Fuel milage isnt good as it should be on 98 chevy cavalier 2.2

Where do you live? 80% this year lives in cold country. That is not good for gas mileage as you may sit warming up the car or defrosting the windows while scraping off the snow or even digging out the car. plowing snow puts a drag on the tires. Your car is six years old. When did you have it tunes, cleaned or filters changed, both fuel and air? Check the air in the tires or have snow tires on? Check the brakes as they may need the pads replaced and are causing undue drag. Have you changed your driving habits ever so slightly? Do you have to be first off the line or get to the turn first? Wear lighter shoes to use on the gas feed or peddle. Keep the car clean on the outside to reduce drag. Long trips or short trips? Highway or city driving? Windows rolled up or down? Newer cars get better mileage with the A/C on and windows up because of the aerodynamics of the body design. Do you stop to talk to neighbors with the car running? There are a lot of factors to consider why your mileage is decreasing. It may even be transmission slippage. Check the transmission oil level? How much mileage is there on the car? You might put in a can of fuel injector cleaner in the tank when you fill up. Check the air filter and either wash it, blow it clean or change it out. Drive as if there is a raw egg under the gas peddle and you don't want to break it. Get in the car in the morning, start it, let it sit for 15 seconds then drive away slowly until it warm up to normal operating temperature. You may get poor mileage with a cold engine, but get 0 MPG when it is sitting idling.

Your gas mileage on that car will never be what you expect .. After 70 + plus years in the business I recommend a complete Tune-Up .. I mean everything ,air filters ,gas filters , wires ,etc ... I have no idea what Calfcarson is talking about ( wash or blow out a air filter ) never heard or seen it done in my life ..

Mark, on the air filters, some after market filters are recommending to be cleaned and back to full operational they be washed with mild soap; and water, dried and put back in service. There are some filters that are just dirty and can be temporally cleaned by using an air hose to blow out the dirt. Not recommended of coursed as a permanent replacement, just mild service between changes. Driving habits come into play also on the improvement of gas mileage. Mark it sound like your a service writer for a car dealership. I'm just a back yard mechanic for only 68 years with some time spent in a foreign car repair garage. The rest in my own home garage. Waste not, want not. If it can be cleaned and reused, why waste it.