Expected MPG on a 1998 V8 AWD

[koda2000]

During the dead of winter it takes longer for engine to warm up and enter "closed loop" mode. It' like running a carb'd engine with the choke on. It uses more fuel. During the dead of summer gasoline evaporates much more quickly. To help with pollution, summer blend has additives to slow down the evaporation a bit, but the hot air entering your engine makes it run less efficiently, so it uses more fuel.

I find I get my best fuel economy in the fall and the spring, when the air is reasonably dense and I don't have to run the A/C.

I just checked the MPG on my '01 ST for the first time and found I got 17 MPG around town (rural area) with 4:10 gears. I'm pretty happy with that and it's about the same as my V8's with 3:73 gears get around town.

 

[geosnooker2000]

Now, that makes all kinds of sense...^^^

 

[sirdigalot]

I get 15- 18 suburban central Florida driving, on my 97 V8 if i time all the lights perfect i get 18 if not 15 (or less if i drive like a d1ck)

I don't usually use the A/C either.

expressway pretty much like anyone else i set cruise at about 60 and get about 20 or so.

Still even if gas was at $4 a gallon again it is still cheaper to run than having a new car payment *LOL*

 

[Froggmann]

Over a 500 mile round trip this week our 98' Limited averaged just over 19mpg with near 400lbs of gear in the back--80-90% hwy driving. Not bad for a 2+ ton brick with a V8.

 

[Machine090767]

People here have been reporting from 11-21 mpg's. so, in that retrospect, the average mpg is 16 mpg.

 

[Melon]

I have a 60 mile round trip commute that is damn near all highway running 65mph. I have very little city driving and I get a fairly consistent 17mpg. I'm content with it considering its AWD and it's paid off.

 

[SootsMe]

'98 Ltd 5.0 AWD 14-16 in town, 20-18 hwy 70-85 in Utah & Idaho (fairly high altitude & some good hills)

 

[Xylene]

My #4 piston decided to burn and I am now in the process of rebuilding my engine. I am almost done just need to put it back into the car. By the time I put this engine in I will have rebuilt the engine, replaced the shocks, upper & lower control arms, driver side cv axle, brake booster, master brake cylinder, fuel filter, spark plugs, spark plug wires, coil packs. Plus all of the other accessories associated to rebuilding my engine (water pump, thermostat, etc...) At this point if I don't see a MPG increase I am going to assume it's the way I drive coupled with where I live (High Altitude, with hills)

 

[CDW6212R]

My #4 piston decided to burn and I am now in the process of rebuilding my engine. I am almost done just need to put it back into the car. By the time I put this engine in I will have rebuilt the engine, replaced the shocks, upper & lower control arms, driver side cv axle, brake booster, master brake cylinder, fuel filter, spark plugs, spark plug wires, coil packs. Plus all of the other accessories associated to rebuilding my engine (water pump, thermostat, etc...) At this point if I don't see a MPG increase I am going to assume it's the way I drive coupled with where I live (High Altitude, with hills)

I hope the rebuilt engine does great for you. I also hope you have replaced all of the fluids with the best synthetics you can. That and good tires can help a lot.

If you haven't done it yet, consider a computer tune to dial in the combination, there's a good bit to be had for better power and economy.

 

[Turdle]

My #4 piston decided to burn and I am now in the process of rebuilding my engine. I am almost done just need to put it back into the car. By the time I put this engine in I will have rebuilt the engine, replaced the shocks, upper & lower control arms, driver side cv axle, brake booster, master brake cylinder, fuel filter, spark plugs, spark plug wires, coil packs. Plus all of the other accessories associated to rebuilding my engine (water pump, thermostat, etc...) At this point if I don't see a MPG increase I am going to assume it's the way I drive coupled with where I live (High Altitude, with hills)

Most common cause of this is a bad fuel injector-did you replace those also?

 

[CDW6212R]

Good idea Jon. The injectors do get tired when old, and for a feasible $80 or so for rebuilt units, replace those for sure.

I did that when hunting for a hard miss before, which didn't fix anything, but that turned out to be a coil pack that was nearly new(3-4K miles). Avoid Accel coil packs.

 

[alohamonte]

I think the Gen II's are fun little trucks but the MPG does not stand the test of time. Getting less than 25mpg these days is an expensive decision.

 

[Xylene]

Good idea Jon. The injectors do get tired when old, and for a feasible $80 or so for rebuilt units, replace those for sure.

I did that when hunting for a hard miss before, which didn't fix anything, but that turned out to be a coil pack that was nearly new(3-4K miles). Avoid Accel coil packs.

Oh great now you tell me about the Accel coil packs, those are the ones I put on it last November. I will have to track down some fuel injectors. Any suggestions? The injectors did look pretty clean though

 

[CDW6212R]

I just think their quality control is lacking, there are random reports of failures of Accel parts which are not old at all. That happens with a lot of brands too, but some take care of the customers better than others.

 

[CDW6212R]

I think eBay is a good source for a reasonable set of injectors. There are lots of sellers, just compare listings and some of the reviews. It's not too hard to identify the better sellers who have great reviews, and the prices run near $10 per injector. That's an excellent price for a set which have new filters etc, the replaceable hardware, and new o-rings, cleaned and flow tested and balanced. That's a lot to ask for $10 each, so make sure the reviews are really solid. Anybody can buy a cheap ultrasonic cleaner and start selling things, avoid people you can't tell about their history.

 

[Xylene]

I wish I would have thought about this before. I cannot find injectors for my car locally which means I have to order them. The soonest I can get them is next week, and I was hoping to have the project wrapped up this weekend.

Does anyone know how to best test the Fuel Injectors to make sure they are working correctly? Can the Explorer's computer do any diagnostics? I have read about other Fords that can run through and do a full test on each injector.

 

[Turdle]

You can "rig up" a tester cleaner using a switch, 12v battery charger, a can of carb cleaner and some creative heat shrink tube.

Just be carefull not to hold the injector "on" for too long. momentary switch pulses.

While you are at it, a 12v led test light can be rigged up to test the fuel injector harness. If the light flashes while you crank the engine the wiring is good.

 

[Xylene]

You can "rig up" a tester cleaner using a switch, 12v battery charger, a can of carb cleaner and some creative heat shrink tube.

Just be carefull not to hold the injector "on" for too long. momentary switch pulses.

While you are at it, a 12v led test light can be rigged up to test the fuel injector harness. If the light flashes while you crank the engine the wiring is good.

Thanks for the video, I did test the resistance of each one and they are all pretty much identical (about 18 ohms [I think that's the right unit]) I think I will give this a try tonight.

 

[Blk2kXLT]

Well taken care of XLT 5.0L AWD all seem to report 17 mpg real MPG. I've been skeptical of any reported 20ish unless they are 2wd or using the generous comp results.

 

[koda2000]

Well taken care of XLT 5.0L AWD all seem to report 17 mpg real MPG. I've been skeptical of any reported 20ish unless they are 2wd or using the generous comp results.

Assuming the engine is in good condition/tune and the tires are properly inflated, mileage varies greatly. In our 2000 Mountaineer 5.0L AWD with 3:73 gears, I have personally witnessed as much as 22.5 MPG (cool weather, flat roads, no traffic, A/C off, pretty steady 55 MPH and driving very gently) to an all time low of 13 MPG. An combined average of 17 MPG is very good and probably not achievable by most.