8mpg?! REALLY?
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,931
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From: Ohio
8mpg?! REALLY?
ive got a 96 f150/300 I6. i feel like its getting like 8-10mpg and to me there is no reason why it should be gettin that low of a number. heres the thing though, where are the gallons on the gauge for one of these trucks? cause i drive about 18-20 miles and the needle goes from the right of the F to almost the end of the first quarter of the tank!!! is there 6 gallons on E??? this is gettin aggravating because it seems like its gettin horrible mpg and it shouldnt be. help please!
Hotshot
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 11,958
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Agreed, you need to calculate your fuel economy. Just fill it up and use the trip set and see how many miles you go and then divide the amount of gallons used to fill back up into that number to see what your MPG is. Also if your speedometer has not been recalibrated for the larger tires it will read a bit slow and you odometer will read slightly less miles than actual.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,931
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From: Ohio
yea i had a feeling that gauge isnt any good really. itll be on one of the quarter lines one moment then between two the next. and my tires change my mileage by .3, ill have to do the trip thing though. im hoping in that its all good and the gauge is just crap for reading
Elder User
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 373
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From: Hudson Valley, NY
you really only need plus or super if your engine pings (detonates) on the lower grade .. I've done some trials (with my car, not the truck) and MPG didn't change at all w/ different grades ..
To operate a properly tuned engine designed for 87 octane with 89 or 91 octane fuel will only increase the cost of operation. No additional power, fuel economy, or durability will result from the higher octaned fuel.
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Hudson Valley, NY
I just write the current odometer reading on the back of the receipt .. it has the gallons pumped on the front .. then enter the info into a spreadsheet I set up and walla .. let's me track cost too .. and any 'trends' become obvious ..
Junior User
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 82
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From: oak grove LA
if the truck is getting that bad on mpg start with the basics tuneup then oxy sensor use only quality parts like motorcraft or bwd they cost a little more but in the long run theyll save you money
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,074
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From: Mass.
I had a similar thing happen when my float was bad, i'd fill up and the gauge would go to Full as expected, drive a few miles and it'd be back near empty, course 50 miles later I was still driving so obviously not out of gas. Eventually it got worse to the point it would say I was empty right after I left the gas station, LOL. Pulled the tank and found the float had a huge crack down the side of it (cheap napa fuel pump). Seems like you may have something similar going on, but not sure.
As far as octane anything more than 87 or 89 is just spending more money for no gain, unless you've adjusted your timing to require it like some do. The Chilton's manual specifically says not to use 93 octane for some models/years actually.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,931
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From: Ohio
yea i had gave it a tune up a few thousand miles ago, cleaned the fuel injectors with the real stuff not the $3 bottles, changed the o2 sensor between the two cats about this time last year. and also iave had the 420 code come up for the cat efficiency below threshold (bank 1), so maybe one of my cats are bad or my front two o2 sensors are bad? i do realize though that when i fill up when the gauge is just above the E, i can get about 14 gallons, im pretty sure that it is a 18-19 gallon tank? so that means like i said that there is about 4-5 left on E?
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,724
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From: Vancouver BC Canada
The "E","F", and hash marks in between have little if any reflection on what is in the tank in my experience. I always fill my tank and use the trip clock to monitor mileage. I get about 330km on the front tank and 630 on the back on average. When my rear tank shows empty I'll often still have a 100km left.
Junior User
Joined: Dec 2009
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Well, from my experiance, the 300 shouldnt be getting much better than that (in town, maybe 13mpg hwy). After all, it was probably the worst out of all of them (maybe not the 351). Also you shouldnt put anything in but regular unless you have a high compression engine. The higher octane means LESS EXPLOSIVE, a common misconseption. The only time I put higher grade in is at certain gas stations as there gas makes my rigs ping. Usually I try to avoid these places though.
Just my 2cents
Just my 2cents
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 346
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From: Bristol/Hartford CT
My back tank does that.. Front tank is accurate..
Try this: Fill up, then drive to 1/2 tank and measure the mileage.. Top the tank off, take that mileage and divide it by the # of gallons you put in. = mpg.. Mine gets around 12city and 23hw (@ 65-70)
Try this: Fill up, then drive to 1/2 tank and measure the mileage.. Top the tank off, take that mileage and divide it by the # of gallons you put in. = mpg.. Mine gets around 12city and 23hw (@ 65-70)