I just had my turn lever replaced, because my high/low dimmer switch stopped working... While they were at it, they changed out my column and the wiring along with it (from a salvage yard).. now my cruise control works (never has,) and my highway mileage went from 15, to 30 miles per gallon! How is this possible?

Also now it feels like my car has 5 gears... is that normal? I think that somehow this is related to my torque convertor, but I don't see how the steering column could control that... I've never felt my transmission kick like it does now when I'm in over drive.. .it literally feels like I have 5 gears now..

30 mpg wtf? I'm so used to 15mpg this is friggin' amazing!

Any thoughts on this?

I verified my mileage with yahoo maps as well... it's either 29.5 or 30.1 mpg... either way... wow...

edit: now my engine sits right at 2,000rpm at exacty 85 mph... before it would be at like 2,600rpm... huge difference.

 

that "5th" gear is probably the torque converter locking up, which is suppose to do. Maybe it was disconnected or something before and they reconnected it while having the underdash apart and the column out.

 

When he cruise control didnt work they probably went after vacuum leaks and whatnot. Could have helped the mileage a little too. If your TCC wasnt locking properly before, and is now, it could make a big difference. It sounds like this may be the case.

 

interesting... they didn't do anything with vacuum leaks... all they did was pull the column and the wiring harness associated with the column... then replace it with another one...

how could the TCC have anything to do with the column?

 

lol I've always had overdrive...

I know that somehow my TCC wasn't working before... but how can simply changing the column and turn signal lever affect this? I can't see why there would be anything associated with the TCC in the column harness

 

As part of the service, they may have correctly adjusted the brake pedal switches. One of them has to be closed to allow the TCC to lock. Since they were likely moving them out of the way to unbolt and replace the column, they would have had to reinstall and adjust the position. That should help your overall milage, and not just highway, since the TCC can lock as low as 27 MPH depending on the programming.

Imagine what a full tune up might do.

 

Another thing is if your using the cruise your speed isn't varying as much and you get better mpg.

 

And he hasn't been hitting the magic mushrooms lately either!

werd?... no... iunno?... no... Accell injectors are the bomb?... no....

 

the tcc is HARD to get to lock up at 27... if I am going about 45, it takes about 45 seconds to lock up... at higher speeds its almost instant... I guess its the programming--it doesn't want to wear out the locking mechanism unnecessarily..

I bet you're right about the break switches... but I am assuming this switch had nothing to do with the break lights, right? because that worked fine

I have noticed that the second I tap the brakes, the tcc disengages, so that seems entirely likely that my problem was in there somewhere

I do like how my cruise control works now, but that's not why I got the good mileage now... in fact, cruise control almost gets me worse mileage, because when you come to a hill, it increases the speed too much, when normally I would have just let the car slow down.

 

Sometimes it's best not to look a gift hose in the mouth, you know? It runs better. Best not to ask too many questions. I mean seriously, how often do your cars "heal themselves?" I know mine almost never do.

BTW- I doubt just re-activating TCC lockup could DOUBLE your mileage. Somewhere under that dash some wires got jangled (or un-jangled) when they did the column. You may find out what/where/why someday but you may not. Find a way to be OK with that.

 

so it's unlikely that the TCC is the sole benefit of the mpg? because my city mileage is still crappy... like 18mpg... and that makes sense because the tcc hardly ever engages when driving around in Austin...

yeah I agree... I don't think I'll be taking it back in... "Hey guys, you totally screwed up my car... im getting 30mph wtf you *******s!" ... "now put it back to normal!"

 

My '86 would hit lockup at 27 MPH in either 3 or OD. On level surfaces, I could never go 30 MPH. I would either have to putt-putt at 25, or allow it to lockup at 27 whereupon the target idle and IAC would keep it idling at about 34 MPH. After a little reporgramming, that was fixed. Later years didn't have that "problem" since the TCC parameters were changed considerably in the PROM.

 

Where-ever you took the car to, I'd make sure that they're your mechanics from now on. It's obvious that they do quality work.

 

heh, you'd think so

the thing is, it took them 2 whole weeks to get this used steering column in there

to replace the turn lever internal assembly, parts and labor, plus the steering column, was exactly $200

my steering column was "loose", as in it had play left and right, as well as I could tilt it up and down when it shouldn't have

the main downside to the whole ordeal is that they got my new seat covers all greasy! damnit, plus they forgot to put back my car alarm LED in my dashboard. so I gotta go back.

I just never knew that the TCC had anything to do with the wiring in the steering column, so I guess some how it was that brake switch (even though my brake lights worked fine)