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Old Feb 9, 2019 | 09:38 PM
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Poor MPG

The roads of Minnesota are laden with snow and ice, so maybe that's the thing with my new Ex (6.8L V10)

... but all urban miles on my last tank averaged out at 4.5mpg

Blergh. I know there's something up.

And I don't have a lead foot - nowhere near it. On the roads or off the line.

I'm a complete novice. Where best to start? Something I can do myself without being ripped off by a shop...

Thanks all.
 
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Old Feb 9, 2019 | 09:56 PM
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How did you come up with 4.5mpg? Hand calculated?
 
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Old Feb 9, 2019 | 10:00 PM
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Originally Posted by agsmv1
How did you come up with 4.5mpg? Hand calculated?
Sure is. 200 miles to my last full tank.
 
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Old Feb 9, 2019 | 11:52 PM
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4x4? Are your front hubs locked?
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 03:00 AM
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Originally Posted by PrescottIce
4x4? Are your front hubs locked?
My hubs have been locked since October and I’ve been driving in 4 high since then also. Combine that with 25-65 minutes of idle time a day, lead foot and all city miles I’m still getting my normal 7.5-8mpg I have for the last 9 years. So 4.5 mpg means there is something else going on, or a lot of idle time.
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 05:10 AM
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I know that I lose about 1.5 to 2 mpg with just the hubs locked, not even in 4wd. Add 4wd, and it will go down a bit more.

Winter blend fuel is supposedly less efficient

underinflated or unaligned tires may contribute.

Since you just bought the truck, it’s always good to change out all of the filters and fluids. That may help a bit if you haven’t already done so.

Maybe the cats and O2 sensors are starting to slowly get dirty or clogged.

Brakes may be dragging slightly

many possible contributors


I get about 4 mpg in my plow truck (2006 5.4l F350) and about 10 mpg in my daily driver (2011 6.2l F350 - mainly “around town” driving)







 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 07:12 AM
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Might be worth cleaning your MAF.
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 08:09 AM
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I only had the hubs locked for two days (ESOF vacuum has a leak somewhere).

My idle time is minimal, normal at best.

I'll look into cleaning the MAF. Maybe I need to add some fuel injector cleaner to the tank too?
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 08:42 AM
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Originally Posted by BatteriesNotIncluded
Sure is. 200 miles to my last full tank.
You went 200 miles and then pumped 44.4 gallons of gas into the tank?...............Is your 4.5 truely hand calculated by dividing the miles driven by the gallons pumped to refill the tank? I have only once ever pumped over 44 gallons into mine and it was basically on fumes.

Tell us some more about your EX, how many miles, what size tires, tire pressures, do the brakes drag or pull either while braking or not, when was last plug and boot change, air filter change, fuel filter change (if you have records from the seller), check engine light, any pending codes, how is the performance, what gear ratio in the axles (door jamb sticker will have a code under axle heading), will it pull hard through all the gears on a WOT test run?
A dose of injector cleaner wouldn't be a bad idea, use something good like Techron.

I think that we can help you make some improvements, 4.5 is pretty bad, I can get twice that towing our big TT on trips.
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 09:40 AM
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Originally Posted by WE3ZS


You went 200 miles and then pumped 44.4 gallons of gas into the tank?...............Is your 4.5 truely hand calculated by dividing the miles driven by the gallons pumped to refill the tank? I have only once ever pumped over 44 gallons into mine and it was basically on fumes.

Tell us some more about your EX, how many miles, what size tires, tire pressures, do the brakes drag or pull either while braking or not, when was last plug and boot change, air filter change, fuel filter change (if you have records from the seller), check engine light, any pending codes, how is the performance, what gear ratio in the axles (door jamb sticker will have a code under axle heading), will it pull hard through all the gears on a WOT test run?
A dose of injector cleaner wouldn't be a bad idea, use something good like Techron.

I think that we can help you make some improvements, 4.5 is pretty bad, I can get twice that towing our big TT on trips.
Yessir - but I'm now holding judgement as I do the same calculation on the next two full tank fill-ups. to get my 3 x average MPG.

That said, here's what I'm planning on doing:

Clean the MAF
Clean the throttle body
Check the air filter
Add 2 x 16oz Seafoam to tank on next fill.

It's got 150k on the clock, not sure if brakes are dragging in all this ice and snow. I've just had the brake lines replaced under dealer warranty at Ford and they did full brake check. It's got good service history, but I'm unsure of last plug and filter changes. I can do air but would need oil and fuel filters to be done by someone with experience.

3.73 gears.

Performance is okay, I think. With this being my first ever truck, it's hard to say as I have no yard stick.

Will keep this updated as I go.

OFF-TOPIC: the ESOF vacuum system. Should I buy a gauge and test the lines or should I just jump straight in and replace the solenoid? The manual lock hubs work as they should, just not the ESOF. If it is the solenoid I'll need to dig out an OEM one. The Dorman branded ones that are more readily available have terrible reviews.
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 09:49 AM
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Originally Posted by BatteriesNotIncluded
Yessir - but I'm now holding judgement as I do the same calculation on the next two full tank fill-ups. to get my 3 x average MPG.

That said, here's what I'm planning on doing:

Clean the MAF
Clean the throttle body
Check the air filter
Add 2 x 16oz Seafoam to tank on next fill.

It's got 150k on the clock, not sure if brakes are dragging in all this ice and snow. I've just had the brake lines replaced under dealer warranty at Ford and they did full brake check. It's got good service history, but I'm unsure of last plug and filter changes. I can do air but would need oil and fuel filters to be done by someone with experience.

3.73 gears.

Performance is okay, I think. With this being my first ever truck, it's hard to say as I have no yard stick.

Will keep this updated as I go.

OFF-TOPIC: the ESOF vacuum system. Should I buy a gauge and test the lines or should I just jump straight in and replace the solenoid? The manual lock hubs work as they should, just not the ESOF. If it is the solenoid I'll need to dig out an OEM one. The Dorman branded ones that are more readily available have terrible reviews.
for the hubs, are they just manual (so the prior owner replaced the automatic hubs)? My two cents is don’t waste time and money screwing around with the vacuum system. Just manually lock the hubs (can leave them locked all winter) and then just engage the esof as needed. That’s what I do.


 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 10:57 AM
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Originally Posted by seville009


for the hubs, are they just manual (so the prior owner replaced the automatic hubs)? My two cents is don’t waste time and money screwing around with the vacuum system. Just manually lock the hubs (can leave them locked all winter) and then just engage the esof as needed. That’s what I do.
They are the original auto hubs.

So that's interesting. I didn't know you could do that. To be clear, the hubs are locked and you can still engage/disengage 4x4 using the switch? What's the downside to this? MPG, as not axle not "free-spinning?"
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 11:40 AM
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Originally Posted by BatteriesNotIncluded
They are the original auto hubs.

So that's interesting. I didn't know you could do that. To be clear, the hubs are locked and you can still engage/disengage 4x4 using the switch? What's the downside to this? MPG, as not axle not "free-spinning?"
Yes, correct on both counts.

The most common place to have a vacuum leak on the ESOF system is at the rubber hoses going from the frame bracket out to the hubs, these tend to rot and split over time and replacing a bad set of hoses here is a cheap check to see if that's the only problem with the system.
Oil change with filter and fuel filter changes are pretty easy jobs that are worth the time and effort (And getting the needed catch pan and wrenches) to do, you will save some money and get to know your EX much better, both very good things! . Even a plug and boot change is very doable in the driveway with only a few hand tools.
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 02:10 PM
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Having the hubs locked doesn't affect my fuel mileage at all. You may have an o2 sensor going bad.
 
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Old Feb 11, 2019 | 02:49 PM
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Today I checked the air filter (was fine), cleaned the MAF and throttle body (both reasonable). Also put it two cans of Seafoam into the tank.

Update at next refill!

Side note: what is this white hose that's suddenly dangling into the driver's footwell?

 
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