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02-02-2012, 04:37 PM
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some people never learn..
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 21
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MPG mystery
a little back story for all those interested...
I received my ranger for my last birthday from my girlfriend's parents. While in pretty good overall condition, it was due for quite a bit of maintenance at almost 140k miles. I drove it about a month as-is before anything was done. This is late October, early November mind you...
since then, the following has been done:
1: Plugs and Wires
- my father and I pulled some horribly worn Bosch platinums out and replaced with Motocraft Platinums, the wires were replaced with a set of NAPA Belden premium set. Before the change I had horrible spark knock at almost all throttle positions and struggled to maintain anything above 50mph.
2: Tires
- the set was very worn and mismatched. The truck had what I call a, "Death Wobble" at 60mph. Tires are Cooper Cobra radials 35psi and are pretty great.
3: Air Filter
- Fram was replaced with STP
4: Oil Change
5: Timing Belt and Water Pump
- with 140k on the originals, I had them changed for peace of mind.
The end result is a reliable truck that is reasonably comfortable and will go anywhere in NW Ohio.
THE QUESTION!!!!!!!
Before all of this I was averaging somewhere 28-29MPG and hit 30 on one fill-up. After all the upgrades I get 20MPG and the last fill up I got 18...
where's the gas going? I haven't changed my driving style (which is quite conservative), no change in route (city/highway), the truck doesn't leak gas?!?!?!
The only real change I can see is the weather, but that bad? I have the heater on floor 99% of the time, does that run the A/C compressor?
Help please...
__________________
Life happens while you're making other plans...
1999 Ford Ranger XLT Sport 2WD
2.5L 4 Cylinder
4 Speed Auto
138,000 mi And Counting
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02-02-2012, 05:06 PM
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Ford Ranger Driver
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,091
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Re: MPG mystery
could be your gauge? how many miles can you get out of a tank when it hits the E?
or it could be winter gas or if you have weight in the back
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02-02-2012, 05:07 PM
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ford dealer parts guy
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 20,938
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Re: MPG mystery
im gonna say winter gas also...my mileage drops with it too
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2021 F150 5.0 Screw
Past:18 F150 2.7, 16 F150 5.0, 14 F150 5.0, 07 F150 5.4, 03 Ranger 4.0
Master Certified Ford Parts / Warranty Admin
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02-02-2012, 05:08 PM
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some people never learn..
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 21
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Re: MPG mystery
I typically get 250 - 260 miles out a "full" tank which is around 13 gal on fillups. I completely forgot about the weight. I have 300lbs of tubesand in the bed, you think that's alot though?
__________________
Life happens while you're making other plans...
1999 Ford Ranger XLT Sport 2WD
2.5L 4 Cylinder
4 Speed Auto
138,000 mi And Counting
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02-02-2012, 05:09 PM
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ford dealer parts guy
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 20,938
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Re: MPG mystery
yea that will affect your mileage for sure
__________________
2021 F150 5.0 Screw
Past:18 F150 2.7, 16 F150 5.0, 14 F150 5.0, 07 F150 5.4, 03 Ranger 4.0
Master Certified Ford Parts / Warranty Admin
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02-02-2012, 05:12 PM
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some people never learn..
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 21
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Re: MPG mystery
Performance doesn't seem affected, which contrary to others I find quite good
__________________
Life happens while you're making other plans...
1999 Ford Ranger XLT Sport 2WD
2.5L 4 Cylinder
4 Speed Auto
138,000 mi And Counting
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02-02-2012, 05:14 PM
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Ford Ranger Driver
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,091
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Re: MPG mystery
Quote:
Originally Posted by longshot53
Performance doesn't seem affected, which contrary to others I find quite good
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my mileage drops down to around 20 mpgs as well. its typical as i have a 250 lb canopy and the winter gas affects it a little bit and i get the same mileage out of a tank as you do. i wouldnt really worry about it too much.
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02-02-2012, 05:15 PM
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ford dealer parts guy
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 20,938
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Re: MPG mystery
hell id kill to get the mileage you guys get lol...i get 13 city and 18-19 on the highway...20 if im lucky
__________________
2021 F150 5.0 Screw
Past:18 F150 2.7, 16 F150 5.0, 14 F150 5.0, 07 F150 5.4, 03 Ranger 4.0
Master Certified Ford Parts / Warranty Admin
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02-02-2012, 05:18 PM
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Ford Ranger Owner
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 55
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i was getting ~50 miles every quarter tank
but after i did an oil change it dropped to 35-40
now it just went back to 50 again after 500 miles of driving
weird engines
__________________
2007 blue ranger 4d ext cab 4wd auto
i PLUG AND PLAY all day
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02-02-2012, 05:18 PM
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Ford Tough
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 354
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Re: MPG mystery
Your AC does come on with the defrost. I unplug mine every winter. It comes on to get rid of the moisture in the cab but I am not going to sacrifice MPG for it.
__________________
2008 Shadow Grey 2.3 4 Cylinder, 5 Speed Manual, Ranger XL Standard Cab, 6ft Bed Fleetside, 112 Wheel Base, 3.73 Axle Code 86
Installed: Uniden Pro520XL, Aluminum Camper/Topper
"I thought this was America, huh, isn't this America, I'm sorry I thought this was America" -Randy Marsh
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02-02-2012, 05:30 PM
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Ford Ranger Driver
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,091
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Re: MPG mystery
Quote:
Originally Posted by lookitsaustin
Your AC does come on with the defrost. I unplug mine every winter. It comes on to get rid of the moisture in the cab but I am not going to sacrifice MPG for it.
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in my time having my truck my AC pump being on periodically doesnt really have an affect on my mileage at all. When i need to defrost, i just defrost until the truck gets nice and warm on the inside then switch to floor panel
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02-02-2012, 05:50 PM
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;p
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,689
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Re: MPG mystery
Do the coil pack mod...
Also, you should always calculate your mileage by (miles driven) / (gallons added), and you always have to top it all the way off to get an accurate reading.
It shouldn't have dropped THAT MUCH. IMO.
My mileage actually decreased when winter gas hit, then I gained back 4mpg doing the coil pack mod.. I get 20-24mpg on winter gas now, depending how I drive.
__________________
2000 Ford Ranger XL 2.5L 5-speed RWD 3.73 open - 170,000+ miles
Buggman LED 3BL/CARGO, Buggman Stang Dome LED conversion, LED Brake Light conversion, Line-X O.T.R., Air silencer removed
2.3L Headgasket/TIMING/Water Pump replacement guide
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02-02-2012, 06:30 PM
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some people never learn..
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 21
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Re: MPG mystery
Quote:
Originally Posted by 94mtx
Do the coil pack mod...
Also, you should always calculate your mileage by (miles driven) / (gallons added), and you always have to top it all the way off to get an accurate reading.
It shouldn't have dropped THAT MUCH. IMO.
My mileage actually decreased when winter gas hit, then I gained back 4mpg doing the coil pack mod.. I get 20-24mpg on winter gas now, depending how I drive.
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hmm...coilpack mod huh, I read about that. might look into it further.
thats where both coils fire on the power stroke right?
I always set my trip and calculate my MPG that way.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MAC21XL
in my time having my truck my AC pump being on periodically doesnt really have an affect on my mileage at all. When i need to defrost, i just defrost until the truck gets nice and warm on the inside then switch to floor panel
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I do the same thing.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lookitsaustin
Your AC does come on with the defrost. I unplug mine every winter. It comes on to get rid of the moisture in the cab but I am not going to sacrifice MPG for it.
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does it come on in the floor position? I read that it did somewhere just to keep the air dry
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zx6rPAT
i was getting ~50 miles every quarter tank
but after i did an oil change it dropped to 35-40
now it just went back to 50 again after 500 miles of driving
weird engines
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thats strange...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djfllmn
hell id kill to get the mileage you guys get lol...i get 13 city and 18-19 on the highway...20 if im lucky
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might as well have a 5.4 F150
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MAC21XL
my mileage drops down to around 20 mpgs as well. its typical as i have a 250 lb canopy and the winter gas affects it a little bit and i get the same mileage out of a tank as you do. i wouldnt really worry about it too much.
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thank you for your input. it makes me feel a little better
__________________
Life happens while you're making other plans...
1999 Ford Ranger XLT Sport 2WD
2.5L 4 Cylinder
4 Speed Auto
138,000 mi And Counting
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02-02-2012, 06:46 PM
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Ford Ranger Driver
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,091
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Re: MPG mystery
Quote:
Originally Posted by longshot53
thank you for your input. it makes me feel a little better
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no problem! the AC pump does not come on when its turned to the floor position.
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02-02-2012, 07:02 PM
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;p
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,689
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Re: MPG mystery
Quote:
Originally Posted by zx6rPAT
i was getting ~50 miles every quarter tank
but after i did an oil change it dropped to 35-40
now it just went back to 50 again after 500 miles of driving
weird engines
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You know, I actually experienced something very similar..
On my last fill-up before I just got an oil change, (was at the 3k mile mark), I got 24mpg going 75-85 highway most of the tank... Usually it's been like a max of 21 with that kind of driving...
I thought it strange myself, but had been contemplating this over the past few weeks, that my mileage has been getting slightly better as the oil breaks in.
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My guess is the oil thins out over time and causes slightly less resistance as time goes on.
__________________
2000 Ford Ranger XL 2.5L 5-speed RWD 3.73 open - 170,000+ miles
Buggman LED 3BL/CARGO, Buggman Stang Dome LED conversion, LED Brake Light conversion, Line-X O.T.R., Air silencer removed
2.3L Headgasket/TIMING/Water Pump replacement guide
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