if it is truely only getting 4mpg you either have a SEVERE fuel leak or your truck would be smoking like a freight train. If you have no leaks. Go to were ever you get fuel and fill your truck up to the top of the filler neck might take a few minutes but fill the tank as full as you can get it and run it and check your fuel mileage again but be sure when you refill to fill it up again as full as you can get it.

 

If all else fails and you can't fix it, put it on ebay or craigslist and claim 20+mpg (just like everyone else does). Some sucker will surely buy it.

BTW, your ex fixed it? LOL FAIL.

 

Subscribing.

 

I recently bought a 99 F250 xl 4x4 standard cab with the 7.3 auto, 200,000 miles stock lift and tires. Its quite rough looking, being it was a work truck. I drove 200 highway miles so far, and I am a light foot, but I was amazed at it getting around 25 mpg.

 

Only things I can see that would cause that would be:

Fuel leaking past Injector O-Rings into Coolant (Possible But you would see it in your coolant bottle)
Fuel leak (Would be pretty obvious)
Your burning it (Would be ENDLESS BLACK SMOKE ALL THE TIME)
Your mistaken in your "Fill Up"

My .02

 

If you wouldn't mind, please 1) update your profile with your location, and 2) add a signature like many of us have that lists the details of your truck. We'll have a better understanding of what you're working with, and it just might turn out that one of us is near enough to you to literally give a helping hand.

 

At 3-4 mpg with a 7.3 Turbo Diesel, you'd have to see some kind of evidence left behind, smoke, fuel on the ground...

 

Also make sure that no one is stealing your fuel.

If there is no leak, that would be the only way that all of that fuel could go missing.

just something to think about.

 

Pop's right. You can't get an accurate MPG calculation off 15 miles. Fill the tank to the neck, which WILL take a lot of time without the in-tank mods, reset the trip odometer, drive at least a half tank's worth of fuel, fill to the neck again, and recalculate.

 

i would think that if you really did use all that fuel, it's gotta be leaking. i just can't see a stock or chipped PSD using all that fuel without hydrolocking. lol

 

UPDATE!

ok- so since I was on here freaking out last (lol) my sister hooked me up with this awesome deisel mechanic she knows. I drove thru 2 tanks of gas (tippy top filled) and you guys were def right that 15 miles wasn't enough of a guage. Turned out I was getting closer to 7 miles per gal after those two tanks...still too expensive for me to drive on a daily basis though! There really wasn't any smoking, so this guy took it for a couple days.

Turns out there were 2 gas leaks and he couldn't understand how I didn't smell/see them. (I played the gurl card...lol) In addition he said my filters were def due, but he didn't think they were a huge part of the problem. Since then I'm through almost 2 tanks and seem to be averaging somewhere in the 15 mpg range... which is def acceptable for me! (I was also towing for part of the one tank)

So now I just have a big bill to pay...but alot of piece of mind.

the mechanic recommended I dye my hair blonde to warn others of my lack of common sense and also that I get my sense of smell checked by a doctor! lol

So thank you to everyone who responded to my freaking out! I just knew this wasn't something I could deal with so I think this worked out best.

 

15 mpg's sounds about right to me. Some get better, but thats in the neighborhood of what I get and is probibly in the middle of an everage. Hope this sets your mind at ease. See how everyone on here is soooo willing to help. Glad your on the road and running happy.

 

You might be able to get a little better numbers if you get that speedo recalibrated to your lift and tires. Glad to hear you got it solved

 

One other thing, check your air pressure in your tires. Mine take 80psi. It will seem like your riding in a 'stiffer' truck but it will help your mileage. If you want a 'smoother' ride, let the tires down to 60psi and it will feel like the family car... but air them back up when you are towing.

 

Sounds close to what I get around town. I have managed 18-21 when I take a trip. Closer to 18 when I am in the mountains and 21 when I am on the freway and level at 2000 rpm.