Engine

Bigshot44 · 09-28-2010, 05:21 PM

Not sure where to post this but here it is.

I have an 03 Alero and i need help with figuring out what the motor is ill upload a pic soon. Also the gas mileage is horrible on it any clue on fixing that?

lord2heart · 09-28-2010, 05:24 PM

to help with your gas milage problem. you can do one or all of the following.

change/inspect air filter

change fuel filter

lose some weight. (think that every 100 pounds was like 1-2 off your mpg?)

inflate your tires a tad more but dont go over the rated tire pressure.

mods that would help increase mpg

throw in a CAI/WAI

change muffler to somthing less restrictive (no fart cans)

lord2heart · 09-28-2010, 05:26 PM

you can also run some GM top end cleaner or seafoam the hoe. that'l help too.

and also changing from dino to syn oil can help in getting more miles to a gallon??

Bigshot44 · 09-28-2010, 05:31 PM

got the pics up. dont know how to re-size though lol

Bigshot44 · 09-28-2010, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lord2heart

to help with your gas milage problem. you can do one or all of the following.

change/inspect air filter

change fuel filter

lose some weight. (think that every 100 pounds was like 1-2 off your mpg?)

inflate your tires a tad more but dont go over the rated tire pressure.

mods that would help increase mpg

throw in a CAI/WAI

change muffler to somthing less restrictive (no fart cans)

Tonight ill check the air filter.
By fuel filter do you mean oil filter?
ill check and inflate tires
whats a CAI/WAI

[ion] C2 · 09-28-2010, 05:37 PM

That is an L61 2.2L Ecotec engine.

Bigshot44 · 09-28-2010, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [ion] C2

That is an L61 2.2L Ecotec engine.

good, so i was right. anyone know where i can pick up a sticker for the engine it bugs me having it blank like that

lord2heart · 09-28-2010, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigshot44

Tonight ill check the air filter.
By fuel filter do you mean oil filter?
ill check and inflate tires
whats a CAI/WAI

no, theres a fuel filter under your car by the tank

CAI- cold air intake

WAI- warm air intake.

they both benefit in getting better mpg

lord2heart · 09-28-2010, 05:56 PM

http://sites.google.com/site/aleromodupgrades/

bookmark this. its good

heineck · 09-28-2010, 06:21 PM

On ebay u can get the decal for the idi cover. I had a turbo ecotec one. I just didn't put it on cuz mines not turbo lol. Grab a container of Blu-Magic and go to town on that valve cover

clutch1 · 09-29-2010, 01:07 AM

How bad's the gas mileage?? Like numberwise

If it's superbad, find a buddy with a good scanner and some knowhow... then watch the live data, especially fuel trims, and sometimes you can find a problem that way.

Redog · 09-29-2010, 03:00 AM

How heavy is your foot?

Get it running right BEFORE mods

Bigshot44 · 09-29-2010, 02:16 PM

if i had to guess i'd say around 19 mpg city.
i heard disconnecting the battery would work should i try that?

Blktrax · 09-29-2010, 04:34 PM

If its got around 100K miles on it, it needs plugs (double platinum or Iridiums, I forget on the L61), also even thought you already know what motor it is, that sticker on the passenger side strut tower says exaclty what motor and emmissions equipment came on the car.

Heres the factory part for plugs: GM P/N 12569190 or 41-981-AC plug type

Bigshot44 · 09-29-2010, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blktrax

that sticker on the passenger side strut tower says exaclty what motor and emmissions equipment came on the car.

the sticker on it was ripped off.

Blktrax · 09-29-2010, 04:42 PM

Look at your very first picture, all the way to the left, where the Strut bolts to the car. Big white sticker with 2 barcodes on it. I know you meant the decal, but the proper way to identify and engine without knowing is to look at the build sticker or get the build codes directly off the block. All too often auto parts are misidentifed becuase of swapped decals and covers.

Cliff8928 · 09-29-2010, 09:29 PM

That's the VECI (Vehicle Emission Control Information) Label.

Bigshot44 · 10-01-2010, 01:58 PM

would it be worth it to get a cai? ive been thinking about getting one but cant decide... Or save up and get the spoiler

AlbinoMonkeyRat · 10-01-2010, 09:56 PM

no spoiler until you fix the car.

the rule is: upgrade as you fix, then you can mod. example: broken stock spring and blown struts...leads to lowering springs and newer struts.

in your case, figure everything out that is wrong, and fix them one at a time. Once everything is "fixed", then you can do some fancy schmancy stuff.

of course, it's your money. if you wanna blow it on some ugly wing before you fix it, that's up to you.

things that can help your mileage:
-properly inflated tires
-clean air filter. if the one you have now is bad/dirty...GET THE CAI! and aftermarket intake kit is comparable in cost to a new drop in filter...though the replacement K&N filter is on the expensive side, but the cheapo would be fine for a while.
-ensuring the fuel system is clean [fuel filter, injectors, etc] (get some of those STP fuel system cleaners at the gas station next time you fill up. make sure you DON'T get the diesel one. lol)
-make sure your brakes aren't rubbing without them being pressed (when you're parked, the pads shouldn't be touching the rotor)
-make sure your oil and oil filter are "fresh". (get that changed every 3k-5k miles...not sure on the distance in metric...5k-10k km?)
-make sure ALL of your fluids are up to date. not sure on the mileage of all the fluids, but the owners manual should have that.
-make sure you aren't driving like John Force at every traffic light. granny drive it.

my 2.4L was getting 13mpg last winter (a lot of bad things plus shitty gas) and I fixed a lot and now I'm getting almost 32mpg (I had 400 miles on one tank last week).

Bigshot44 · 10-01-2010, 10:39 PM

I bought a stp cleaner near the end of summer because I heard lots of bad things about that kind of stuff. Like it cleans it but then it clogs the injector. Not stp but cleaners in general.