Is there such a thing as a performance ignition coil or an upgraded ignition coil for a 2002 3.0L? Looking for better gas mileage mainly here. I can't get *rap out of this truck and I have everything else tuned up except that.

 

Your 3.0L comes from the factory with a high performance ignition system, so unless your using a super charger, you don't need anything more & coilpack replacement won't do squat for mpg.

Whats your mpg that your not satisfied with it?????

 

I'm getting 17-18 MPG as tracked by Gas Cubby on my iPhone since April. I did the plugs, gapped and torqued, new wires, drained and filled rear diff with Mobil1 75w90, and did the intake with a K&N. I'm going to be traveling 50 miles per day and this truck is going to kill me.

 

Tell us what tranny, rear end ratio & size tires, how spirited you drive it, the kind of terrain your traversing & if most of the drive cycle is city, urban, open road, or a mix there-of & if your in cold country, or down south where it's warmer. Do you tow, or carry heave loads????

Is the engine still stock, with OEM filters, plugs, wires, no intake, or other mods????

For example, my all stock 99 4X2 4.0L 5spd auto 4dr extra cab with 3.55 differential, still turns 18-20 around town, 17-18 towing in the mountains & 22-25 on the road running 55-70, so your 3.0L should do at least as good or a little better by a mpg or two.

 

It's an 02 Extended Cab 2 door with the flare side short bed. Trans is the 5r whatever 5 spd. Auto. Filters are all Napa Gold with the exception of a K&N intake. Spark plugs are Autolite Plats, and I have no clue on rear end ratio. I would assume higher based on bed size. I don't tow at all. I drive spirtedly but not lead foot aggressive. (you have to rev the **** out of the motor though specially at highway speeds to get anywhere. Complete dog) My commute is 80 % highway 20 city through slight rolling hills and medium traffic. Highway speeds at about 70-75 if it's clear.

I'm using Mobil 1 5w-20 and good name brand fuel too.

And it's a 4x2.

 

All tires are inflated and alignment is good.

 

Look, moving at 70-75 mph, its a fact of life, your fuel economy is gonna suck. If you need to commute that much, park the truck, and drive a car. Its just that simple. I drive my Focus for my daily needs, and use my Aerostar when I need to tow or haul something. In my Aerostar, I can get up to 22 mpg on the highway at 65 mph. At 75 mph, I get 16, thats a 6 mpg loss for increasing the speed by 10 miles per hour. My Focus has gotten a little over 38 mpg before, mostly by staying between 65-70 mph. At 75, it drops to about 28, a 10 mpg loss.

Its just a fact of life, the faster you drive, the more nature tries to slow you down. The more wind resistance, plus the higher revs means more internal resistance from every moving part.

A K&N filter is not going to improve your fuel economy, in fact in my experience (key word EXPERIENCE), they tend to foul out your MAF, and that tends to decrease performance and fuel economy. Paper filters or washable dry filters are the way to go. I have been through far to many MAF sensors as a result of oil impregnated filters.

For the record, all a performance ignition system does is help overcome spark gap resistance, which comes into effect under high RPMs, high compression, or forced induction. None of these is a recipe for fuel economy anyway. Under normal conditions, a performance ignition offers no improvements over a functioning stock ignition, in fact it is worse because it can cause increase wear on the plugs, and the increased voltage can cause increased ElectroMagnetic Interference, which if severe enough can adversely affect other systems.

The best thing you can do to optimize your fuel economy is to change your driving habits. You just practice accelerating more slowly, ease on and off the throttle, use cruise when appropriate, avoid unnecessary braking, keep the speed down to a practical level. But if that is your goal, it is best to start with a vehicle that is well suited to the task.

 

^ + 1

Some additional thoughts.

Do a forum search for VIN number decode & it'll turn up a list of codes for your differential ratio, if it hasn't been changed.

OK, alignment is good, the tires are properly aired up, but we still don't know what size your running. Larger diameter tires will change the effective differential ratio & wider heavier tires require more energy to lug around & push down the road, not to mention the extra wear & tear they put on the suspension parts, wheel bearings, driveline ect!!!!

When you say it has the K&N intake, do you mean the entire Factory cold air intake system has been removed & replaced, or altered, or just the factory air filter has been replaced with the oiled K&N cotton gauze filter????
If entire air intake has been removed, modified, or the IAT sensor has been removed, relocated, or otherwise messed with, that can uncalibrate the computers computations about air charge density & have it mess up fuel trim!!!!!!

An over oiled foam or cotton gauze air filter can oil & dirt foul & uncalibrate the MAF sensor, as they typically pass more dirt to get air flow up & is one of the reasons Cummings put up photos of cyl wall scuffing some years ago on their site & refused warranty, if those kinds of air filters were used. SO, if the MAF sensor is oil/dirt fouled & outputting corrupt PID info to the computer about true airflow into the engine, it too can cause the computer to mis-control the air/fuel mixture to the rich side & that sure won't help MPG!!!!!

Our factory cold air intake with the specified paper air filter, isn't air starving a stock engine & won't foul the MAF sensor & it has the IAT sensor where it belongs!!!!!

Good idea to use a brand name fuel & a Top Tier fuel will have extra detergents to keep the fuel system & engine cleaner, so that'll help us maintain our best mpg..

Mobil-1 5w-20 is a good crankcase lube choice.

We still don't know if you live in cold country & if you do, pan & block heaters can help with mpg, by having the engine all warm & ready to go on those cold mornings.

More thoughts for consideration. Let us know how your mpg goes.

 

I'm running the factory 15 chrome spokes with stock tire sizes, and yes, I live in the Ohio rust belt. I noticed MPGs decreased on all my cars in November, so I figured it was winter blend. I need to get my cruise control resolved because I think that would help.

The intake is a complete K&N intake system, but I noticed the MPGs increased when I installed it.

That said, I am looking at buying a car soon, but I'm fishing for any little MPG boost here until then.

 

Ok, good feedback, well I'd try disconnecting the battery B- cable to wipe the computers KAM, then remove & clean the MAF sensor with CRC non residual MAF spray cleaner, after it cools off if the vehicle has just been driven. Don't touch the sensors wire grid with the spray wand, let it air dry in a clean place & keep it squeeky clean upon re-installation.
If it was dirty look up stream to find out why & put it right.

Then start it with all electrical loads off & after it idles down some, go through All gears including "R", ending in "N" or "P", then without turning anything on, let it fully warm up & go through All of the gears again. This will let it relearn it's cold & warm idle strategy, the remainder it needs to relearn it can usually do without driveability problems, while we complete various drive cycles.

We don't know how many miles on it & if you have more than 70K, the O2 sensors switching speed slows down & gets lazy, sorta like me lol & that can adversly affect mpg.

Do a proper mpg test by filling up at the same station, pump, facing the same way, at the same time of day & using the same fill speed & number of cut-offs to top up each time. Then divide the miles driven since the last fill up that are showing on the trip odometer, by the gallons pumped in on this fillup. Do it exactly the same way several times & average the readings. This will give you an accurate reading on mpg.

More thoughts for consideration, let us know how your mpg improvement quest goes.

 

That's some solid advice right there. Where can I get that spray? Would a regular CRC QD Electronics cleaner work? Oh, and between rowing through the gears when cold and when warm, should you drive it to warm it up or just let it reach operating temp by idling? Reason I ask is the 3.0 sheds heat crazy fast and it usually takes a while during normal driving conditions to warm up, let alone idling.

 

Walmart & most autoparts stores have the MAF cleaner recipe, which is different form the QD recipe.

Yup the cold & warm idle relearn routine is done at idle, with All electrical loads turned off. We don't touch, or turn anything on, not even step on the break pedal, or turn the radio/player on. Just slowly shift through All gears, ending in P or N & wait for it to fully warm up at idle.

The full relearn cycle is rather long & not usually needed, unless we have an emissions test due & need to reset all of the emissions monitors, or are having unusual driveability problems.

If the O2 sensors have 75K or more miles, their switching speed should be on your suspect list, as it'll affect computer fuel trim feedback & mpg.

If your coolant gauge is indicating that its taking longer than usual for the engine to get up to operating temp, or it isn't staying there when crusing on the highway, suspect a sticking open thermostat, causing the engine to run cooler than designed for & that too can cause it to run rich longer & the fluids to not get up to operating design temp. Use the specified 195 deg thermostat, that has the built in air bleed valve.

Its all a vicious circle, so we need to stay on top of scheduled maintenance with good parts that say they meet or exceed Fords specifications & I choose to use mostly Ford or Motorcraft parts, as they are designed for the vehicle, fit right & have to actually meet a spec!!!!