Hello I am looking to up grade my truck. I had a 89 f150 351 c6 liked it but it loved gas. I am thinking of a 93-96 302 aod 4wd what kind of mpg should i look for? How about 97-01 4.6 aod what do they get mpg? Thanks

 

Don't waste your time with 302.... not a truck engine and from what I've heard and seen, they won't go as many miles as the others. Look for a 300 inline 6. Great engines, long life, better on gas, and the torque is up there with your 351, if not better than it. I have a 351, never had a 300 but wouldn't mind havin' one.

 

Actually, I beg to differ frankenscagmachines, because of course I have a 302! lol. Anyways, from what I have heard and read here, I think the 300 is great for work, as stated, it has loads of torque, but if you are looking for a daily driver, the 302 might be better for you, I have a 5 speed manual and it used to get around 15-16, sometimes 17 on the highway in stock form. As for the newer trucks, my brother has an 02 with a 5 speed and a 4.2 6. A little different than what you stated, but that car gets great mileage, not sure what it is, but better than mine, and it will also tear me up in acceleration and speed.(embarassing, I know)
Well, just some input form me,
Good Luck.

 

in the dead of winter i got 17mpg every week from my 300. now thats its warming up i'm getting 18-19mpg.

check out this thread.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=190045

these 300 are strong. they are actually heavier than the 351. make sure you find one w/oerdrive because these engines dont like to get reved up too high. i hear the 302 gets about the same gas mileage. it doesn't have nearly as much low end torque, but it makes that up in acceleration.

my dad has a 97 f150 w/the 4.6. he gets about 14-15mpg. i always joke around saying my truck has more power, gets better gas mileage, and will last longer. then

 

Do not expect to get very good mileage with a 302. I get around 12-13 as an average with mine, and everyone that I talk to gets similar gas mileage. The 300 would be a better choice with a 92-96 Ford.

 

I have a 302 with 207,000 miles and it gets 17mpg. but mines an oddball.

 

When I bought my 95 (which I currently have) I bought it new. I had an 87 that I traded in when I bought my 95. The 87 had a 302, and the 95 has a 351. I get better mileage (but the 87 had a C-6 and the 95 has an E4OD). Winter /summer mileage on the 87 was 10/13, and the 95 is 13/17. Both had 3.55 rear ends. The 95 is limited slip. I agree that the 351 is a SIGNIFICANTLY better truck engine than the 302. I've pulled lots with this truck, and wouldn't have it any other way. Got 102k on the 351, and still does great. Just wish I wouldn't have undercoated this truck, however.

Hope this helps

 

I am very happy with my 93 302 4X4. 14 mpg city and up to 19 hwy(60-65 mph). 300 is a good engine also.

 

I had a 300 six in the almost same exact truck (minus 4wd) I have now. I bought a new truck with the 302 in it. I am very happy with it and would never go back to the 300. Gas mileage is similar, but the 302 is a little better around town because it has more horsepower to get the truck moving easier (don't have to step on the gas as much). The 302 is still a very reliable/dependable motor (not as much as the 300 though). The 302 will kick its butt in acceleration and actually has MORE torque than the 300 but at 1000 rpm more (3k vs 2K rpm). The 302 is a fine motor for these trucks, my truck is very heavy (about 5200 lbs) and I can beat my buddy's 96 300 w/ 50k mi on it and I have about 1000 lbs on him. I get about 12-14 city..15-16 hwy. The 300 has better low end torque but in all honesty it aint that much better. I think you'd be happy with either motor, but I recommend the 302. Make sure you get something with overdrive though, thats what helps the gas mileage the most.

If you have a 302 getting 12 or less mpg...on a fairly stock truck (no lift/tires like me) than you have problems mechanically.

My dad's van has a 300, my buddy's truck (which I have driven) has a 300, my other f-150 had a 300...so I've got some experience with them. My new truck (w. 302) had the same configuration as the other 300 truck I had. Same year, tranny, gearing, (at one point, tires), wheelbase, etc etc...

Stick to the 94-96 as they had 205hp 302s (the others were only 185). Get a truck with Mass Airflow if you plan on modifying the motor with new heads/cam/intake etc etc. The MAF will get you another 1-1.5 mpg too.

 

I had an F-150 with a 302 and I pulled a 24' travel trailer with it. It worked up the hills and got about 10 mpg pulling. Used it two years then went to an F-250 w'460.

New one does better of course, but that little 302 was quite a worker.

Frank

 

MUSTANGGT221, were those 300's automatics? if so you need to try one with a 5 speed stick and 3.08 gears. i can catch all those 4.0 liter jeeps that like to rip by everyone on the expressways with ease. mine has some ungodly torque at around 2000 rpms. only thing i have done is advance the timing to 14 degrees. if i keep it 65 mph and under and drive easy i get about 19 mpg. beat on it and drive over 65 mph and i get no less than 14 mpg. i'm not mocking the 302's or 351's or those 4.0 liter jeeps(those jeeps are pretty powerfull with that 4.0 liter), but i love my 300. and i wouldn't trade it for anything. gearing and a good running 300 has alot to do with the performance of these engines. my uncle has a 300 with 2.73 gears and the same 5 speed and 2 wheel drive and the engine runs great. but for perfomance its sick. i have driven a few 300's with automatics and those transmissions seem to rob most of the power. then again i didn't know what the axle gear ratios were on those trucks, that could be the whole problem alone.

 

Automatics - 20-30% Loss

Manuals - 10-15% Loss

Thus...150 HP saddled to an automatic quickly becomes 105-120 RWHP, or 125-130 or so RWHP. Some transmissions are better then others. Factor in that Manuals usually have higher gears (another cog in the transmission means more to spread the gearing over). Manuals get better mileage because of the increased efficiency in the transmission, plus you can shift as low as mechanically possible.

On the subject of shifting low - what's the lowest shifts can be safely. I like to keep rpms down...and I can cruise through town at like...28 mph in fourth gear turning about 1000 rpm's. Now as long as the engine is above its idle...that's ok, right? Or do I need to keep my rpm's built up like 1400-1500?

 

lower isn't always better. there's a sweet spot somewhere in there. a vacuum guage will tell ya. i think you lugging the engine at 1000 rpm's. you'll probably use less fuel in third.

 

My 1990 F150 gets a whopping 12 mpg on the highway, and 9-10 mpg in the city. A friend that is a Ford tech seems to think that the cat is plugged up. Gotta get under there and rip that puppy out!

 

I was getting that same mileage before I changed my Air Filter and PCV Valve...we'll see if that helps out the gas-sipping a bit. It should...that filter was filthy!