Ok - Since this thread is alive again, I'll add an update. Back when I originally posted in '06, I had just shy of 100K miles... Well it's more like 160k miles now. My mileage is up around 17.5 to just shy of 19 usually these days. (I'm not fanatical about my tire pressure and when I add air, I run them around 34-35psi. I think I may boot them to 39 & see what happens.)

The valve cover fix I mentioned. It was covered by warrantybynet.com, but didn't solve my oil consumption problem. (It sometimes uses a lot... other times not so much. Still not solved.)

The intake gasket. I fixed that myself last summer after I was fed up w/ getting 12-13mpg. READ: 250ish miles per tank w/ 20 gallon fill-ups. **Note: Mileage calc lessons were humorous. Thanks! (No offense) After I replaced the gasket, my milage went up to the 16-19mpg range.

To check for an intake leak, just take a can of carb cleaner and spray it along the intake-to-cylinder head mating surfaces while at idle. If the idle goes up or changes, then you have found your leak.

The brake drag... Yes, you will feel the heat and smell them if they are dragging very much.

I would also suspect the fuel gauge is wrong, goalie. Mine is definitely messed up now. The needle is all over the place once the level drops from a totally full tank. Sort of like if the tank didn't have any baffles and the fuel could slosh all around, letting the float rise and fall too much.

Ok - That's all! Best to everyone!