My 1992 Ford Ranger Super Cab is a total gas guzzler. I drive maybe 8 miles a day and I am only getting 10-12 miles per gallon. The car only has a little over 68,000 original miles and I have tried STP Saves Gas and Chevron Fuel Additive and nothing seems to happen. Do any of you guys know of anything I can do to improve my gas mileage?

 

I drive about 250 miles per week....on average. I've been consistently getting 14.2 - 14.8 miles per gallon. My drive is a city/highway mix. I thought that was TERRIBLE.

Last night, I filled up again and on that tank I got 15.8 miles per gallon. That's a HUGE improvement. Then I started thinking....that tank of fuel came from a Marathon station. I usually go to Chevron.

So the point is, all gas is NOT the same. All other things equal, one station's fuel resulted in a 1.5 mile per gallon increase over another for me. Who knows...maybe if I went to Shell or BP it would be even better (or maybe it would be worse).

Try different brands of fuel....that may help. Also, I'd get that truck serviced at a Ford dealer and have them check the O2 sensors.

 

Has the truck ever been tuned up, is the air filter clean? The other thing to keep in mind, and this would not explain mileage that bad, but since you take short trips all the time your truck is never warming up and going into closed loop, this is like running with the choke on all the time.

 

Check the air pressure in the tires too.

 

I saw a special on the history channel the other nite, and all gas is the same. They all use the same pipe lines. The 50 gallons they put in it in TX is not the same 50 they take out in say.. NY. Whats different is how much water n such is in the locals storage tanks.

 

I have a 91 XLT 4.0..........was getting lousy mileage (15 mpg) when I bought it..............found out someone had removed the thermostat so it was running wide open all the time.........never heated up to correct operating temp.
Put one in, now getting about 22 mpg.........

 

You might try Amsoil synthetic oil-you can gain a few mpg's,increase power, have easier starts and your engine will last longer. Check out my site for more info. Also a tune up will do wonders!

 

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE. I'M ONLY GETTING 6 MPG ON A GOOD DAY IN MY TRUCK.

 

If you are only getting 6 mpg, you must have serious engine problems. Check you engine compression and if thats ok ,do a major tune up.

 

First off, is it a 2.3, 3.0, 4.0? That makes a BIG difference.. but, assuming it's a 2.3..

Could be lots of things. partially clogged cat (not likely, truck would have NO power)
MAF might need cleaning.
Air filter - Checked it lately?
Has this truck ever had a tune up, could be that simple.
Get the codes pulled, might be issues there, O2 Sensor, ect...

All in all, my guess would be that this truck is just in desperate need of basic maintainance. If it were something more severe, such as a bad cyl, you'd be having more symptoms than lousy feul mileage.

Don't forget, driving habits can have a profound impact on economy also, so do what I had to do, get yer foot out of the radiator.

Oh, and do you happen to have a ton of weight in the bed for winter, this will hurt you too..

Of course, if it's a 3.0 or bigger, well, most of that still applies, but, you're never gonna see great mileage, but it could definitely use improving.

 

Did you notice what he's driving. With a 472, 6mpg is not too bad...

 

Sounds like it's time for a good tune up, and tip off the dealer why you are there so they pull any engine codes. After this is done, do the truck a favor by driving on the highway for about 30 minutes a week; this will warm the engine up and drive off moisture that condenses in it during the week. 8 mile trips on a regular basis are hard miles.

BTW, how do you drive? Do you run around in a lower gear than needed, or to you get into 4th around town (on a 5-SPD)? Winding it out when you don't need to consumes gas, just like flooring it at every stoplight will.

With my 94 4x4 4.0L 5SPD 3.73 axles, I get about 19.7 on the highway, 15 in town. Record milages are 11 (hauling a loaded trailer on freeway) and 24.8 (country roads at 45mph in 5th gear).

 

Check your temperature gauge, if it is on the low side, (cool ) the engine is being told by the computer that it needs to run rich till it warms up. another problem of the short drive to work. A new thermostat is the cure, and a cheap fix.....................................