terrible gas milage

[badazz89lx]

lucky if i see 300 miles on a full tank in my 2000 eddie bauer 6 banger....200 miles a week are hwy to and from work.....checked the plugs and wires and they looked new(er)...gonna change fuel filter next...what else would cause this......been this way since midway thru the summer at least....had the truck almost 2 years and its been the same(weight wise) for over a year.....truck has 86k on it....any help would be appreciated

 

[stuntman]

300 miles/tank is about 15mpg. Not going to get a whole lot better than that.

 

['97 V8]

actually he should be gettin around 20+mpg from his sohc engine. Have you checked your airfilter? When was the last time a tune up was done?If you cant remeber then i think it would be time for it.

 

[gfisch]

20mpg+??? I wish i got near that. Best I've ever gotten was 18mpg on the hwy.

That seems to be about what I get around town, maybe only slightly worse. i remember seeing a thread a while back where everyone was posting their mileages. But, I wouldn't get your hope up of improving that much.

 

[pservecc]

I get a little over 20 Hwy on my SOHC. It's the city MPG that hurts...

 

[Millertime1987]

I get 18 on the high end with my EX. other wise its around 16. Thats both city and highway.

 

[dynamite196]

When was the last time you had plugs, wires, and the airfilter replaced?

 

[97greenmonster]

I know ive said this alot, and it doesnt fix everything, but seafoam.. use it in your gas tank,on the PVC hose and brake booster line. i did this and i noticed quiter idels, better MPG and more power. my ex does have 127k on it, and after te seafoam, it felt like it had 12k on it. big difference. there might be alot of carb build up in the chamber, smell the exaust and see if you smell unburnt gas. airfilter and tune ups are great too. i have yet to do that, but im looking into that in the near future.. good luck and may you MPGs improve!

 

[badazz89lx]

had the mechanics at my work pull a plug and it looked new(good shape)...air filter was clean as well(might buy a K&N) anyhow..i used to get like 325-350 on a full tank..now i dont....why change plugs and wires when they look brand new still?..no unusual burn etc on the plug

 

[huntersteve61]

I know this much as my dad has been turning wrenches for 24 years... A single plug that is not fireing correctly could EASILY cause that problem and so could a plugged fuel filter.. At the cheap cost of replacing plugs you should do it on a weekend and buy some high perf wires... At nothing else you will gain back that original zest you dont even know you've lost. Personal experience is there were AC DELCO!? plugs wen i bought my truck, and I replaced with fords higher end plugs and it fealt like i went from a ohv to a sohc mind you i've owned both and currently have a sohc... also have u been keeping up with ur oil changes and using additives?

 

[NHale623]

Have you checked your tire inflation pressures? How about your brakes? Is there a pad rubbing?

 

[ronwc]

gas milage

I have been experimenting with getting better gas milage out of my 2000 4.0 - not that it was that bad to begin with, about 18 mpg. I sold my 98 Expedition about 6 months ago, it was getting 14 mpg no matter what I did. The 2000 Explorer was getting about 18mpg - 1/2 hwy and 1/2 city. The changes I made were to drive easy, pump up tires to about 34, run a tank of Techron (good stuff), check/clean air filter, not run AC if not needed, use cruise control - with these my milage went up about 19 mpg. I noticed one cold morning that my temp guage was not coming up, which means it's stuck open. I replaced it with a Stant 195, now my engine warms up quick, stays steady and my milage went up to 20/21 mpg. Just some ideas -

Ron - Hudson, FL

 

[dynamite196]

Just because the plugs look "good" doesn't mean they're working as well as they're supposed to, like hunter said a new said of plugs and wires will make a HUGE difference if they haven't been done in a while (You should do them around every 50k). Old plugs will certainly cause low power and poor mileage.

 

[aldive]

I have been experimenting with getting better gas milage out of my 2000 4.0 - , pump up tires to about 34,

What were you running in the tires before? I run 40 psig in mine.

 

[aldive]

had the mechanics at my work pull a plug and it looked new(good shape)...air filter was clean as well(might buy a K&N) anyhow..i used to get like 325-350 on a full tank..now i dont....why change plugs and wires when they look brand new still?..no unusual burn etc on the plug

Have you tested the resistance of the spark plug wires?

 

[aldive]

Have you scanned the function of the O2 sensors?

 

[Fredness]

24.99 Hwy/21 City SOHC, 4x2, Auto, Sport

38PSIG in the tires, fresh tune.

Ditto on the plugs, 1 misfiring plug can drop your MPG 10%, a fouled plug can drop it 16%

 

[badazz89lx]

no i didnt test anything as im not getting any codes etc.....maybe il do plugs/wires and see what happens...i just hate to spend $$ and not get any results......oil is changed every 3000-3500 miles(when i forget or dont have time to change at 3k)...tire pressure is what is stamped on the door sticker..use CC everyday..set it @ 70 mph..dunno when th eplugs were done last..i bought the truck w/59k on it now i have 85k...front brakes are new(er)..havent done the rears yet(soon)

thanks alot

 

[aldive]

Before you take the shotgun approach with replacing things, do a little testing.

Good luck ....

 

[ghh97eb]

Driving habits and a host of other factors can affect MPG, but you might want to consider increasing the PSI of your tires. This is a cheap fix and may give you good results.

I have a '97 Eddie V8 with AWD and 124K miles. When I increased the PSI in the tires last year from what the sticker inside the door said (I think it was something ridiculous like 26 PSI) up to 35 (now 37) PSI, my MPG increased from 17-18 Hwy to 19-20 Hwy. The MPG is better if I am not crossing over the mountain to get to work, in that situation I see 20-23 MPG Hwy. I use full synthetic fluids throughout and 87 octane gas. I also keep the speed at 70 on the Hwy. most of the time and, whenever possible, do gradual starts.