my truck has something as well. the light comees on every now and then but doesnt stay on constantly for a place like autozone to b able to read it. i got 9.8 mpg this tank. taking it thursday to a garage to have it read and later on sometime to the dealership to have a full diagnostic run on it.

 

Let me know what they say.

 

I went to adjust the timing and it was at 6 degrees. I thought the stock timing was 10. I put it to 16.

 

i will whenever i find something out.
teezy have you ever threw around the idea of taking your truck to a dealership and having a full diagnostic test ran on it? we called ours and they told us it would be 80 bucks. they go over the truck bumper to bumper and go through the computer and tells you everything thats wrong. ill be taking mine in a few weeks. theirs something with mine but the engine light isnt ever on steady so the smaller garages dont have the computers to run the codes. the dealership will be able to read everything.

 

Do you have a delete that you put on in place of the smog pump? Or did you just get a shorter belt?

 

well guys i got the engine back together only problem is i cant figure out the timing i am going to have to borrow my bosses battery charger and charge my battery and try again tommorrow night i am so freaking frustrated i think i will just find the compression stroke with the dizzy out and then put the thing in and put the wires on IN DAYLIGHT lol.

 

be weary of what they call a "full diagnostic" it may be no more than just scanning for codes from the computer, something that could be done yourself with a peice of wire. do a search for pulling eec IV codes, there really isn't alot else that could be pulled from one. (KOEO and KOER tests are easy to perform) and 80 bucks is only about an hours worth of labor.

darthice, it sounds like a plan.

 

yeah it does i was kinda hoping to give you guys some mpg improvments/decreases this week but i guess it will have to wait.

 

As with most things blanket statements simply don't apply, whether or not changing the tire size increases or decreases milage will depend upon what you're starting with.. meaning it depends upon the model of truck, the powertrain it has, and the axle gear ratio. There are just too many options with these trucks so it is literally possible that increasing tire size would improve milage on some and decrease it on others.

 

I'm kind of disappointed that I've seen several in depth ways to increase mileage, but none of the easiest ones... I've done the following with all of my vehicles, (1999 Mustang, 2008 F-150, my boyfriend's 2004 Mustang) and have gotten good results for the money.
1.) Cold-air intake- the better your rig breathes, the better and easier she runs
2.) Bosch Platinum 4 plugs & wires- very smooth, easy starts, so you're not wasting gas gettin her goin, and the money you spend to get them is saved in all the time they last. The set I put in my Mustang 4 years ago still look brand new!
3.) A hood with vents in it- I just cut out the plastic insert in the Mustangs, but found a cowl hood for the truck, had a vent cut into it, and machined a simple aluminum "grate" to give it a finished look. This simple step has made all of my motors run much cooler under even the worst conditions! (I live in central CA, where it's over 100* in the summer, and regularly race the Stangs and pull with the truck) If you think about it, you set up your hood like you would for a RAM-air intake, keep a cold air on the motor- your motor will always have cooler air running over the top, (the hottest part) which means the accessories that pull power off your motor to cool it don't have to work so hard.
4.) Drop weight in the easiest places- aluminum pans, racing style seats, (which actually tend to look and feel WAY better) aluminum wheels, fiberglass hood, sideskirts, aluminum bumpers, mount subs straight to the underside of your back seats, (if you keep them- check out Memphis audio low-pro subs- boxes are nothing but extra bulk and weight) and there's a million other parts that can be switched out for lighter aluminum.

A lot of those changes are oh-so-simple, cheap, and pretty effective- if I'm not stompin the gas, I get low 20's (mpg) in my truck, and low 30's in my Stang, so I'm sure it'll help your old girl!

 

do i need to go get some popcorn ?? lol

 

your talking about spending 5000 to save 1000 in gas over the next 10 years...need to take all the math into consideration.....

the best thing you mentioned was keeping your foot out of it

 

That popcorn would come in handy if you ever had the pleasure of seeing what I do to froggy imports!

 

6 to 16 is a big jump. The fact that someone retarded it 4 degrees is many times what a shop will do to hide a ping condition, rather than deal w/ what's causing the ping. Especially if your running double plat plugs you could damage your engine. 16 BTDC is for an otherwise healthy engine (no codes, strong ignition system, no combustion chamber deposits, ect...). I wouldn't put you in that category just yet. I'd see how it handles 10 BTDC first, under load!

 

snake oil....in these trucks if your running anything other then motorcraft or autolites your hurting your root cause.....too many documented cases of decreased mileage, poor running, increased emissions.....

i just pulled a set of motorcraft out of my truck that were on the road for 17 years, with close to 140,000 miles on them