Drum brakes can be a PITA about sticking when they shouldn't.

 

Wow you guys know your stuff-I think it would be a good idea if I wrote down everything you all have already suggested to look at and bring it to my mechanic-along with anything else you guys think is important to take a look at and/or replace. Not that I think my guy is a moron, it's just that way I can have a check list to go over with him so I know what exactly has been done and is going to be done- I paid the dealer a hundred bucks the other day to tell me they have no idea why my car is getting such poor mileage. I know. I'm an idiot for taking it there. So, if anyone can think of anything else we should be addressing please let me know-I am really grateful for the input so far.
This is one of those times when I could kick myself for not learning more about cars and engines and what makes them go...or not go. I wonder if there are classes I could take in my neck of the woods in Western New York?

 

Are you sure you're not leaking gas instead of burning it? I don't think there's any way that these little engines could consume that much gas with no trouble codes.

I am a little curious though.
If you have a tachometer in your car and it is an automatic at about what RPM would you say that the car actually starts moving when you press on the gas?

 

Thanks guys- Unfortunately I took my car to my mechanic again, and although he checked the things you have suggested, he still could not find anything wrong with those areas. However, and this is a new issue that has come up in about the last month or so, I do have some front end problems. Need control arm shaft and bushing replaced, stabilizer bar control link and tie rod. I realize that these issues could enhance mpg problems, but they are very recent. I have consistantly gotten bad pmg since I bought the car in Sept 09- It started out gradually-a few months after I got it it was like 20mpg- then as time has gone on it has only gotten worse- because I had no lights and no codes the dealer shrugged it off as either my imagination or that it was winter and I warmed up my car every morning. I argued with him about that then but should have taken it to the top while my car was still under the 6 month warranty.
i am at total loss as to what to do.
All I know is that no matter what, it is absurd to say that there is no reason why this is happening- of course there is- I just cant find anyone

 

to help me figure this out here.

 

I'm with moparkyle here. If you've had all the basic tune up stuff Darth mentioned checked and it's still getting bad mpg, it could be a fuel leak. I think if the leak was in the actual tank you would be getting a check engine light, like you would for a loose gas cap. The way I check for any kind of leak is this: Get a big piece of cardboard (unfold a big box or something), lay it on the ground/driveway, drive onto it, and idle for a minute giving it a little gas here and there. Move your car back off and you'll see if anything's leaking on the cardboard. If there's a wet spot, touch it with your finger and see if it smells like gas.
Also, I was in the same boat as you last year. I knew diddly-squat about working on cars. The best way to learn is to get a Haynes Manual for your car, and do the stuff yourself. All the basic tune up things (spark plugs, spark plug wires, air filter, oil change, etc.) can be done by anyone. Start easy and work your way up.

 

so i own a 03 neon as well and im also a ASE certified technician. i can tell you that i too believe my car to get bad gas mielage and i keep it tuned properly. I believe the problem with these vehicles to be that they lack an external fuel filter and the filters are considered the sock / screen on the fuel pump that is located in the tank. I for one have never changed it but im ready to seeing is how my fuel guage is a bit edgy when the fuel gets around 1/4 tank.im pretty sure i get about 350 miles max to a tank on the freeway. So also it is not reccomended to do a fuel service on the car because of the location the intake manifolds and the cleaner can pool in the intake and cause the engine to possibly hydro lock because of it , that being said ive also thought of taking the injectors out and having them flow tested and cleaned on a bench cleaner. I mean without bieng able to service the fuel system you can really expect poor mpg. my suggestion is use fuel cleaning additives in the tank on a regular basis and use fuel such as chevron with techron. otherwise possibly replacing the fuel pump module and or screen may do wonders for you , also your mechanic should be able to reade short and long term fuel trims , they can tell you alot about your engine. Oh and a word of advice the dealer doesent know as much as they would like you to believe , many reputable independent shops will serve you much better!

 

You can change the fuel filter on these (not the in-tank one obviously) in not too much time. I may give it a go this summer depending on how much free time I get. It actually is external to a degree, but there was originally a misprint stating it was unserviceable.

 

Yeah, there are a lot of neons I hear of that get poor mpgs. My average MPG acording to my UltraGuage OBDII display runs between 27.7-28 (will be more when I get my alignment done next week), and that's about 60% hwy/country 40% city. If I baby it I can squeeze a little more. There are things you can do besides basic maintenence stuff to increase your mileage. The biggest factor is driving style. Google something like fuel effecient driving or hypermiling and I'm sure you'll find tons of info. Investing in an OBDII guage that has an instant MPG and average MPG read out would be a great idea and will greatly help train you how to drive more fuel efficiently. If you use it like that, it'll pay for itself in no time (especially with gas prices up). I ordered an UltraGuage for about $70 after tax and shipping. There are better (but pricier) ones out there, but the UltraGuage suffieces for me and I'm very happy I invested in it.

One of the best things you can do to improve your MPG is to idle as little as possible because when you do you're getting ZERO mpg. You'd be surprised how much idleing you do once you pay attention. With modern fuel-injected cars, it's more fuel efficient to turn off the engine and restart it than to idle for 10 seconds (less in some models). This puts a little extra stress on your ignition system, but in the long run you'll save much more money in the gas savings. I'm not saying turn your key at every stop light, but if your sitting in a drivethrough that's backed up, running into a store, just caught a stoplight that you know takes a while to go green (usually big intersections), etc., then cut the engine because you're just burning money. Another idleing gas-eater is letting your car warm up too long. Modern cars only take about 30 seconds before the engine is primed to drive, even in cold weather. That doesn't mean fire it up and head out. In low temperatures, take it easy on the pedal when you first take off until you reach normal operating temp. That way the metal components can gradually warm up, preventing damage or excess wear, especially to the exhaust components. This applies especially in winter weather, when people like to let their car warm up for 10mins so it's warm and cozy when they get in. Man up and save money =]

Another great technique is coasting in neuteral. If you see that you're coming up to a stop or a slow down situation, or going down a hill, slip it in neuteral and coast. If you have an MPG guage going, depending on the speed when you're coasting, you'll see MPG shoot up over 100mpg easy. With this technique it's a good idea to wait until you've either stopped or gotten to the lowest speed before accelerating before popping it back in drive to minimize stress on your tranny. Inflating your tires to their max (indicated on the sidewall) will lower your rolling resistance and improve coasting, but on the flipside you'll have a slightly rougher ride, less traction during fast cornering, and a slight reduction in tire life. But the longer you can coast, the longer your MPG stays up, so the better you get at it, the more the gas savings will outweigh the negatives.

As far as mods go, the only thing I've done so far that upped my average MPG was adding a cold air intake. There are a lot of guys online that swear CAIs don't add MPGs, but I can tell you for a fact it did for me. I just got a cheapy off ebay because I already had a good K&N cone filter for like $30. That added 0.5 MPG to my average with no difference in driving habits. Doesn't seem like much but every little bit counts and the miles add up quick. It may add more once I switch out the bellows tube (accordian like tube from the TB to the IM) with the pipe that came with the CAI. The kit was one hose clamp short (like I said, cheapy, lol) and I haven't gotten around to switching it out yet. This would also be an excellent project to break you in to the "car-guy" world as it's a simple yet somewhat in-depth procedure. PM me and I'll tell you step by step directions.

On that note, I highly encourage you to start doing as much of your own vehicle work as possible. If you maintain your car properly and do it yourself, you'll save hundreds if not thousands through out your life. It can be difficult and down right frustrating working on cars at times, but the pride, satisfaction, and aquisition of an extremely practical skill are priceless. And somehow, it just makes driving your car more enjoyable and really makes it feel like YOUR car. You don't need to take a class or buy up all those DVD's at AutoZone to learn this stuff. Just get yourself a Haynes Manual for your car (~$20) and a good mechanics tool set (I HIGHLY recommend craftsman) and you'll be on your way. Go ahead and add me to your friends list and PM me if you have any questions.

 

hate too say it but like it was said you are either leaking it or!!!! buy a locking gas cap somebody could be stealing it...