Miles Per Gallon of a 144 Automatic
 

Anyone out there got any idea as to what my 144 S/L Auto should do to the gallon as arough guide. After 80 miles my fuel gauge is down to half!
My car is well serviced and set up properly so would hope to get early 20s
Any thoughts?

Not sure about an automatic: but back in the day when they were new my 145S manual used to give 27mpg on 'normal' mixed motoring

That chimes with our experience, too, 'ITSv40'. MPG varies greatly from driver to driver, use, terrain, etc., but our autos always managed around that figure. The most economical was a MOD 145DL that often topped 30.

Regards. John.

Autobox will give you 20-22 mpg.
That doesn’t explain half a tank for 80 miles.
I would check if any leak is undergoing.

Again, 'mentepazza', depending upon how it is driven; we regularly achieved significantly more than the figure you quote.

I agree with you regarding the possibility of a leak, though. Either that, or some other fault such as a worn carburettor, for example. Fitting electronic ignition improved consumption a little too, as well as being more reliable than conventional points.

Regards. John.

Mpg figure with our old Volvo vary depending on many different situation.
That’s not the point. The point is half a tank for 80 miles is not right.
It’s quite common on the 240 fuel leaking out of the hose connected to the tank.
Guess the same on your 144. I would not wait a minute longer to check if that is the case.
Worn carb would warn you with lower engine performance, difficult to start the engine, black smoke out of the exhaust.

Admitted I never use my auto 144 for commuting/heavy traffic jams etc but regularly get over 25mpg, so as has been said, suspect leaks unless you have a heavy right foot. Economy of large old Volvo's variable - if on steady main roads I can get over 25 in my Volvo 164 too, but not round town!
Leak favourites not mentioned - float chamber of Stromberg carb (also a bit dangerous if leaking onto hot manifold), corroding metal fuel line where it goes up to the fuel tank, and seam around tank join. Does it smell of petrol inside the boot? A sensitive nose could be your friend here!

P

you cant really hope for much more than 25 mpg , but you have not done any calculations regarding how much fuel has actually been used . It's guess work at the moment .

Or might be just the fuel gauge.

Both my 144 auto and 145 both do around 30MPG on local driving a bit better on motorway runs. Our manual 140's all do a little bit better.

You should at by getting at least 25MPG