MPG for E150 while towing
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MPG for E150 while towing
I have a 2003 E150 Chateau with the 5.4 motor, tow package and 143k miles. I recently purchased this van for towing a 4500# travel trailer which I took on a successful, no mechanical issue, round trip to Yosemite N.P. The problem, only 7 mpg average..... is this what I should expect or is something wrong with the van; a needed tune-up maybe? What could I expect with an older model with the 460 or a newer V-10? Any help would be much appreciated.
Rich
Rich
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From: Maryville
I hope you turned overdrive off or gas mileage is the least of your worries. Plugs are suggested at 100,000 mile intervals, you can't expect high MPG towing because you have to turn off overdrive, you added weight and more wind drag. That seems like crap since I drove 600 miles with my E-350 15 passenger towing a popup and got 13 MPG. BTW, a V-10 you can expect that kind of mileage, not worth the upgrade IMHO, keep what you have, drive slower.
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Would like to hear others with any improvement advise also but don't expect too much.
4 weeks ago, maiden voyage on my 03 Chateau, 5.4, 50K mi., pulling car on a featherlite trailer, approximately 5,000 lbs. Trip was SCA to vegas area, some hills and the temperature was 100 plus the whole time (Reached 115 in Death Valley). Got 9 mpg.
Everyone told me to expect 10 mpg but figured the heat, A/C and hills impacted mpg.
any miracles here?
4 weeks ago, maiden voyage on my 03 Chateau, 5.4, 50K mi., pulling car on a featherlite trailer, approximately 5,000 lbs. Trip was SCA to vegas area, some hills and the temperature was 100 plus the whole time (Reached 115 in Death Valley). Got 9 mpg.
Everyone told me to expect 10 mpg but figured the heat, A/C and hills impacted mpg.
any miracles here?
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Curious about 2 points. First, is the "4500 # travel trailer" the empty weight & have you weighed your entire fully loaded rig? Second, what is your Chateau's normal MPG empty, for comparison to the EPA estimates that suggest an average of 13-14 MPG?
EPA's low end is 11-12 MPG & these estimates are based on an essentially empty van, cruising in OD. A big travel trailer dramatically increases wind resistance & the heavy weight presumably precludes use of OD.
Before I headed out on such a journey I'd be sure it already had a "tune-up". For MPG so much depends upon how you drive. When you add all the weight & wind resistance how you drive is amplified in MPG. The effect of a dirty air filter can also be amplified.
EPA's low end is 11-12 MPG & these estimates are based on an essentially empty van, cruising in OD. A big travel trailer dramatically increases wind resistance & the heavy weight presumably precludes use of OD.
Before I headed out on such a journey I'd be sure it already had a "tune-up". For MPG so much depends upon how you drive. When you add all the weight & wind resistance how you drive is amplified in MPG. The effect of a dirty air filter can also be amplified.
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I have a 2003 E150 Chateau with the 5.4 motor, tow package and 143k miles. I recently purchased this van for towing a 4500# travel trailer which I took on a successful, no mechanical issue, round trip to Yosemite N.P. The problem, only 7 mpg average..... is this what I should expect or is something wrong with the van; a needed tune-up maybe? What could I expect with an older model with the 460 or a newer V-10? Any help would be much appreciated.
Rich
Rich
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I have a 1990 Falcon 190 Class B camper van with a 351w, it's heavy. I have been pulling a 14' enclosed trailer and getting about 10.5 mpg. I changed the gearing to 4.10 and it it improved the mileage. Generally, you need to run close to the peak of the torque curve for efficiency. I tow in OD but I change my tranny fluid and installed a cooler. I want a tach and a tranny temp gauge. I have a thread here on my diff swap. I may swap again for deeper gearing and dually's so I can pull a bigger trailer.
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I too have an E-150 "1989" i use to tow about 4000#. Just got home from camping at the beach. got about 7MPG. I tried many things. Tune-up. New High flow cat and muffler. New O2. "Accell" coil and TFI. I also have poor power. It will pull Up to highway speed. But when i hit a hill, its like i pulled a parachute. Evan without the trailer the van don't like pulling the hills. I'm running 3:55 gears with a C6 trans and 5.8L. Anyone know anything about getting around the goofy air intake???? Any ideas ????
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From: Laquey, MO
You're not going to like this answer...
My '99 E-350 V-10 with 3.73 gears towing a 23' camper (max 6,000 lbs) with overdrive off gets about 8 mpg. Just did a tune-up and it's better, but still manages 8 towing.
Honestly, if you want better towing mpg, you'd be better off finding an even harder to find diesel van. Deeper gears would gain you a minor improvement in mpg, but would reduce the stress on the transmission. You're not going to get dramatic improvements in mpg by modding a van because the aerodynamics are terrible. You could try lowering it, fabbing up some skirting and you still would not see that much improvement and probably ruin your ride and towing characteristics. To quote Scotty from Star Trek - "You cannot change the laws of physics Captain!"
My '99 E-350 V-10 with 3.73 gears towing a 23' camper (max 6,000 lbs) with overdrive off gets about 8 mpg. Just did a tune-up and it's better, but still manages 8 towing.
Honestly, if you want better towing mpg, you'd be better off finding an even harder to find diesel van. Deeper gears would gain you a minor improvement in mpg, but would reduce the stress on the transmission. You're not going to get dramatic improvements in mpg by modding a van because the aerodynamics are terrible. You could try lowering it, fabbing up some skirting and you still would not see that much improvement and probably ruin your ride and towing characteristics. To quote Scotty from Star Trek - "You cannot change the laws of physics Captain!"
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From: Laquey, MO
It slows down on the steep hills, but doesn't create a traffic hazard like my 1/2 ton Ram would. On rolling hills it can hold 65 easy out of overdrive. Being an early V-10, it has less efficient heads and intake on it so its a bit down on power compared to the later versions. If I ever win the lottery or something I'll be putting some 4.10s, PI heads & intake, and a 5-Star tune.
I would consider doing a cylinder leak down test to make sure you aren't losing compression before I would go through the hassle of a cam. Once you know whether or not the cylinders are holding pressure, then I would look at tuning issues and valve train improvements.
I would consider doing a cylinder leak down test to make sure you aren't losing compression before I would go through the hassle of a cam. Once you know whether or not the cylinders are holding pressure, then I would look at tuning issues and valve train improvements.
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I'm with ya on the leak down test. I'll do a compression test too. I'm thinking if I'm going to pull the manifold to do the cam. Might as well pull the heads. But. then again where do you stop. 150K should throw a oil pump at it. How are those bearings......AAHHHHHHH. Then the wife says "it run, leave it alone".
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From: Maryville
The 5 speed auto behind the V-10's has a lower first gear, but the final ratio is equal to the 4, it helps you with the taller gears, wish I could put one behind my 99 5.4, then the 3.55 gears wouldn't suck so bad.
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From: Laquey, MO
Not all the V-10's got the five speeds. I have the 4 speed 4R100 in mine and the 5 speed Torqueshift came along a few years later. I would love to have the deeper 1st in the 5 speed, but not enough to go through the hassle of figuring out how to make it work.