I have a 1998 intrigue gls, i have been getting about 11 mpg city.

I'm not expert, but for a midsize, thats ridiculous.

any suggestions? i have already had a mechanic look at it, he said if there are no warning lights on (there aren't) then thats just how it is. I replaced the air filter, and put fuel injector cleaner in it.

 

i agree with the ridiculous part and i am referring to the mechanics reply. the 99 intrigue i had gave the mid 20's mpg. you need a new mechanic. does the car have a digital readout for mpg. has it been tuned up recently, are the tires the correct size ,does the transmission shift into the highest gear? my aurora presently shows 21.4 mpg and has shown 24.2 mpg .

 

The digital readouts are not always accurate. The only real way to know is by dividing miles by gallons at each fillup. Set the trip odometer to zero at the next fillup. Then, next time you fill up, read the mileage from it. Miles/Gallons will give you the mileage.


I agree with ilikecars, you need a mechanic who wants to do troubleshooting, not just read codes from a scanner.


Check tire pressures(every week or two at least). Even 2-3 psi makes a big difference. If the spark plugs and wires haven't been replaced in over 60K miles, I'd change them. Change the fuel filter.


How are you driving? Lead foot=bad mileage. Try easy starts, no air conditioning unless you need it, coast up to stoplights, combine errands into one trip, no excessive idling.


Could you have a brake dragging? Jack the car up and try to spin each wheel. You will have to put it in neutral for the front wheels. There will be some drag, but you should be able to spin each one with one hand pretty easily.

 

Those are all good points, I would also like to add , check the ware on the front tires , if the car needs alignment it will eat up your tires and gas milage, frontends that are out of alignment "push the car down the road"! The steering wheel should be centered as your driving down a straight road. I just had one done on the 94 cutless $60! Had to do some shopping around to find that price though.

 

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My Silhouette with a 3.8 has gotten a documented 20.6 mpg over 100K mi.


I'd check the O2 sensor(s.) They don't have to "fail hard," if they get "lazy," gas mileage will tank (no pun intended) and you won't get any hard codes.


The other replies are also thoughtful and good issues to check.
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I hurd this before you might have a snall pin hole ir your fule line.

 

Could a be dragging brake caliper, possibly overtightened parking brake
adjustment, possibly internal damage in the muffler, catalytic
converter or pinched exhaust pipe, transmission not shifting into
overdrive, other stuff like air filter, tire pressure as other people
mentioned.

 

or maybe you just need a real good tune up