2007 Explorer Eddie Bauer Abnormal fuel consumption | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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2007 Explorer Eddie Bauer Abnormal fuel consumption

Abed

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September 27, 2018
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Dubai
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07 explorer eddie bauer
Hi
First of all, I want to apologize if this subforum isn't the correct place to post. But, I am a first time member here on the forums, hope you all excuse me.
Anyways, I have had a 2007 ford explorer (Eddie Bauer 4.0L V6) for the past 3 years with no issues at all. About a month ago, the car started giving off a check engine light. I bought an OBD II tool and checked it out. As it turned out, the car had a failing fuel pressure rail sensor. Some of the other signs I noticed were the extreme fuel consumption rate that I suffered from. After replacing the thing and getting it out of my local mechanic's shop, the awful fuel usage continued to happen. Before, I used to get 19-20 liters/ 100km at the worst in the city. Now, the car's dashboard shows 30-31 liters/ 100km !!
I tried cutting of the battery for an hour to reset the computer, but upon connecting it back again the car showed 99.9 liters/ 100km until I drove around quite a bit to return to the 30liter range. I am really confused about this especially being that no lights are coming off of the dashboard.
I tried cleaning the air filter, as well as checking the tires' pressure, they all seemed fine !
Anyone knows what could be wrong?
 



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Try this first
 






Welcome, you are in the right place :)

With the display in l/100km mode, press reset button.

Then, try driving it on a highway for couple of days.

The number should go down steady until it reaches (hopefully) 20l/100km or so.
 






Thank you for the reply, I really appreciate that.
I did what the previous member advised me to do as instructed in the video, but the computer automatically reassigned the economy to 98l/100km. With that said, I drove it for 3-4 hours on the highway and it never got below 31l/100km, which for me is really absurd.
Do you think the spark plugs could have any issue with them? And if they do, does a check engine light pop up or no? because nothing is on my dashboard. Also, can any leaks of some sort affect this case?
Thank you once again.
 






Have you tried resetting while on the highway? On a flat road going 100kmph your reading should be around 14L/100. You'll notice how it works pretty fast. Let off the throttle and coast and the number will go down, stomp on the gas and it'll go up.

Spark plugs are iffy when it comes to throwing codes, I had a 97 4.0 that would miss so bad that the truck would shake and no flashing light or stored code.

Wouldnt be a bad idea to replace the whole ignition system (plugs wires and coil) if it's still original and you're closing in or past the 200k mark on the odometer. I did mine with the screamin demon coil and heavier wires at 180k and I got a little bit more power and gas mileage out of it (I think just because the old one was tired, not because the upgrades actually do much.) It was starting to roll over more when starting before the change and that went away too.

Other things you could look at first though are hanging brakes and bad compression.
 






The weird part is that the car has only 98000 km (60 thousand miles on it)
 






dont replace things that you dont know are the problem..... throwing money at plugs, wires and a coil is most likely not the issue... it will throw a code if the number of misfires goes outside of a predetermined threshold .... i did my plugs at 120k miles and they looked perfect, fuel filter is a nightmare to change but worth it if you have time.... good indicator on fuel consumption is if you have a scanner that can read real time air fuel ratios mine is always close to 14.2 slightly rich with a mpg average of 17-18 mpg..... this can rule out if the engine is getting too much fuel or not burning it properly then next i would look at sticking brake calliper or binding bearing or u joint
 






Abed, from what I understand you are mostly concerned with the dash readout telling you have a fuel consumption rate of 30+ L/100 km. However, this may not be your real fuel consumption, mine for example does not always give a good value. Have you tried measuring it the good old fashion way (fill it up, tripmeter at 0, register how many liters at your next fill up and how many km on the tripmeter) how many liters consumed / km travelled x by 100 = L/km (example, 385 km travelled, 65 liters of fuel required -> 65 / 385 x 100 = 16.9 L / 100 km...
 






I will definitely try this today and will make sure to report back soon.
But, it is quite noticeable that the fuel tank becomes half empty in 3-4 days. Bearing in mind that I only use this car to pick up the kids from school.
 






UPDATE: I just went and fuelled the thing to the max (Resetting the computer before) After cruising for 10 mins, the fuel economy went to about 24-25liters/100km
I don't know what this might indicate, but I am going to calculate the exact mileage and fuel used to better comprehend what's going on.
 






Abed-

As you probably know, the more miles you drive, the more accurate average you will get.
 






UPDATE:
So, after refilling the car up and driving it for about 100 kms or so, the car's efficiency fluctuates between 28-31 liters/ 100km. Not only that, but I got an error code saying that the tire pressure sensor is faulty. Does this have anything to do with fuel consumption?
 






low tire pressure raises rolling resistance and lowers fuel economy
 






AND, I am starting to notice that the car's acceleration is rather sluggish and takes time. I am thinking spark plugs change?
 






You have something seriously wrong, unless you are driving like 90 mph everywhere in third gear. Even my 07, on alcohol filled winter gas still pulls 15l/100k and thats with a bad MAP sensor running the fail over fuel map (replacement EGR valve should be in this week). Mine still only goes down between 22 and 25L /100 K when I pull my 3500lbs camper at 100kph with the OD off into a head wind. Its also a sport trac, which adds a few pounds.
 






I just finished up my calculations here. When I last filled it up, I got 60liters of fuel exactly. Today, the tank is almost to its last few liters and the car has only driven 193km only with 60 liters of fuel!
If I go to a garage or a shop, what should I ask for to be checked with my vehicle?
 






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