Bad Fuel Economy

[Danson]

hey everyone,
i have a 2000 Ford Explorer Limited 4.0 SOHC
the message center is telling me that i am getting 8.6 MPG and i have noticed i am going through alot more gas than usual, i have used 4WD High a bit but should my gas mileage be that bad?? I have put new spark plugs, spark plug wires, air filter, fuel filter, ran fuel system cleaner through it, is there anything else i can do??

 

[Joe Dirt]

Are you getting any codes? They can be in there without illuminating the check engine light. O2's are infamous for killing fuel mileage when bad.

Using 4wd shouldn't kill it that much, mine dropped from 15 to 12 on heavy 4wd use tanks in my '95 OHV 4.0L

 

[bcurran1]

seafoam cleans the carbon buildup which can cause bad gas mileage

 

[Joe Dirt]

Yeah, but even with 200,000 miles there wouldn't be enough carbon to knock mileage to 8 mpg in a few days. Something is definitely going on...

 

[ucluglee]

Definitely something not right there. My '00 with 190k miles (and original spark plugs, I think) is getting anywhere between 16-20mpg based on what I'm hauling and if I can keep my foot off the petal.

 

[ucluglee]

I just noticed this thread:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=299880

May help.

 

[Danson]

it is not throwing any codes at all and it seems to be running fine it now says 8.6 MPG and i have driven over 100 kms, its got 282000 kms on it but the engine was replaced at 256000, any other ideas? my front left caliper was holding on a bit but that has been replaced so there is no brakes holding, i went through $30 in gas yesterday
Thanks for your help everyone

 

[Joe Dirt]

Is your truck heating up? (Thinking thermostat sticking) Cleaned the MAF yet? Is there any binding when you take your foot off the gas? (Thinking driveline, not brakes) Thinking out loud...

 

[1AJeremyD]

If the Thermostat was sticking it would throw a check engine and if the MAF was dirty same thing. You said that there was a new engine put in it? What was your MPGs before the new engine? Did the MPGS go down after the new engine was put in? maybe you need to have the truck re-tuned. The transmission could be getting funky too and not shifting properly. Is the truck revving higher than normal?

 

[Danson]

nope it has been perfect, the gas just started to get bad a couple days ago. the engine was done a year ago and has been fine since then i was getting 14 MPG up until a few days ago, it heats up fine and i have never cleaned the MAF

 

[sean99]

Hows the tire pressure...one going down?

 

[Danson]

i havent checked the tire pressure but they dont look like they are low, if they are a little low how much would that affect fuel economy