I've been on this forum off and on for a few years now. I have searched for ways to increase the mpg on my 2000 7.3 4x4 Limited with 200k. I only get 12.1 as shown on the overhead. It appears no one believes those, so perhaps I need to calculate by hand. My truck has stock tire size bfg all terrains. Heavy duty front springs for snow plow, and plow brackets. Rear air bags. No performance items I am aware of. Previous owner had done some tuning, but I don't see any signs of mods. The mechanic I had fix it recently said it may have had a tune in it. It was running a little more boost than stock. I can't remember the number he said. I drive a lot. City and Highway both, checking jobsites and meeting customers. I am at the pump a lot paying $3.85 gallon. It's like $750 month in fuel. I am close to buying an additional small 4 cyl. pickup to save $. Though, I'd have the maintanance costs and insurance. I thought I'd see if you guys could steer me in the right direction on mods that I could do to increase the mpg instead of an additional vehicle. I hate to ask a dealer. They are there to sell their products, so hard to consider them unbiased. I don't have the deepest pockets. I am thinking exhaust and tuner. This is my sixth diesel and third excursion. Tuners always did me well before. I know about everyone on here has mods on their signatures, but it's hard to distinguish between them all. I live near Kansas City if that helps with location of shops. I appreciate all of your help!!

 

Definitely calculate by hand.

Have you reset the MPG computer?

 

I've been getting 16.5 70/30 HWY-City just the X 2WD. Pulling my 9000 Lbs trailer about 11.4 @ 65MPH all hand calculated this is after correcting for tie size.

 

Moved over to the 7.3L PSD forum.

Stewart

 

I live in Kansas City. If you are north of the river I swear by Absolute Powerstroke. Go to AbsolutePowerstroke.com
Owners name is Jason, former Ford dealership mechanic who went out on his own. Honest and does good work.
Good luck, John

 

The first thing to do is to get the EBP sensor checked for correct reading and the EBP tube cleaned out. Also make sure all the intercooler pipes and boots are not leaking. Third thing is up pipe leaks. If you have the stock (non-bellowed) up pipes, you almost certainly have leaks at this point. They cause loss of drive pressure and require more fuel and create more heat, to do the same work, as a truck without leaking up pipes. Mileage also depends on driving type- city vs. highway percentage, as well as driving style - how much foot you use on the skinny pedal and how time you spend north of 2,000 rpm.

 

Step 1: Verify you even have a problem. Since you're counting on the overhead to tell you how you're doing with fuel, then it's a given you're counting on that odometer being accurate. You mentioned the PO tuned the Ex... well, tuning changes the accuracy of the overhead.

I would check the odo against mile markers for 10 miles. If the odo is accurate, then I would hand-calculate the fuel economy. If you're doing a lot of stop-start in town, that's harsh on your fuel economy - you're accelerating/decelerating 4 tons for crying out loud. If you have substantial distance between each stop, the heavy diesel vehicle excels here.

My new duties at work involve a lot more short start-stop errands at work, and there are steep hills here. I got a Hybrid to put that stop-start/climb-descend to my advantage. For those about to lose containment, Prius is not the only Hybrid.

 

Thanks guys. Sounds like good advice for starting to figure out the issue. I'll check out Absolute Powerstroke. I live south near Overland Park, but can drive up there. I will hand calculate the mileage and check the odometer against the mile markers. I removed and cleaned the EBP tube a while back. That was a bear to get off and more so to reinstall. It was clogged. My overhead went up about 1 mpg after that, but has since dropped back down. I am probably in town 60 percent of the time or more unfortunately. A lot of stop and go driving. I don't tend to lay into the trottle a lot, but I don't putt around either. My intercooler pipes are leaking at the joints where the silicone boots are. Oil residue. I asked my mechanic about it and he said they all leak, so nothing to worry about. He mentioned that my turbo seals were probably going out and I'd have to replace the turbo at some point. The turbo was supposedly replaced just before I bought it, due to it going out. The hood liner shows the aftermath of that incident. It has a Garrett turbo on it. All in all, it wasn't the best diesel ex out there, but at the time, it was the only one I could afford to pay cash for at $11,750 with 155k on it. It's been pretty good. I have replaced a lot of parts here and there. Rebuilt the transmission, which still has a leaky valve or something causing lag to go in reverse, but that's off topic. My goal would be to get good enough mileage on the ex to keep from buying another vehicle. I want to keep it for pulling trailers, pushing snow, and hauling tools. Thanks again for all of your help!!

 

For sure ignore the overhead, or at least take it with a grain of salt. According to mine I am getting 20-25 mpg. I hand calculate, and pretty consistent 17-18. More highway but still pretty mixed. Gets 10-12 towing our 5th wheel. Got 16-17 back in Houston. 3.73 gears, stock size tires, drive pretty conservative, but do like to drive 75-85 on I-25.

 

Toolman i have had problems with mpg on my 7.3 diesels and its generally a sensor or hoop orings or something causing the problem. Is you cel on? Do you have a scan gauge to check for codes? I would think if your turbo was new when you got it you shouldn't have a prob with it this soon. You are probably doing a lot of stop and go driving and that will hurt your mpg. My mixed driving in my ex normally gets me 15mpg. Pulling a trailer during the winter months in town only gets me 12-13 in my f250. And thats prob a 5000# trailer. I also check a lot of job sites and live in Olathe. I drive all around jock pulling my trailer. I always shut it off at extended stops.

Ive noticed that my ex smells richer than my 250. I think my ex needs the hutch mod. I think the more air that gets to the injectors the stinkier the exhaust. I have run really low on fuel before to the point it was clattering and it smelled strong. But my mechanic lost his lift and bay so I'm not sure when he will get to the hutch mod.

 

I've seen several instances where cleaning the EBP sensor didn't really fix the problem permanently - including on my own rig.

Oil around the boots is not unusual - they seem to be a little porous, when compared with a boot upgrade.

Replacing the turbo sounds extreme, particularly if it's been replaced before. With a turbo that went bad, the most common failure on a stock truck is that worthless stock airbox (truly a flawed device). If you're not jacking up your power with upgraded injectors, I always suggest the Motorcraft AIS air intake. If you want a bunch of turbo noise, many people go for the inexpensive 6637, but I am not a fan of those. If you have plans for significantly more engine power, I have found the S&B is a good balance of more cool intake air, price, noise level, and build quality.

If you really want to restore the vehicle to optimum performance and economy (assuming you're keeping it stock) - a proper scan gauge will pay for itself many times over. I have my rock-solid go-to AutoEnginuity software for my "Carputer" - a 10" netbook I bought a few years ago that is dedicated to vehicle maintenance and travel (GPS, E-manuals, AE, and the like). I also have an engine-monitoring App for my Android device - all hardware and software (Torque Pro) combined is only slightly more expensive then the AE software alone. Dash Command works on iOS, but either non-AE approach requires buying a proper OBDII adaptor that works with your mobile device.

With a scan gauge, you will look at the EBP readings and see if it's really working correctly. If you have AE, you can reset your tire diameter to make your odometer accurate (if this is an issue). Any of these scan gauges can also tell you if you really have a boost leak, or any one of a number of sensors robbing you of performance/efficiency.

 

Almost everyone has a GPS unit these days, is there any reason not to use that to check the accuracy of a speedometer?

 

I would and then go around and check the tires/rims after a highway drive to see if a brake is dragging.