Poor fuel mileage

[NebraskaSHO]

Suggestions, discuss.

New plugs, WIX air filter, good coils, no codes besides a P1744

I need some advice.

98k miles or so.

 

[LJRuddy]

I'd change the O2 sensors but with a T/C not locking, you wont see much of an improvement. 2-400 rpms does make a big difference.

 

[nothingtoseehere]

Stay off the gas. A lot of people don't realize how much fuel you waste by taking off like a champ from a stop light. All highway, I could get over 300 miles on a tank of gas on my V8 with >200,000 miles

 

[NebraskaSHO]

I am not aggressive from a stop light.

But Lj is right, the TC locks only randomly even with a tune, so from what Paul has told me, it is a hardware issue. Something I will tackle this summer. I've been trying to save up for a full rebuild for quite some time, but going to school, paying for 12 credit hours to student teach ($1600), and working ~12 hours on top of that has been a big pain, as well as paying for body parts from the accident. I'm going to go home here in a little bit and take a nap before I go back to work at 6pm.

10mpg, I mean seriously?

 

[Motoman991]

I got 18mpg on my last tank of gas with mostly driving in the suburbs, that is also with a coil that only works every now and then and i got a code for a malfunctioning O2 sensor.

 

[NebraskaSHO]

SHOZ123 suggested maybe a bad PCM...

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Need more information to explain "poor". What kind of MPG are you seeing, and what are your highway/city percentages?

A non-locking TC can have a huge impact. Now that warmer temps are here, I'm losing lockup again 2-3 times a week. On the 55 mile trip to/from the shop, it's losing me about 4 MPG. I've got my old, perfectly good, converter to put back in, I just have to find the time and motivation.

 

[NebraskaSHO]

Well I would say 90 % is about a ~ 3 mile round trip, all city. Max speed is 40mph for about 13 blocks, if I don't hit a stop light.

 

[stephen newberg]

Well, that is going to keep you in the lower range no matter what. But 10 mpg is still lower than it should be. For that driving pattern I would have expected something in the 13-15 mpg range, so 30-50% better. Even at those low speeds the TC does come into play, so if it is having problems, that could certainly be part of it. Paul's suggestion of a bad PCM makes some sense to me.

The car otherwise seems to be running well and smoothly?

pax, smn

 

[NebraskaSHO]

Yes, runs perfectly smooth, starts up after barely turning the key.

 

[stephen newberg]

OK, I think you need to check the PCM, the PCV, the O2s, and may even the fuel filter, but I think the first is the most likely.

pax, smn

 

[St Louis SHO]

Fix transmission, re-evaluate from there. Until your tranny is fixed, you are throwing money into the wind.

 

[stephen newberg]

Fix transmission, re-evaluate from there.

Actually, that is probably the best suggestion.

pax, smn

 

[bacernate]

How Long Does Your Care Take To Get Up To Operating Temp?
A Stuck Open T-stat In The Winter In Nebraska Could Possibly Cut You Fuel Mileage In Half.
Do You Have A Remote Start That You Use?
You'd Be Suprised How Much Fuel Your Car Uses In Warmup.
I Don't How Bad Your Converter Is 10 Mpg Is Horrid.
I Get 19-21 In Town In Cold Ass Colorado With A P1744 Coming And Going.
O2 Sensors Couldn't Effect Fuel Economy That Badly And Not Throw A Code.
The Only Things That Come To Mind Are A Bad T-stat Or A Severely Dirty Maf Sensor.
Could You Data Log For Us?
Go Out First Start Up And Run The Car For 3-5 Minutes And See If The Upper Rad Hose Gets Warm It Shouldn't As The T-stat Shouldn't Open That Soon.

 

[NebraskaSHO]

EDIT: I was extremely tired last night, didn't mean to stir the ***.

I'm data logging tomorrow night, several in town ones with my trip I take daily as well as highway runs.

 

[Motoman991]

It didn't seem difficult for me to read, at least there is punctuation. You also shouldn't whine when someone is trying to help you.

 

[NeoGeo17]

Poor fuel mileage as well...

Plus the tank is suppose to be 60 litres... I've refueled when the light was on and I still only put in 45 litres... big reserve or what!?

 

[stephen newberg]

Actually, the Gen III SHO tank is closer to 80 liters. A standard Taurus tank is 66 liters. Ford went to the larger tank to compensate for the more thirsty V8, as the rule of thumb is to allow tank size to produce at least 350 miles between fills. The result, though, of shoehorning in bigger tanks is a very convoluted filler neck that does not vent out properly. If you go to the first click off on the gas pump, normally you can then put about another 20 liters in, though you have to do it by dribbles as it keeps trying to click out on you all the time.

pax, smn

 

[SHOZ123]

G3 Taurus tank is 16 gallons (60.5L). If you have the larger 18 gallon (68.1L) tank you have a hole in it and it is under recall.

SAFETY RECALL
98S10 Incorrect Fuel Tank

June, 1998

To:
All Ford and L M Dealers

Subject:
Safety Recall 98S10 - Incorrect Fuel Tank

AFFECTED VEHICLES

Certain 1996 Model Year Taurus and Sable Vehicles Serviced From August 1, 1997 Through December 31, 1997 For Stall On Decel Condition With Technical Service Bulletin Article # 97-17-9.

REASONS FOR RECALL

Approximately 365 Fuel System Kits, Part Number F7DZ-9B246-AC, identified in Technical Service Bulletin Article 97-17-9, may have incorrectly contained an 18 gallon fuel tank. The potential exists that some vehicles were repaired using the 18 gallon fuel tank.

The 18 gallon fuel tank has two vent holes on the top of the fuel tank. The Service Fuel Kit should have contained a 16 gallon fuel tank, which has only one vent hole. The second vent hole utilized a plastic shipping plug to seal the vent hole. If the tank was inadvertently installed into the vehicle with the shipping plug in place, the potential for a fuel leak exists.

 

[NeoGeo17]

I have been getting 17 mpg (city) I guess it's standard...

What's with the fuel tank? Manual says it's 60 litres - One time the fuel light came on and I filled up - only took 45 litres..?

Big reserve tank or what?