Im new

[2kxlt3.slow]

So as i said in the introduction thread i just picked up a 2000 XLT 3.0 with 128.000miles, ive sense changed
trans fluid & filter
motor oil & filter
spark plugs
K&N cold air intake
radiator flush
underdrive crank pully
elecric fan
and running 31 10.50 15 tires
still waiting on mail for the ignition and lift kit
ive also done the bypassed the intake heater fluid garbage thingy(technical term)
My biggest issue right now is the dang thing is still only getting 14MPG!!!
with all that ive done it shoulnt be anywere nere that low? right?
Im not throwing any engine codes either just fixed that issue to, DPFE, thanks to all of you
Also i know these motors arent the strongest things around but mine seams especially gutless, i just drove a 2008 model of the same truck and i would accually call it fast by comparison, with that said am i just dealing with a tired engine or should i be looking at something like new injectors and tune? were do i go from here? thanks all

 

[James86]

What gearing do you have? I'm seeing people with 3.73's say they get into the 20's for mpg, but generally complain of a lack of power, whereas others and myself with 4.10's will say it's not such a turd, but naturally gearing will affect MPG to a degree. I'm still running 225/75/R15's same as stock, and I have an auto, but I could hit 20mpg easy on the highway and managed 24mpg taking it easy on 3 hr drives averaging about 70 mph. After 75mph or thereabouts, my mileage would drop quite alarmingly. I suppose it's possible you're engine is worn, like anything mechanical made by the millions, you get good ones and bad ones, but usually 3.0's are known for their longetivity. I'm one of 4 people I know with 1998-01 3.0's and one of 7 people with later model Ranger's spanning from 1998- 2006. The 1998 3.0 5spd my in law owns seemed like a dog compared to mine, so I'm curious what gears you have that you have such lackluster power.

 

[James86]

Just noticed your intro thread and you mentioned the PO neglected it badly, so maybe that could clue you in to what the issue could be. Maybe it is full of carbon deposits, or has clogged injectors or a tank of crappy gas.

 

[Rearanger]

Start from the basics - compression test. Go from there. Only add on's you did that may affect MPG would be under drive and electric fan - how much is always disputed, never really measured.

Have you checked rich run since you did the heater bypass (thingy). Either 14mpg is through drag or rich run.

 

[bobbywalter]

So as i said in the introduction thread i just picked up a 2000 XLT 3.0 with 128.000miles, ive sense changed
trans fluid & filter
motor oil & filter
spark plugs
K&N cold air intake
radiator flush
underdrive crank pully
elecric fan
and running 31 10.50 15 tires
still waiting on mail for the ignition and lift kit
ive also done the bypassed the intake heater fluid garbage thingy(technical term)
My biggest issue right now is the dang thing is still only getting 14MPG!!!
with all that ive done it shoulnt be anywere nere that low? right?
Im not throwing any engine codes either just fixed that issue to, DPFE, thanks to all of you
Also i know these motors arent the strongest things around but mine seams especially gutless, i just drove a 2008 model of the same truck and i would accually call it fast by comparison, with that said am i just dealing with a tired engine or should i be looking at something like new injectors and tune? were do i go from here? thanks all

was the oil junk? what did the spark plugs look like?


if you replaced good oil and decent plugs it wont do shit for you. does it have any codes? cel on?

is the ignition misfiring? will a lift improve mpg?



if its eating fuel, its likely something in the coolant temp sensing or o2's...or airflow sensing...or all of those....or weak fuel pressure etc.

tuning involves a computer that monitors all that shit real time and can make adjustments.

a simple vacuum leak or shitty gas cap can cause issues.


this is after like mentioned you do a compression and leak down to rule out a mechanical issue.

 

[2kxlt3.slow]

Wel to start as far as i know the gearing is stock, id like to do that in the near future tho, and 70mph is a definent struggle to get to.

Now yes i did say the PO neglected it, but the oil did look and smell normal, trans fluid was the same, old and past its due change but still normal.

I have also changed the fuel filter and have run a tank of fuel injector cleaner, then tank of premeum, and im now on the third tank, will see how its doing soon. I have run sea foam through a vacume hose aswell and didnt really get the huge amount of smoke u normally see.

I will probably do a comp test tomorrow and check the new plugs then, but the ones i took out accually looked really good to me, is there another way of telling if it is running rich other than looking at the plugs?

As i said before it did preveously have a cel code for the DPFE but it has sense been taken care of and isnt an issue anylonger.

If there were a sensor issue wouldnt i be getting some sort of cel? or a rich condition will usually cause a code aswell? wont it?

And i know a lift wont help but it will make me feel better.

 

[stmitch]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the larger tires. Was the odometer calibrated for the change in size? If the odometer/speedo are still set for the factory tire size, then you've basically slowed them down with the larger tires, and you're actually traveling further than the odometer may show. So if your odometer says you're getting 220 miles per tank, you may actually be driving 240 or 250 miles which would throw off your mpg calculations. I see threads all the time here about people spending tons of time and money trying to improve mileage when in reality, their instruments aren't properly setup.

 

[tx3nc]

How about a plugged catalytic converter? Anyone have a good way to check for that?

 

[2kxlt3.slow]

Dang didnt think of the tires, thats could be it, whats the best way to fix that issue?
And as for the cats whould there be an issue with ditching the dual cat for a single high flow after the Y?

 

[JP02XLT]

Not to mention the weight you added with the larger tires as rotational mass, which is worse than dragging it behind the truck. My bet is on the tires / rims, when you lift it, it will be worse on the highway at speed due to more air drag under the taller vehicle. You need a programmer to fix the speedo calibration, which is also altering the shift points of the trans compared to engine RPM, versus the actual speed of the truck.

JP02XLT

 

[2kxlt3.slow]

well my intentions are to go prerunner so all i can do is make the negative affects of that as tolerable as possible. so what would be a good programmer to go with that will be able to suport custom tunes later down the road?

 

[JP02XLT]

Well if you want your power back your more than likely going to need to consider a re-gear to accommodate the taller / heavier tires. As for a programmer, the new SCT Xcal units are top notch & will do what you need for now & later mods.

JP02XLT

 

[2kxlt3.slow]

Ive been thinking about doing gears anyway, what the best ratio to go with tho? ive seen some folks go with like 5.56. i was thinking like 4.33? any ideas?

 

[2kxlt3.slow]

Just got my prerunner bumper finished today, probably not gonna help my issues but thought id share anyways.

 

[2kxlt3.slow]

Got lift spindles installed today after work. Unfortunatley wrong shackles came with the spindles so the rear is still stock.