TomB said:
I just pulled a sample for UOA and sending it off to Blackstones. I have 3000 on the oil now. I want to see the quality of the oil the stealership used. What are you seeing on MPG?
I keep forgetting to send in the sample I took at 6,147 miles. I suspect the iron will be trending into the abnormal range with this initial mileage. Did you have an oil change already? It otherwise should be the factory fill. On a related note, I installed an Amsoil EaBP-110 bypass filter and custom mount, but a downpour precluded me from actually plumbing it into the system. If we can get a couple of days of clear weather and it coincides with a weekend off from work (yeah, and the planets align!
) I may attempt to hook it up.
Anywho, you asked about mileage. Short trip (commuting) is not less than 21 mpg, usually 22 mpg and last time it was 23 mpg. It was getting over 25 mpg on the highway a few thousand miles ago. I took it for a day trip over Stevens Pass to Quincy, south along the Columbia to highway 24, thence west through Moxee and Yakima then over Chinook Pass and back to the starting point, the Flying J in Fife. Same pump, 444.1 miles, 16.795 gallons. So just over 26 mpg. Not spectacular, but I experienced ferocious head-winds along the river and most of the way towards Moxee. Were it not for that, from what I was observing via the Scangauge II, I should have topped 27 mpg.
It's just getting stronger and stronger. Peak boost is still increasing, though not as fast as before. I set the cruise control for 50 mph while climbing east over Stevens Pass, and the Scangauge was rock steady with an estimated 15.6 mpg the whole climb. Never dropped out of overdrive. Honestly, as I'm sure you've noticed, these things flatten any hill -- and altitude has no effect, either. My old gasser Jeep would feel winded after Skykomish!
Descending the west side of Chinook Pass, it was 29 degrees, but not snowing, even though there was a lot of compact snow and ice and fog. Tremendous engine braking, and it didn't just handle like it was on rails, it was like it was on a cog railway! One thing is for sure, diesels only produce heat from work. Usually it dips to 186 degrees under no-load conditions (from a typical 188 - 190 degree running temp), but that prolonged period of engine braking with the inlet air temperature reading 29 - 30 degrees, dropped it to 182 degrees.
Maybe I'll take some time off work next spring for a road trip to Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana and Idaho. Then we'll see.
Further note: It loves B5! Seriously, it just runs smoother and "happier" on the stuff. I've been running straight D2 the last couple of tanks, and it just feels kinda
off.
