I have an '05 stratus with 112634 miles on it. i just bought it last week. well i have been noticing it burning alot of gas. I bought a new gas cap and new air filter( it was extremely dirty). I filled it back up after i changed those two items and drove maybe 15 miles and the needle went from full to just above 3/4 mark.. I dont smell any gas . so I suppose it isnt leaking . Can someone give me some ideas what it could be or what else I should look for?

 

One can't get a good reading on 15 minutes of driving... fill the tank to where it clicks, mark the mileage and drive it for a few days. Go back to the same pump, fill it again to where it clicks, write down the number of gallons and the miles at that time. Divide the miles by the gallons.

An example is that my strat will hold "full" for 150 mi, than plummet to empty over the next 150. My old blazer would fall to 1/4 within 50mi, but stay there for the next 250 or so. You may just need to learn the car

 

Thanks for the reply. I will try that. I guess when I was in My '97 Avenger I know I could get just over 300 miles on a tank of gas. So yea Im gonna have to get used to the car.

 

A car with that much mileage, and never having the Oxygen sensor(s) replaced could possible be running in rich mode. Is you exhaust pipe black? Have a diagnostic run.