[thaxman]

All city, mind you, so I realize I am going to be getting crappier mileage since I never have a good opportunity to lock up the torque converter, but this seems a bit excessive. Compare:

01 OB - 3.0L H-6, 3600 lbs, AWD, 190K miles, appears to be very well cared for, all new full-synthetic fluids except the rear diff.
00 Honda Odyssey - 3.5L V6, 4400 lbs (at least), FWD, 300K miles, 1 previous owner who passed along a 1 1/4" thick binder with all records, so obviously, well cared for.

Same city mileage.

FWIW, I have only been able to hit the road with the OB 1X - 160 mi I-10 round trip late at night in heavy rain. On the return trip, I accidentally left it in 3rd gear for over 50 miles; somehow, because of the attention required to go freeway speeds in the wet, I failed to notice the rpms were almost 4K at speed. Overall, I saw about 22 mpg, so I know that when the converter locks up, mpgs improve.
Also, I got it with highway tires, and the manual states that the plugs were done @ 165K, and I have already replaced the fuel filter.

So is this what I can expect or is this a bit lower than reasonable for the mileage? My wife is already talking about getting rid of it because its like having a 2nd minivan when going to the pump.

 

[eagleeye]

14.6 sucks,

EZ30D cars really like to drink it when parked idling.

I guess you may do that a whole lot for the a/c there.

are you always running high octane?

I can make 27mpg on my EZ30D car running a steady diet of 93 octane since I got it in 2002. (no parked idling, mostly rural 2 lanes and 4 lanes).

here is a thread on the subject and a couple more I linked on.

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/239385-terrible-mileage-01-outback-h6.html

 

[eagleeye]

and you got the correct NGK double plat plugs in there?

running good 35psi air pressure all around in 225/60/16 tires?

 

[thaxman]

14.6 sucks,

EZ30D cars really like to drink it when parked idling.

I guess you may do that a whole lot for the a/c there.

are you always running high octane?

I can make 27mpg on my EZ30D car running a steady diet of 93 octane since I got it in 2002. (no parked idling, mostly rural 2 lanes and 4 lanes).

here is a thread on the subject and a couple more I linked on.

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/239385-terrible-mileage-01-outback-h6.html

We don't idle much at all, choosing to hide in the shade when parked. Always 91 octane (highest available in AZ.) We are a bit over 2K elevation, so that should be sufficient. It powers the Volvo just fine. Also, I don't treat it like a sports car either - that's what my T5 is for.

 

[eagleeye]

don't know if you saw my other post about the plug type you got there,

____

I live around 1500-2000 feet too. (just in upstate NY where the octanes are typically 87,89,93,)

______

something like a sticking brake or bearing might really suck the cars power, and a bearing can be really silent.

other then that I was trying to think of what zona has, = that red dust making for shorter air filter changes in some cars.
that and a need to swap batteries faster.

 

[thaxman]

Yeah. I was out of state until LATE last nite. Got home to a CEL. Turns out it was coolant too cool. With the short trips (typ 4 mi 1-way or less) I can see an open tstat dropping mpgs by a couple percentage points. Not enough tho. Last tank was 16mpg, which is what I expect as the bare min. The 93 Legacy FWD 4eat got abt 17.5 under similar circumstances in the summer w/full A/C.
Haven't checked tire size but I think they were correct size the one time I did think to look. I have to open the mania but I am pretty sure plugs were right according to this forum. I have a new PCV that I haven't installed and I want to Seafoam the top end. Oil remains really clean. I have noticed hard 2-3 shifts that I wouldn't expect considering Max Life's reputation.

 

[eagleeye]

poor MPG and now poor shifting:

might be something like a failing alternator too,

OEM should be a "mitsubishi USA" with that label right on top
and there are few aftermarkets that work although a parts store will sell you anything just made to struggle or die.

this is the only aftermarket one I would put on a Ez30D car,
(I have one of this make on my other car, no core and free freight, brand new not a rebuilt turd).
https://www.dbelectrical.com/products/subaru-outback-3-0l-alternator-01-02-03-04-05.html

 

[fisherella]

Hi. I just wanted to add to this discussion that my car was a "gas guzzler" before having the head gaskets replaced. Now the gas mileage seems greatly improved. This is anecdotal, I don't have numbers to go with it, but on my commute the needle doesn't drop so far and I have more gas left over at the end of a week than what I was getting before. It seems to use it at the same rate as either of the new loaner cars did. (They claimed to average 23-30) I use 91 octane generally.

My alternator also died fairly recently and I agree with the above post that there could be some electrical issues.

 

[rasterman]

14.5 sounds dead normal to me, given a Subaru H6 on short cold runs. And It should rise up into the low 20s for longer highway trips.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your car apart from maybe not being the right choice for your usage.

 

[eagleeye]

14.5 sounds dead normal to me, given a Subaru H6 on short cold runs. And It should rise up into the low 20s for longer highway trips.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your car apart from maybe not being the right choice for your usage.

...based on the OP's listing of elevation in Zona.

I am thinking of this one maybe poking around Tucson ...really nippy there this time of year what with all the air conditioners running,