i've kinda heard that since the 351 doesn't have to work as hard that it will get the same if not better mileage than the 302? how true is that? from both motors it seems that the mileage fluctuates anywhere from 5-20 mph with 8-16 being the norm.

i would like to get a truck again (maybe around christmas time) but the only thing that im scared of is the fact that my previous 88 f-150 got 8-10 mpg with the 302. (it had the 3 speed c-6 tranny and 175000 miles so that probably hurt it some). i think i might be in the market for a 94-96, 4x4, shortbed or flareside, E40D and would like some type of 8 cylinder motor so i could put a flowmaster 50 on it.

i would like some input and even though it's awhile away i had to post something since im looking at truck everyday on ebay and autotrader...... MAN I WANT TO GET A TRUCK BAAAA-A-AAD!

 

The gas mileage difference between a 302 and 351 is not going to be much, at all. Whichever one gets the nod, is the one that's running in better shape, or the rest of the vehicle's parts combine to make the truck happen to get better mileage (like axle gears, etc). I'd say the 351 gets the nod in gas mileage. I can run my 351 at around 1100 rpm while driving around town and have pleanty of torque to drive it at those rpms. The 302 isn't able to do that like the 351 can. You simply don't need to use a lot of RPM in the 351 to use the truck, so I bet it's better in gas. I didn't own similar enough vehicles to know the actual difference.

I don't suggest getting a truck with the e4od. Reason being, it's not MAF and can't be converted to MAF. It's a speed density system that doesn't really let you change much on the engine to get more power out of it. You may decide in the future to hop up that motor and you would be pretty restricted by the speed density. Also, a manual transmission will get better mileage than an automatic. You should see 15-16 mpg on average.

 

I recently bought a 95 F150 4x4 with the 5.0 and 4R70W automatic transmission and I'm only getting between 13 and 14 mpg. My biggest complaint is low end torque as the engine really lacks power below 2000 rpm. I'm getting ready to upgrade the ignition (coil,plugs,wires,cap and rotor) as I've read some threads that say this really helps with the mileage and power. I pulled the codes and got a 11 which is system pass. Still I really love my truck. Of course I've always been a Ford guy.

 

What are you talking about??? My 94 f150 w/ 302 has an E4OD tranny and MAF. It came from the factory that way.

 

Can you tell what MAF is please? Just curious. Thanks I've got a '96 F150, 5.8 with the E4OD. I get 9-10 mpg.

 

google sez: http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/24549/

 

I have a 1994 Long Bed Extended Cab with 91,000. It has a 5.8L (351) and E4OD transmission. The best I get is 15 MPH at any speed on the highway. In town I get around 12-13. Towing I drop down to 8-10 depending on the wieght. The E40D is much smoother with the 5.8L vs. the 5.0L (302) IMHO. The E40D should be at least a 1995 mod or better, because my 1994 has turn rough as of late and there are some mods which are better later. I can still get 15 MPG after a lot of hard work.

 

Then your vehicle has california emissions, or something isn't right.

We've talked about converting E4OD trucks to MAF all the time on these forums...

 

i really dont think i want a manual tranny with my future truck. what automatic one would you reccomend?

i could live with 12-13 mpg city and 15 highway cause i'll be doing mostly highway so that would be fine. i am kinda liking the idea of a 351 motor though.

 

The AOD or 4R70W are the other two transmissions used, but tough to find, I don't know the specifics of what auto trans was in what...i know that most of them were E4ODs. The Lightnings had E4ODs and used Speed Denisty instead of MAF.

I duno, to me there's nothing better then shifting your own gears. These trucks have hydraulic clutches so they're not very hard on your leg, and if you drive it right in traffic it's not bothersome. You can idle along in 1st gear if ya want, but what really matters is if you're going to want to upgrade this motor a lot. Further down the road in your ownership of this truck, are ya gonna want to upgrade it a lot? If so, you want MAF. You're probably going to want a 95 351. I think those were MAF and 4R70W transmissions. The 96 you don't really want because it's OBD-II. Pre-96's are OBD-I. OBD-II is a more complicated form of onboard diagnostics. More sensors, more wiring, more expensive to fix sometimes. The 94s were mostly speed density except cali emissions trucks. So I believe you're narrowed right down to a 95 351 auto. If you had a manual trans, or non-computer controlled auto (AOD) then you can swap it to MAF. I don't think the 4R70W is computer controlled either, but I don't know for sure. I'm a manual trans guy and I've never done my homework on the details of the automatics. All I know is what I've read here.

 

My experince with my 88 f-150 4x4 302 EFI CD (current density) automatc is always below 12 miles to the gallon, my sisters 92 f-150 I-6 4x4 CD stick is about 13-16.5 MPG, and my dads 95 f-150 4x2 302 MAF automatic gets as good as 18.5 MPG. all of these trucks are shot bax standard cabs. if you are too concerned about mileage get a 93-96 escort 1.9L stick (40+ Miles to the gallon)

 

im not THAT concerned. i just dont want 10 city if you know what im saying. 15 highway would be really nice, city driving i could deal with the dip but i would like to get 15 on a long trip. i hate small cars btw, i drive a frkin corisca!

 

the only thing i would do assuming i get the cash are flowmaster 50 out the back, maybe a k&n drop in, and those summit shorty headers don't look bad. that's probably about it. free up the breathin a bit.

 

A manual trans will get 2-3 more mpg...

I saw a best of 16 hwy with a 302, 6" lift and 35" tires with 4.10 gears in a 5400 lb F-150 (stock they're about 4800ish).

 

Well, I'm not sure why my truck has the E4OD MAF combo, but it came that way. And, its not California equipped either. It was built in Canada somewhere(I scraped the sticker off recently). It is a long bed extended cab with towing package. It seems like it should have had a 351 given its size and having a towing package. I know the original owner(my next-door neighbor) and he didn't modify any part of the truck. The only thing major that was done to it before I got it was he had a rebuilt tranny put in(yes, it had an E4OD from the factory). I guess I got a rare truck.

Edit: I'll also note my truck used to have a cap on it and completely stock, it got around 13-15 mpg. Now, after some mods, no cap, and a bit of a heavy foot, I get 15-17mpg. I could probably easily get more if I drove easier. I'll also note I don't drive hard or stupid where I could endanger others.