Ok so I recently purchased an 89/f250/4x4/auto/460...I think 4.10 gearing. Truck is clean and straight, pretty good condition actually. The fuel gauge doesnt work and I just got around to actually calculating the gas mileage.......6.5 mpg,lol, and I kinda have been driving it like a grandpa. Its not my daily driver and I know these trucks are gas hogs but man I was expecting much closer to 10 at least. I havent even really pulled or hauled anything with it yet. I suspect it needs a tune up which I plan on doing. My question is....Is the aftermarket bolt on stuff ie; hotter coil, CAI, headers...etc going to either get me better performance and or better mpg. I could probably live with the current mpg if I felt like I was getting more performance, as it is its kind of a dog really. Or I could live with the lackluster performance if I was getting better mpg. So Im looking for suggestions on some simpler(not ready to tear into engine) things that I can do to achieve either or both, performance and mpg. And by performance Im not expecting a tire scorching fire breather, but just something to wake up the engine a bit.

 

Maybe. I wouldn't bet the farm on it. It's a big block with 4.10s. Is it a C6, or an E4OD? (I can't recall the first year for the E4OD behind the 460). I'm betting it's a C6, which while durable as all hell, it's a hungry *******, no overdrive, and no lockup. 6.5mpg in a 4wd 460 with a C6 and 4.10's sounds about right.

 

Thanks, thats good to know...I guess my question still remains though. Will any of the typical bolt on stuff gain me anything?

 

Any performance enhancing bolt ons will cost you more gas. Unless use a throttle stop.
Headers would be the cheapest, would make it flow better, may give you more performance, will make you want to put your foot down more.
CAI waste of money in my opinion.
Keep the Motorcraft coil and Motorcraft ignition parts, use the correct plugs.

 

Most likely, no, not at all. Certainly not enough to notice with the Mk 1 Butt Dyno.

 

Dual tanks or just one? I take it if you have two tanks that the gauge doesn’t work with either tank selected? There is a sending unit in each tank so you’d need to determine if the gauge is bad, both sending units have failed or both.

 

Dual tanks. A flat bed was put on and the rear tank fill spout was never installed properly so I dont use it currently. Yes, I think the front tank sending unit is toast.

 

mpg's and these trucks,is a bad, metaphor, with unknown origins! and nothing you do to pep it up will you ever recoup, but the jackass eating saw briar's, smile on my face every time, I git after it, I dont care what the mpg's are, I'll drink one, hell two less this week, put long tubes on it, you'll thank me later.

 

Forget performance upgrades for a moment, the first thing you need to do is determine if the truck is running as well as it should.
To that end..
1. Pull Codes
2. Check fuel pressure
3. Check timing
If this truck has the annoyingly common fuel transfer problem, or the fuel filter is clogged, or the FPR is leaking or malfunctioning then performance and fuel milage will suffer, same goes if the timing isn't set correctly. Or if the computer is stuck in open loop because the PO deleted the O2 sensor along with the cats then this is going to be an especially thirsty gas guzzling pig.

 

Echoing Conanski, pull codes, check fuel pressure, and check the timing. A thorough tune up, replacing all under hood vacuum lines, replacing functional fluids, and checking items like wheel bearings and brakes are all time and money well spent, and help you get back to base line performance.

If you actually have a C6, you will not get as good mileage as with the E4OD with no OD or TC lockup, but I think you ought to be able to get closer to 8 or 10 mpg at a minimum. The faster you drive the worse the truck will perform on mileage. The E4OD became the standard heavy duty automatic in 89, but the C6 could be ordered until 96/97.

 

I did the Banks headers, and exhaust, with a magna flow catalytic converter. Motor was completely rebuilt, and bored .030 over. Comp cams, Yada, Yada, yada. I only get about 9 mpg in town.
Biggest difference i have noticed, is if i shift my OD manually, (I have the E4OD), and don't use OD til about 50 mph, I get slightly better mileage.
But, yeah, its a 460, and mileage sucks.

 

Check this out. Its a really good magazine article about modding a f350 with a 460 for MPG and power. Its a pdf file with lots of photos. 12mb. http://performanceunlimited.com/proj...ine_series.pdf