Wednesday, March 26, 2008

159 MPG


I filled up the diesel tank this week.... while it cost over $50 to fill it, my mileage per gallon of *boughten* diesel was 159 mpg. I can live with that. To me, this vehicle is a true hybrid as much as a Prius.




Under the hood, the WVO components don't take too much room, as seen on this photo of the passenger side of the engine.










One thing that helped enormously was the removal of the AC compressor, idler pulley, and power steering pump. One belt now for the water pump and alternator, the thermostat is fully exposed and life is beautifully simple. The car is great to drive without power steering, with excellent road feel and just a little stiff at parking speeds.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

My first 2 Honda Civics (71 & 91) did not have power steering and I never missed it. It helps maintain your upper body strength...

Dan Houg said...

These Jettas have a terrible belt system when AC is installed. Vibration, squealing belts, and terrible access. To eliminate the huge AC bracket and idler system, I installed an alternator mount from an old Rabbit Pickup.

Unknown said...

I would like to see some details on your millage claims ?
I run bio diesel and use other alt energies , and have had many diesels of multiple makes .
So it sounds like your leaving out some info , or the claims are excessive .
But with out more info , I find it hard to take .
Thanks John

Dan Houg said...

Hi John-
The 159 mpg isn't magic... notice I say 159 miles per gallon of PURCHASED diesel. So. The car gets about 45 mpg whether on diesel or veg oil.... but my out of pocket expense is equivalent to a car getting 159mpg when I fill the tank.

-Dan

Anonymous said...

Boughten?