2.3 liter 5-speed gas mileage

[lightningrod]

Hello All,
Thought I would ask about what kind of gas mileage you all are getting.

I have a 1988 Plain Jane standard cab shortbed. 2WD, 5-spd, 2.3l, no power anything.
Originally a 2.0l with the electronic carb, but a previous owner put in a 2.3 with a Weber carb.

I just measured mileage at about 21mpg, that seems low to me. Mostly freeway driving doing 60-75.

Also wondering if I open the tailgate how much difference that would make.

Thanks !

 

[racsan]

Gear ratio plays a part, whats your rear axle geared at? my 94 2wd reg cab longbed came with 3.45’s, not sure what it got because I swapped it out for a 4.10 axle. I get around 21 in the summer. winter milage I dont check, its lower for several reasons and also I run a slightly smaller tire which throws the speed & miles off, Im guessing its 15 or so winter. The best ever milage Ive seen from a 2.3 lima was in my ‘88 2wd supercab with 3.73’s , It got 28 - once. Mostly it got around 23. I dont think a tailgate up down or even on the truck at all plays a part. I do think a cap helps, mostly by airflow across the top, mine just feels like it handles better with a cap on.
The newer 2.3 (mazda) dohc engines do real well, high 20’s from all Ive read, I think those came out early 2000’s. Remember alot plays into fuel milage, engine condition ( I had a 92 2wd 2.3 longbed that wouldnt get over 18, was worse if you used 5th gear) , gear ratio, tire size/inflation. I dont think your mileage is all that bad.
Welcome btw.

 

[scotts90ranger]

That sounds a bit low to me too, but that engine is like 75hp tops, and in the 80's Ford put stupid gear ratios in these things... There's a good chance your mileage would increase just dropping to 4th gear if it has 3.08:1 gears like my '90 did.

Also, it could just use some tinkering on the carb and timing...

For record back in the day my '90 when stock and 2wd got ~27mpg on occasion, my '97 got 22mpg with some snow tires and now 24mpg with some car tires on it.

 

[wildbill23c]

Seems kind of low to me for a 4 cylinder...my 87 Long Bed 4x2 Ranger with 3.73's, 2.9L V6, and manual transmission I get in the low to mid 20's. Got 25.7mpg on a 250 mile trip this past November with it on the freeway at 75-80mph...I was very surprised seems how I'm used to the mid to high teens for fuel economy in my 88 Bronco 2...so after that trip and doing the numbers and seeing I almost got 26mpg I was quite happy with that...around town I average 23mpg with lots of stop/go and low speeds 20-25mph.

The 99 Ranger I drove as a work truck doing door installs would average around 25-28mpg with the 4 cylinder and manual transmission...it was also 2wd. It wasn't a bad little work truck, it just struggled up the hills in the mountains with 3-4 garage doors and hardware stacked on it LOL.

 

[89Twincharge]

That's not to far off may need a tune up fresh trans and gear fluid. I run 36 psi on my tires. Also lose any extra unneeded weight, since not a lot of power engine works harder.. if it's clutch fan make sure it's not staying engaged or opt for a electric fan upgrade... I have an 87 and it gets 27 with the 2.0 no power brakes or power steering!!

 

[lightningrod]

Thanks a bunch guys !
Gears are 3.73, I'm at about 2000 RPM at 50 and 3000 RPM at 75, in 5th (OD).
It does have plenty of pull in 1st and 2nd, but takes forever to go from 50 to 75.
Because of that I don't think I'd want to go with less gear.
I'd really like to be able to measure A/F ratio with one of those "sniffers".
There might be some gains in the ignition curve.

 

[bobbywalter]

That is what I would expect...21 to 23

 

[Dirtman]

Remove carburetor, install fuel injection, problem solved.

But 21mpg is good for a 50 year old motor in a vehicle with the aerodynamics of a tool shed if you ask me....


Also lowering the tailgate does NOT help fuel mileage. Exact opposite.

 

[sgtsandman]

Based on the information given, your fuel mileage is about right. A tune up might help a little.

Like Dirtman said, dropping the tailgate will reduce fuel mileage. The tailgate traps air and creates circulation that develops into an air bubble. This reduces the drag since the moving air now only “sees” the height of the tailgate instead of the height of the cab.

A bed cap is actually neutral when it comes to fuel mileage, depending on design. What airflow benefits you get are negated by what the air “sees” as far as height of the vehicle and added weight to the vehicle. Mythbusters did an episode on that at one point. If I remember correctly, they did the test with a cab height fiberglass cap. Much smoother than an aluminum one would be. So, your mileage may vary depending an the make and style of cap you use.

 

[Blmpkn]

What dirtman said. A 2bbl electric carb would do you good. Easier starting, more efficient, and you'd probably pick up a little hp. They start around 800$ or so.. but If you drive a lot you'll make your money back eventually lol.