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Old 11-20-2020, 09:03 AM   #1
Ed in Maine
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Washington Cty., ME or Flagler Cty., FL
Posts: 1,106
Default Determining Model A Gas Mileage

My car is running perfectly. It starts good, runs good and is a pleasure to drive. I decided that I was going study the gas mileage on my Victoria. It isn't as easy to do because you can't fill the Model A gas tank without the risk of spilling gas on the paint. There is also a significant fire risk to having the tank filled to the near top. I decided to use the gas tank from 1/4 to 3/4 of a full tank using the index marks on the gas gauge. While not an exact measuring tool, the errors can be averaged out with several trial runs. You can see a change in the index marks with just one or two miles of driving. I try to get the index marks perfectly adjacent to each other.


Then I went to the gas station when the tank was indicating less than 1/2 full. I added gas to the tank until the 1/2 full index marks were matched. I made note of what the gas pump starting point value was and then brought the tank up to 3/4 full with matching index marks. I recorded the amount of gas it took to go from 1/2 to 3/4. On my car (1931), the amount of gas added between 1/2 and 3/4 tank was 2.995 gallons. I would like to see if this amount of gas is the same as what you find on your cars. We might establish values for other Model A years.


Then, with the tank at an indicated 3/4 full, I drove the car as I normally do around town until the index marks matched at 1/2 full and took the miles driven and calculated my gas mileage. I was shocked! My car is only getting 7.1 miles per gallon. Next, I am going to check the tire pressures, try to be more diligent in adjusting the spark advance and use the Gas Adjusting Valve (GAV) at a more minimum setting. I will also check for any dragging brakes but I doubt this is a problem because my car starts to move on the slightest hill! Note that with the GAV open further than it needs to be, the carburetor is just dumping fuel out of the CAP Jet in the carburetor.


For those that are interested, I would like to see others report on the mileage of your cars. I would like to confirm the amount gas it takes to fill the tanks between 1/4 and 1/2, and between 1/2 and 3/4 full. What other steps can be taken to improve the mileage of our Model As. This low mileage is a nuisance on club tours. Thanks for your help, ED
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