Gas mileage is terrible, any help please?

[BezersSLPSS]

I have a 21 gal tank I think is what I read. I always fill up at the 1/4 mark and I end up putting like 15.6 gallons of fuel in the truck, well I only get 200mi before i need to do this, thats like 13mi to the gallon, this is in 2wd and is all in town driving, this is terrible.....any help guys? Please?

 

[Alec]

Is it better in the summer?

 

[aldive]

When was your last tune up? How are the O2 sensors?
There a lot of things you can do to improve mileage.

 

[BezersSLPSS]

I just got it 3 weeks ago, It needs plugs I know, not sure about the 02's...its not throwing any codes. I'm not hard on the gas at all! I mean I should be getting like 50 more miles to a tank of gas atleast right?

 

[aldive]

Change the plugs and wires as well as switch the oil to synthetic and see what that does for you.

 

[BezersSLPSS]

Well the dealer that sold me the car had the oil changed, but they put 10W30 in it, should it be that weight or 5w30? I can see where the thicker oil and bad plugs may cause it to use more fuel. Thanks for the ideas......what oil should be in the truck? I use synethetic for my SS, not sure I wanna buy it for the Explorer though. What weight should be in the truck if I run conventional?

 

[aldive]

Synthetic oil will definately improve your mileage' I would definately do it.

Ford calls for 5 w 30. I am running 0w20 Mobil 1 right now in mine.

 

[BezersSLPSS]

Sorry for all the questions, this is my first 4wd truck of any sort. Would bad plugs in the Ex really cause it to get 13mpg? It doesn't run rough or miss at all!

 

[aldive]

Plugs "could" cause some of your worries. I would look at O2 sensor function.

 

[BezersSLPSS]

My vehicle isn't throwing any codes, so how do I check on the O2 sensors? The truck has 129K miles on it and seems to be in great working order...idles nicely, doesn;t run rough or miss....

 

[daniel cauchon]

I have a 95 Limited...and during winter I only get about 13 to 15 combine...I run at very cold temp -20 and less...duing summer I get between 20 to 24 miles...so the colder it is the less you get.

 

[Alec]

Also winter mix fuel will get worse mileage than summer mix.

13 isn't too bad for cold city driving.

Are your trips mostly short?

 

[BezersSLPSS]

Originally posted by Alec
Also winter mix fuel will get worse mileage than summer mix.

13 isn't too bad for cold city driving.

Are your trips mostly short?

10-15 miles usually, stop and go all the way.

 

[00XLS]

I would think to adquately (sp?) figure your gas mileage you should let it go down to E if possible. Thats what I did with my last tank, found out I have a "Check Gauges" light. After filling up, I still had 2 gallons in the tank and the needle was on E.

Quick question is 0w20 ok to run in these engines?

 

[Alec]

You just need to know how far you went from the last fillup, then how much gas you put in. Better to use the exact same pump each time so you get consistent pump shutoff (and don't top off) if you want to be an@l about it.

And I'd run 5 or 10/30

 

[MattPersman]

I went from about 19 to 13 here with the cold weather change, same driving habits, gas mileage parts replaced to rule that out. I dunno here either, if it doesn't get back to 18-19 in the warm weather in spring then I see a problem, maybe they just run poor fuel mileage in the winter? I don't remember last winter, I drove a lot less, only like 12 miles a day, now I drive like 40 a day

 

[EBInterceptor]

I get worse gas mileage in the winter too due to the fact that I use my 4x4.

 

[maxxx]

Doing quick math, you should section your gas off, basically your saying, your feeling up at the 1/4 mark so....3 goes into 200, 66.6 times, giving you 66.6 miles per 1/4 tank of gas, thus giving you 266.4 miles per tank. Typically you should still have 2 gallons of gas left, so on a 19 gallon fill up on a 21 gallon tank, your gas mileage is..................................................... 14mpg, that my friend is about right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!