatly.
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Man, if you drive like that around here, you'll get run over. So far, I appear to be getting 10.5 mpg, stop and go (mostly stop) traffic.

Regards,
 
1929 said:
I don't care about the mileage, just want to know, whats the conclusion after this discussion? take the wire mesh filter off? or leave it on?
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Depends, Original filter or high flow K&N?

1) if you don't drive it that often the amount of gas you are going through compared to any savings is negligible.

2) Remove all filters (even if the engine were damaged in 20,000 miles I know a lot of people with their driving habits in the A, that would be about 50 years).

2) Modify the carb to "balance" it (do a search here for balanced carbs if you want to know more) and leave the period holder and filter alone.

3) Although it does not look period and you really, really want a filter get the K&N element.
 
Mike V. Florida said:
Depends, Original filter or high flow K&N?

1) if you don't drive it that often the amount of gas you are going through compared to any savings is negligible.

2) Remove all filters (even if the engine were damaged in 20,000 miles I know a lot of people with their driving habits in the A, that would be about 50 years).

2) Modify the carb to "balance" it (do a search here for balanced carbs if you want to know more) and leave the period holder and filter alone.

3) Although it does not look period and you really, really want a filter get the K&N element.
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Mike, I have the Ford air maze wire mesh for my Zenith, what does the K&N look like? How is the High boy style?
 
Gas, over here is just a tad more than that. Gas in Pennsylvania is running between $1.99 and $2.05, Still good, but not that great. In New Jersey, it runs between $1.70 and $1.79. NJ has a lower gas tax than Pa. I've heard that Oklahoma is around $1.56. Gas costs the same in every state, it's the states tax policy that makes the differences in price. These prices are for a US, 4 qt, gallon.
Terry


quickchange said:
Jeeezzze what you complaining about ?? at under a $1 a gallon . think of us poor buggers at $8.00 a gallon . Oh by the way I get 25 miles per gallon on a B carb & friend gets 28mpg with the weber carb, However a gallon in NZ is BIGGER than a Texas gallon, advise , insure timing correct, Get rid of the air cleaner , Be over your way in few months , happy to call in & check it out .
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