Mysterious High Fuel consumption and lack of Power
 

I recently bought a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country with 75000 miles on it.

I just sold my old 2001 Chrysler T & C that I had for seven years.

This chrysler has a 35 % increase in fuel consumption and has noticeably less power. I have no clue what is wrong with it. I am getting no fault codes.

I have checked the wheels for sticking brakes and I have hoisted every wheel to see if they spin freely which they do.

I have checked the spark plug wires for ohm resistance and Im getting between 300-600 ohms depending on cable (which I gather is fine).

The Spark plugs are supposed to last 100 000 miles and in my old T & C I drove 150 000 miles and 11 years without replacing them (they were fine to the end).

I drove to the inspection center for exhaust check and all values came out perfect.

I zeroed the computer by putting the battery-cables together for one minute so the computer would reset itself and relearn my personal cycle (which a mechanic told me could make wonders for these modern cars). But no change at all.

I am getting like 16 MPG under circumstances when I should with comparison to my old T & C (that has the same engine and same weight and everything) get 22 MPG.

I am really so stumped on this one. Called the Chrysler dealership here in Stockholm and they just told me to live with it. I dont know what to do.

All thoughts are welcome!

/Richard

Any indications of poor wheel alignment like unevenly worn or cupped tire treads? Using ethanol in the gas in Sweden?

Sounds like your dealership is worthless. There's some of those here in the states too. Normally I would suggest you head there and have them connect a scanner to check fuel scheduling but apparently they wouldn't have a clue. Try to find a shop that has that clue. Can't? Change the spark plugs or at least the front three and see if anything changes. Change the air filter. Change the upstream O2 sensor. It is at the top of the sensors list of those that effect mileage and often saps mileage without turning on the CE light and generating a code. Next would be a MAP sensor as it adjusts fuel delivery based on engine load.

Unfortunatly thats the deal with the majority of dealerships in Sweden. I don’t know of any shop that has ever had a clue and I think that I have probably dealt with 40 or so of them over these past 13 years.



I checked the spark plugs today and they look fine. I called the dealership to ask what new spark plug
wires would run me. $151 converted to US dollars. Everything is in that price-range around here. I did not dare to ask what plugs would cost. A CO2 sensor was $231. I asked him if the wires were Mopar. He said he didn’t know. Naturally he couldn’t be bothered to check that for me. Typical Swedish dealership. I usually do everything myself, not because Im a mechanic but because the ones that are out there are less of mechanics than I am.

The front wheels look fine but I will check the alignment though. I was just out driving and it feels like Im hauling something almost. When doing 45 MPH on a miniscule incline the car has to gear down to maintain that speed. Just like if I was hauling a trailer.

I know how the car is supposed to feel since I drove my old Chrysler for 100 000 miles and it had the same specifications as the new one.

Oh I wish I was in the US where everything about cars are cheap and where there are mechanics that actually know something about cars (some! I once helped a friend in Miami service his car at Firestone on Alton Road I Miami Beach. Those guys were worse amateurs than I’ve seen anywhere).
Oh well. I guess we’ll have to drive this one to the junkyard.
The tires on the back wheels are uneven and made a high low pitch sound till I rotated them from left to right. They used to be in the front. They are Pirelli Scorpion tires. Mud and snow. The shoes have inclines on them but from front to back not right to left. Can a wheel-alignment have done this? I called a tire guy about them the other day and he said something about that Pirelli Scorpion does that.

You've got uneven tire wear and brake pad wear. I'm not there to see how bad but it may be worth looking into. Either can sap mileage. Consider having the alignment checked on all 4 wheels. Yes, the rear can be as bad as the front. The pads worn unevenly front to back could indicate worn pistons, slide pins or damaged calipers.

Other thoughts: A vacuum leak, poor engine compression, engine timing. Have you checked for fault codes?

Yes perhaps I should check into that. Rear brake disc is a bit warped too. I did spin the wheels and even though back left seems not as easy as the back right I wonder it its enough to make the car feel like its hauling a small trailer.

I am getting no fault codes at all, which makes me think that maybe there is nothing wrong with the engine and exhaust but rather something else like what you point out, wheels, alignment and stuff like that.

It passed the emissions test perfectly, if it had been a bad O2 sensor, wouldnt it have shown in the emissions test?