400i making cross country trip in July

man kraig, what a trip!!!! you should make Denver nonstop about 16 hours...first leg is the 15 to the 70,,once you hit the 70 your half way to Denver. what a beautiful drive it is!! please make sure you don't get to low in gas because in Utah there's not many gas stops. lots of curves and mountains all the way thru Utah and Denver..good luck buddy..!! keep us posted!!

 

Kraig,

Sounds like a blast. I've made two 1,600+ mile trips and it is indeed quite an adventure.

Take a 3mm T-handle allen wrench with you just in case she starts to run like crap (too lean) in the mountains. No biggie, jump out, turn each adjustment screw 1/2 turn clockwise until she runs better, and you're off.

 

I belive that adjustment only affects idle air /fuel mixture.

 

Check your FI manual and you'll see

Just re-read my own post, what a dunce! A car in the mountains will run RICH not lean. Therefore you'd turn COUNTERclockwise to lean it.
Sorry Kraig.

 

come to kentucky y'all, only 350 miles south of chicago

 

hope your a platinum AAA member!!!!!!! j/k kraig..you know we love yah!!

 

have an extra radar detector if you need kraig...

 

Stop at the scenic overlooks and get a few good pictures with your car.
Great memories.





Here is my old one in the mountains of TN.
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Good luck! You'll have a ball.

Aidan

 

nice going kraig!!! sent an s.o.s out a few days ago for yah!! lol...

 

Kraig,

That's a great, no real serious problems. You use a quart of oil every tank of fuel, that's a lot. What oil are you using and the viscosity?

I don't think you've worn out the engine, to generalize, but the rings may be sticking and maybe the guides are worn. What are you planning to do?

Others with experience, with your engine and it's characteristics, may have an answer. Do you have a PCV valve, in the scheme of things, it could be bad and cause the oil consumption increase?

I would like to suggest you put Marvel Mystery Oil, in the fuel, and in the crankcase at the proper ratios, to see if that would have a positive effect. It won't hurt, and I have used it in healthy engines to free stuck rings, that resulted in loss of power and a lot of oil use. Not to the level you are experiencing though.

I hope this helps and Good Luck, on your return and keep us posted.

Ciao...Paolo

 

WOO HOO glad you made it ok. How's Mom? Dad? Sister? I can't remember who you're seeing.

No biggie on the fog light switch.

Kraig, you mean to tell me you actually thought you WERE getting 15 mpg in a 400i? BAWAHAHAHA oh thats too funny!
(best I ever did in either car was 12.4)

On the way home check your mileage and speed. It is easy to do this in the midwest. In case you don't know, here's how....
The mile markers along the side of interstate 80 are very accurate. Run at exactly 60mph and time yourself between 2 markers. It should take exactly 60 seconds.
If you get to the marker too soon your speedo is reading slow.
Now set the trip meter to zero and run a set of markers to check the odometer.
My guess is you have a "stickered" speedo, an overlay that changes the face to read in mph. Therefore your speed will be close but your mileage will be way off.

On the oil consumption........
Are you leaking any? How long has it been since you've run her hard like this? Was it getting better the farther you went?

Kraig, this is VERY IMPORTANT............
If you see a light green sedan, or a bright yellow Mini, being driven by a really old grey haired guy with suspenders who thinks he can still drive
GET OFF THE ROAD!
Thats my Dad.

 

Kraig,

If your return trip follows the same route back, I'm in Grand Junction, Colorado - roughly halfway between Denver and I-15. I'm too new to these cars to be much help if you have trouble, but I could probably lend you a part off my car, seeing as how it's not going anywhere for a while! Probably no need, as I'd bet that your trip back will be as trouble-free as your trip out.

I've used Dave's method of verifying speedometer accuracy, but you don't have to be going 60. Just take however many seconds between mile markers and divide into 3600. At 75, for example, you cover a mile every 48 seconds.

 

You will love the trip through Utah. There are such vast expanses of open land with various elevation changes and the most incredible rock formations you ever will see. It looks like you are in another world. I did the drive in the opposite direction about 12 years ago coming from Pennsylvania.

 

Ya twit! You said you were "WAY" off. 140 miles over 1500 or so? Kraig for an Italian speedo yours is perfect!

"Heya Gusippie, you thinka we shuda make the speedo reada better? Or shuda wea makea go faster?"
"Howa many timesa I tell you? The speedo, she no matter. Whena you foot ona floor and the tach at redline shesa fastest ona road."

 

After reading this post or another, I check my odometer on a 5 hour trip from NJ to VA this past weekend. It looks like my odometer is about 3% "fast". However, I get 14-15 mpg with this odometer reading so the corrected value is not much less. Some might say I am driving too easy (my son for example) but I push the car whenever it makes sense. I have put about 3500 miles on the car since I bought it last Oct and put it on the road this Feb. So I have a fair bit of history with the car. Getting all of the tuneup items RIGHT will help.
Ken