I just bought a '79 Pinto Squire wagon in October with a 4-cylinder engine. What gas mileage should I be getting? I'm getting about 16 MPG which seems to me to be on the low side from what I've heard.
Connie's 77 (2.3 H/B AT 3.55 gears) gets about 19 on a long trip.
Gears, state of tune, options, and how/where it is driven will all influence the fuel consumption.
Bill
I get around 23-26 with stock 2.3. 3.00 gears A/T, P/S, and keeping it under 75. Gears is the biggest influence on MPG. Pintos with the 2.3 do not get great MPG. I have never seen one get over 28MPG with everything being perfect. If someone else claims any higher, I would seriously doubt them.
I find 26mpg very hard to believe...
Well, find it hard to believe or not, my old plain jane 78 Pinto sedan got almost 30MPG on the trip we took from LA to Tucson. This was on 185/75R13s, with a 2.3, a 4spd and whatever gear the dealership put in it after the original gears broke three teeth off of the ring gear and one off of the pinion. I think they are 3.00. No p/s on this car. This was doing an average of about 75MPH give or take a few for up and down hills, with two adults and two kids in the car. That was before we rebuilt the motor. Also, the A/C was installed, but off the whole time, and I don't know if it made a difference, but this trip was done entirely at night.
It has been my experience that if you keep it in the upper torque curve and don't get into it too much, you can get decent gas milage in anything. I got 16 in my 1969 4bbl equipped 390/T-18 F-100 with 3.25:1 gearing and 235/75R15s. Buy a vacuum gauge, and get it out on the highway and see what speed yeilds the highest vacuum. That is your upper torque curve, and it will probably be near or above 3000 RPM. My old pickup did best around 68MPH, and the Pinto did best around 76-77.
Hope this helps, and I hope I didn't just stir a hornets nest!
-Doug
With a fresh tune up just before i left on a trip, i made 27.2mpg @ 80mph with my 2.3/4 spd 76 pinto. I had driven 272 miles and added exactly 10.0 gallons to the tank (had to cram it to get that in it even) 3.00 gears also, 175 8013 tires (something like that). That was a FRESH tuneup tho. I usually make between 23 and 25. Car has absolutly no options, no power steering or AC or anything. That means theres nothing else pulling power off the engine which could effect milage. I honestly beleive id make atleast 30 if i had the head rebuilt. There is a burnt valve in cylinder 3. A header and msd ignition would help some too.
Forgive the ignorance, but what is MSD ignition? We're getting almost 30 in a stock MPG wagon with mostly in town driving. Any improvement would be a bonus over already great mpg.
MSD = Multipul Spark Discharge. It is an aftermarket high energy ignition. It gets its name because it produces 6 sparks at idle to each spark plug each time its fired and the sparks last 20 degrees of crankshaft rotation. www.msdignition.com is the website it can explain it better than i can. Its supposed to provide better throttle responce and a bit better gas milage and drivability.
Roger,
My first Pinto, a 1973 with a 2000 cc engine and AUTOMATIC transmission. had terrible gas mileage. This was in 1979, when it was just a few years old.
My second Pinto (the own I own now), a 1974 with a 2000 cc and 4-speed MANUAL transmission, has surprisingly good gas mileage.
Which engine/transmission do you have in your '79?
oldcarpierre
Thanks for the info. I'll look into it when I get a chance. =)
I've always been a bit sceptical about the mileage as well in my Pintos.
My 79 was a 4cyl stick / no air, and I generally got between 15 and 20 mpg on more highway runs and sometimes as low as 13 around town. But, I had my foot to the floor almost all the time and shifted at high RPM's, so I blamed myself at the time. It supposedly was properly tuned up, but I wasn't the mechanic at the time, so I can't be sure.
With my current 77 V6 Squire / auto.. I've been keeping tabs on it since I got it. So far.. 20mpg straight Highway running 65-75mph and then 15-16 around town for about four tankfulls.
The brochure's read something like 32mpg highway !! But, it was the era of disco and weed, so I don't put much faith in those numbers.
So, from my limited experiences, I think 16-20 combined driving on a normal basis is not entirely out of bounds.
I had a new '80 Pinto Pony that usually had mpg in the high 20s and even got up to 31 or 32 on a trip to St. Louis. It had no options with a 2.3 four speed and a 2.79 rear. The milage did dip to the middle 20s about 10-12 years later when the engine got past 100,000 miles and was getting a bit worn out.
Now have a '79 Wagon that only gets slightly over 20 MPG, which is a little frustrating. This is an 2.3 automatic with 3.08 rear gears and working power steering and non-working AC (no belt even). But the engine is a bit worn. I also think that the thing is jetted rich or has a vacuum leak doing something weird because I have the timing cranked up to nearly 30° BTC and it's not even close to slightly pinging under acceleration.
i used to get 22-24 with my 2.0 turbo back in 1971-1972 ( damn, sometimes i think i'm older than dirt)
Cold or cool weather like we are having now is a double edged mileage sword. This may be messing with your mileage figures.
If you are driving multiple short trips.... you are on your warm up cycle of being on the choke (rich) and the engine not running efficiently until warmed up. If your air cleaner preheat is not working properly you get carburetor icing & lower efficiency. For short distance driving summer mileage will be better.
If you go on a long trip you can get better mileage on long trips with the cooler air. However, some preheat air cleaner systems can prevent the cool air benefits.
I have found 195 degree thermostat in the winter with cold air helps mileage a lot in stock motors.
I drive 110 miles round trip to work. Tweaking to get the most out of what I had to work with at the lowest cost was always my goal. In the cooler months I modified my air cleaner preheat system with a vacuum switch. During cold weather short trips or during the warm up cycle I allowed the preheat system to function normally. After I reached cruising speed on the freeway on longer runs I would turn it off to get all cold air.
Some cars work well with the cold & air & some do not. By having an adjustable system you can see what your car responds to.
My 73 1600 Pinto has a mechanical preheat system. I haven't tweaked it yet. That will be a January or February project. I think I can use my carburetor anti-diesel electric solenoid that I took off in some manner. I will see. My goal - 40 mpg Pinto and I am getting close!
my 76 bobcat wagon 2.3, auto, ac,power stearing,and smog pump, gets about 24 0n the highway and has server vacum problems will not go over 45 up hills.
phils toys
My 76 wagon with the 2.3 and four speed (which I don't have
anymore....sob!) would average 19 in town and 24-25 on
the Hwy at 70mph. It had 82,000 miles on it when I bought
it in November 1998 and 104,836 when I had to haul it
across the scales in May 2006. According to the 1975 edition
of Petersons Complete Book of Pinto, in the owners section
they all said mileage was OK except when loaded or with
stuff on the roof rack. And that was when they were new.
I did not drive mine easy but also didn't drive it at full throttle
all the time either. (Except once in Dallas when I topped it
out on I-30 going to Rockwall on my way back to work. At that
time it had 101,488 miles and after five minutes hit
right at 95mph and held it!)
With the 302 and AOD in my 76 wagon, my average is 23-25mpg. This is on the highway and in town. Most of the time I just cruise, but there are the times I try to push my gas peddle through the floor. Overall I'm happy with what I'm getting.
Quote from: 78cruisingwagon on January 05, 2007, 06:29:30 PM
My 76 wagon with the 2.3 and four speed (which I don't have
anymore....sob!) would average 19 in town and 24-25 on
the Hwy at 70mph. It had 82,000 miles on it when I bought
it in November 1998 and 104,836 when I had to haul it
across the scales in May 2006. According to the 1975 edition
of Petersons Complete Book of Pinto, in the owners section
they all said mileage was OK except when loaded or with
stuff on the roof rack. And that was when they were new.
I did not drive mine easy but also didn't drive it at full throttle
all the time either. (Except once in Dallas when I topped it
out on I-30 going to Rockwall on my way back to work. At that
time it had 101,488 miles and after five minutes hit
right at 95mph and held it!)
I cruised along at 105 in my 76 sedan (on i-44 near lebanon, MO w/2.3/4 spd/3.00) on thanksgiving for several miles. Mostly level ground, following this crazy woman who had her whole family in the suv with her (dodge durango). I made 21mpg that day (usually make the same as you - about 19 in town 24-25 hwy), I drove mostly 85-90 but faster when i got behind that woman. My pinto has had no modification! And I drive the crap out of it. It sees the floor alot on acceleration, but I dont really drive much over the speed limit in town. (on the highway as you can tell, is a different story lol).
My 74 wagon with the same setup except for some 3.55 gears is awful tho! It will barly get out of its own way. Kinda odd. Surly the fact that its a wagon as opposed to a 2dr sedan doesnt effect it THAT much. Its crazy. Anyways, it makes 15mpg in town. Highway I dont know. The only time I went any distance on the highway with it, it sheared a pin in the distributor and I fixed it and drove it strait home and didnt touch it for two weeks and by then i didnt remember to fill it up and check the milage. Its probably about 20 and thats at about 65mph. I know the points arent set perfect and the timing belt may be off a tooth i dont know. Those would effect milage too. Anyways thats another post but ill post here if i manage to get better milage. I dont excpect to ever see the 27 i made with my 76 that one time tho, unless the 2.3 turbo i plan to eventually put in makes that kind of milage. Who knows? ;)
I have a 2.0 4 spd. 138,000 miles never rebuilt, and the highest ive averaged was about 19 mpg. and now i have a holley 390 cfm 4 brl. i try and keep the rpms low, and i average around 13 to the gallon. it sucks. i have to fill up twice a week sometimes.
I was getting around 19-20 around town in my 79 2.3L 4spd Wagon with the old worn out carb. I had Pony Carbs rebuild it but I have yet to put it on to see if it made a difference.