Mileage increase????

With fuel prices rising I was wondering if there is a way to increase the mpg of a 1985 Jeep Grand wagoneer?

[Sycho15]

Sure there is. Do the TFI ignition upgrade (check out the Short-Wheelbase forum for all the info on this or send a private message to TeamRush) and use an MSD module for the biggest leap in mileage. Then a free-flowing exhaust system (from the headers all the way to the muffler) for the next-biggest improvement in engine efficiency. Do the standard tune-up for the carb and check all vacume lines and connections. With conservative driving you might be able to squeeze 15mpg out of an AMC 360...

[Tim]

All sorts of things can be done to improve mileage if that's your ultimate goal. Previous post has many of the options listed. Now if you want to recoup the expenses for those changes by the improved mileage and then continue to save money, it's probably not going to happen in your lifetime. It will improve the profits of the retailers immediately. As expensive as gas is, it's probably cheaper to just bite the bullet and pay at the pump.

Tim
'66 Jeepster Commando w/Buick 252/4.1L V-6
'70 Wagoneer w/Buick 350 V-8

[Sycho15]

Well the TFI upgrade costs no more than your average tune-up parts and it is the most you can do for your ignition before going to MSD. All of these things do more than just improve mileage. They improve HP and Torque as well

[Tim]

Okay, I'm confused now. What's TFI? I was thinking the FI part stood for fuel injection, but didn't know what the T was for. Ball park figure for a fuel injection setup is $1000, I think. The average tune-up parts, (plugs usually, sometimes rotor and cap), runs maybe $50. I know that fuel injection improves HP & torque, but have you ever checked where the figures are acheived? Any time I have compared models that one year are carb'd, next year FI'd, the increase is in the upper end of the spectrum. For most of us, this is not an area we are into much, if any. So, as far as real world low-end grunt, (torque, not HP), you might not notice much difference. Now don't get me wrong, I've done my fair share of mods, but whether they are cost-effective or not, I would think not. They do however raise the testosterone level.

Tim
'66 Jeepster Commando w/Buick 252/4.1L V-6
'70 Wagoneer w/Buick 350 V-8

[Sycho15]

TFI (Thick Film Integrated) is a type of coil used by Ford since 1986. It is an epoxy-filled coil with a band of square metal plates around it. It produces a much better spark than the cannister-type coil. Everything I write here came from a post by TeamRush on the Shortwheelbase forum quite some time ago. I printed it out back them and am getting my information off that printout:

What gets replaced? Distributor Cap, Rotor, Plug wires, Ignition coil, and distributor advance springs.

What to use for replacement? From a 1984 F-350 Truck with a 460 CID engine with ECC: Distributor Cap Base, Distributor Cap, Rotor, Spark-plug wires, Ignition coil.

Make sure you dont forget the basics, and get a good quality distributor cap & rotor with brass terminals or you are just wasting time and money on this upgrade.

If you ask for the parts from an engine with ECC (Electronic Combustion Control) you will get the square TFI ignition coil, and the plug wire set with the correct coil wire.
You will have to remove (cut) the stock coil connector from the wiring harness in order to connect the TFI coil. You will also have to fabricate a bracket, or locate a stock application bracket.

The TFI coil will work with ALL of the DuraSpark modules. It's an odd-looking thing, but can be mounted in any orientation (even up-side down).
the TFI coil uses a full 12 volts, and doesn't use a resistor of any kind.
The coil runs from about $15 to $45 in discount stores.

THIS COIL REQUIRES A DIFFERENT COIL WIRE THAN THE OLD 'CAN' TYPE COIL, SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE CORRECT COIL WIRE BEFORE LEAVING THE STORE.

Distributor Centrifugal Advance Springs:
From: Aftermarket Supplier, Mr Gasket P/N 925D (~$4)
These springs DO NOT have to be installed when the upgrade is done. It is just a way to get a little more 'zip' out of your engine

If you have questions about how to access and change the advance springs go ahead and ask, its in this print-out and I'll be happy to post the instructions.

[Tim]

Well, just goes to show, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Thought you were referrring to fuel injection, when it was the coil all along. I had seen a lot on the short wheelbase board about this upgrade, but didn't pay much attention to it since I'm no longer into AMC's. Wish I knew about this 10 or so years ago when I was building up my '76 401 Waggie. I'm sure this adds HP and torque to the engine, but wonder how much improvement is in the 2500 rpm and under world where the majority of us operate most of the time.

Tim
'66 Jeepster Commando w/Buick 252/4.1L V-6
'70 Wagoneer w/Buick 350 V-8

15 mpg is possible with a AMC 360. My dads '87 J20 got 16mpg with the box stock engine not bad huh? It just recently got rebuilt at 57,000 orig. miles. It received a Edelebrock intake, carb , cam, headers, dual exhaust and a ported set of heads I built at work ( I used to work at a speed shop )

It runs REAL good now, ( Id say an honest 300hp) it just broke in - mileage just came up to back what it was.

I still need to retime it and recurve the distributor- try giving your jeep some more timing about 33-34 degrees total with out the vacuum. It would be probally 9-10 degrees initial with stock springs and weights.



SPEED KILLS BUT IT GETS YOU THERE FASTER

'80 Toyota- soon CHEVOTA

KTM 500

[Sycho15]

Does anybody think 15-16 MPG is possible with a 360 powered '88 Grand Wagoneer? What if I SOA'ed the the front, flipped the shackles over in the rear, and trimmed the fenders to run 35x12.5" radial tires and installed 4.10 gears...I'd be happy with 12mpg after all those mods!


'Gator Chaser

[dan01ster]

About 8 yrs ago, I installed a Holley projection system on my J20 w/360 and 727auto with axles at 3.73. The Jeep had 110,000km at the time. We did this while I worked at the Jeep dealership and wanted to use it as a test bed for future conversions, so we documented mileage figures very closely and ran tests under identical conditions before and after the conversion. The Jeep is an '82 therefore it started with a factory 2bbl.
We converted to standard Holley projection listed at the time for this AMC 360 which gave it 2 injectors in a TB setup with no oxygen sensors...and not a closed loop system which they offered optionally.
The upgrade included a high performance aluminum intake model compatible with the Holley (from Mopar Performance cat.) and nothing else.
The milage test was conducted on highway only for exactly 100 Km (62.5mi) round trip under no winds, dry pavement and steady on the pedal. Filled at the same pump and station for pre and after installation.
So, preinstallation the Jeep got 11.9 mpg (imperial) and after the Holley install it got 20.1 mpg (imperial). For you folks in the USA, be aware that the imperial gallon is 20% larger than yours, so you should take OFF 16.6% to those figures to give you a milage reading. That basically would be around 17mpg US highway after injection.
To say I was surprised is an understatement...I was astonished that it was so high. That was 8 yrs ago and it's still perfoming just as well now.
PS...the horsepower and torgue are amazing...the Jeep has no problem squeeling the 16.5in tires on dry pavement....it acts like my Jeep Cherokee with 4 ltr.