Hey guys, i got my b2500/ranger a couple of months ago and ive had very poor gas milage. I replaced the air filter, changed the plugs, no luck. The truck has 169,000 miles. I havent checked my exact gas milage but from what i am seeing its horrible. I filled it up last night, not completely full but really close the full marker. In the morning i drove to school (7 miles) drove home, so 14 miles. Then i had to go back out by my school to pay back a friend. All in all about 28 miles. This cost me a little more than a quarter of a tank. The 2.5l has a 16 gallon fuel tank, so if my calculations are correct im getting about 8 miles to the gallon. I also took it the consideration that it was a half gallon from full. And it wasnt just past below a quarter to full it was 3/4 of the way to a quarter from full. I know that i didnt test the mpgs "properly" but i think its close enough to draw a conclusion from. And keep in mind its not a 4.0, its a 2.5! Although i do think the engines size contributes to the mpgs because it takes ALOT to accelerate in this truck. At 2k rpm im barely accellerating from a stop light. And on the highway my engine stays a 2500 rpm doing 60-65. I am really hoping i can fix this because i dont want to drive around in a civic. Plus i need a truck for scrapping which is how i pay for gas as i am 17 and jobs are scarce. Also i know about cleaning the MAF butit has tamper proof torx on it which i do not have the tools to remove. I think it could also be the o2 sensors. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Welcome to FTE.

From your username, I assume your truck is a 1999 model.

Since you've only had it a couple of months, I'm guessing you have no idea what the past maintenance history is on that truck - I know what that's like...

I know nothing about the 2.5L so, I'll leave that for someone else to tackle.

When you changed the plugs, did you check the wires? What kind of plugs did you install?

Do have a Check Engine Light (CEL) lit or have you checked it for any current/pending codes? I believe '99 is OBDII so, you should be able to run it by any auto parts store to have them check for codes with their scanner - in case you don't have a scanner of your own.

If you have a Harbor Freight close by where you live, they sell a kit that includes all kinds of different bits for security screws - including those torx screws that were used on your MAF. When you clean it, make sure to use a plastic-safe cleaner formulated for the MAF.

 

It does suck not knowing the past maintenance. My radiator blew the first week i owned it. He failed to mention the five holes he patched up with duct tape. The plugs were autolite copper. I did not replace the wires. No check engine, havent tested for codes yet. My theory is that some of the sensors are on their last leg and the engine isnt picking it up. I probably should have changed the wires when i had thise two off under the upper intake. Had to crawl onto the engine to get the last one out. And also would i get a CEL if i unplugged the MAF? I unplugged it to see if it would do anything and no check engine which i thought was weird. Havnt seen a harbor freight, is it something up north? I live in fl. Ive heard of the company but have never seen one. Oh and when i got the truck it had a water bottle cut in half as the power steering fluid cap. Every mechanic that looked under the hood all had the same look on their faces. Well i cant complain too much as i did trade a dirt bike for it.

 

It's my understanding that pending codes stored in the computer won't necessarily trigger the CEL.

You may be right about the sensors going bad, but they are pricey and it doesn't make much sense to throw money into parts without knowing, specifically, what the problem is...

Maybe pawpaw will chime in here - he's better at outlining troubleshooting procedures than I am...

As for the Harbor Freight, maybe enter your zip code on their website (Harbor Freight Tools) to see if there are any stores close by you. I'm sure there are other stores that sell those kind of security bits, but I can't think of one, right off-hand... This is the kit I was talking about: http://www.harborfreight.com/100-pie...set-68457.html It's actually a pretty handy little kit - I bought one for doing facility maintenance work with and, if a bit breaks, it's not like I'm out a lot of money LOL...

 

Haha i saw that is was a 100 piece set once i clicked on it, thought it was going to be a fortune until the price loaded lmao. And i wasnt thinking about replacing the sensors, just a cleaning to see if it helps any. And ill stop by autozone on the way home and see if they cant pull some codes. Thanks man.

 

As far as I know, all you need to do to clean your MAF is to disconnect the electrical connection and remove the entire intake duct from the air cleaner box and throttle body. Get a can of quality MAF spray cleaner from your local auto parts store and spray the MAF while it is still in place in the duct and let it completely dry before putting it back together. Just be careful not to damage it. The directions should be right on the can. All you need is a screw driver.

 

Does the CEL work?

 

You can do it with out taking it outof the duct? Hell if i inew that i would have grabbed some at auto zone when i was there.

 

I am pretty sure it does. When i turn the key it lights up aswell as all the other dash lights.

 

The *******s at autozone wouldnt scan it unless the cel was on -_-. Its not fun wasting gas when your getting horrible milage.

 

Are you smelling raw fuel from the exhaust ?

Older Fuel pressure regulators are notorious for going bad sending way too much pressure to the injectors ... Just a thought.
Take the vacume line loose from fpr & see if gas is in vac line.

Completely Fill your tank, reset the trip, drive it 50-100 miles, refill it & do the math to just too see mpg BEFORE you find & fix the problem.

 

Hmmm. Didnt think of the fuel pressure regulators. Just more things to add to the list to check. Also my in-dash temp guage does not work. Do yall think that it could be telling the ECU that the truck is cold thus staying in "open loop" mode? It does run a bit hot jist after a couple miles of driving the radiator hose is too hot to hold for more than a second or two. I also think it could be my brakes rubbing because the truck squeeks when going slow. The previous owner is no help and often lies about the truck saying it got 25 mpg, which i think is a load of bull. I cant complain about it too much because i did trade a dirt bike for it. But i would like to be abke to get better mpg than what i am getting because if not i am going to sell the truck and either buy another ranger or an s10 even though im a ford guy. My buddy has one with the 4.3 vortec and he gets 23 combined. I just hope this works oit because i love the truck.

 

Your engine has 2 temp. sensors -one sends coolant temp info to the gauge in the instrument panel gauge, the other sends info to the ECU. Either one may be bad.

What is the condition of the engine coolant? With the number of miles on the truck, the cooling system may need a complete cleaning.

Your first step is to get an accurate check of you gas mileage as an earlier poster suggested. Going by the movement of the gas gauge needle on driving 28 miles is not a good way to do the calculation.

 

First thing is get rid of the coppers, 2.5 HAS to HAVE double platinums(I use Autolite myself). Its not hard to "break" the security tabs on the MAF screws-use a small screwdriver. Open the air box and look at the filter-if its paper, its very restrictive to the 2.5.-see if you can swing a K+N or something low buck like it(check Pep Boys). I would also check to see if your "cat" is restricted?? Or crushed/crimped exhaust pipe?? I just turned 148,000 yesterday on my 99, I still get 20+ all the time, except when it REALLY COLD outside...For better throttle response, check down by the gas peddle to see how much cable stretch you have-pull up on the peddle and look to see how much cable is hanging past the top of peddle-use a ziptie or 2 to take up slack. If you have a scan tool that lets you monitor while driving, see what your o2s are doing-if there constantly reading .900 or more, replace.

 

A fan clutch stuck on can hurt your milage.