b3000 gas mileage

[klwilliam]

I recently bought a 94 b3000, it has the 5 speed manual tranny, and it has lock out hub 4 wheel drive. The truck only gets about 17 mpg highway. According to reviews the EPA says it should get 25 highway. I know the EPA's are high, but i didn't think it would be 8 mpg off. Does anyone have any ideas to improve that mileage, or is that just the way it's gonna be? I was considering replacing plugs and wires, pcv valve, air filter, wondering if it would be worth it?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

i always perform a complete tune up on a used vehicle after i buy it. plugs (motocraft/autolite), wires, rotor, cap, air filter, fuel filter, oil change, PCV valve (motorcraft).

check your tire pressure. check for dragging brakes. make sure all your fluid levels are topped off and the fluid in good condition. ensure the engine is reaching operating temperature.

theres a lot of things that can cause low mileage (and yours is a little low). start checking the truck over.

 

[sbsumerix]

i have the same year same truck and it get average 18 highway, i cant get past 20 but i also just found out my speedometer is off by like 10 mph around 70 (so really 80) and next time i go home im using the gps to keep track of speed maybe that will help me and on fueleconomy.gov it says thats normal 16 city 20 highway

 

[klwilliam]

thanks, but where is the pcv valve located?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

drivers side valve cover, towards the rear.

 

[fleck]

That seems to be a problem with these trucks. I haven't heard of anyone getting more than like 18MPG out of these trucks. I'm living with that too. I didn't think I'd be getting 15MPG city and only a tad more highway, but here I am now, wishing I'd just gone for a full-size V8 truck.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

i get 22-24 out of my truck. lots of guys are getting around 20 MPG. 15 is low.

 

[fleck]

I probably do it to myself, I'm constantly winding it out, all day in stop n go traffic. I'm beginning to do it less and less as the truck shows more signs of stability (not popping much more from vomiting all the dirt that's gotten into the intake) so we'll see how it goes once I'm no longer constantly revving it so high.

 

[WainOhG]

I get 17-19 mpg on my 2000 b3000. I had a 92 Ranger with a 3.0 that ALWAYS got 20 +. Not sure why it's lower than the Ranger.

 

[MUDDING B-3000]

i got a 94 b3000 4x4 standard an i dont kno my exact MPG but i can maybe get 250km out of a full tank of gas in 2 wheel drive an not driving like an idiot. ive changed plugs, oil change fuel filter, checked my tire pressure.

 

[Beef52751]

i get about 15 with my 4X4 Auto, but im pretty rough on it. ive gotten 18
Beef

 

[Roadkill]

I used to get between 25 and 29 mpg on my old '94. That was a mix of city/hwy commuting.

 

[Airmaster]

Gas mileage was one worry I had when I got the truck. The Chevy Colorado had quite a bit better MPGs and more power out of it's 4 cyl vortec, but the particular used Colorado I was looking at was not kept in as good of a condition as the Mazda I ended up with.

Future maintenance was my number one priority in buying a new car/truck and I heard good things about the B3000/Ranger3.0. Hope it turns out good, a slight sacrifice in MPGs is a fine tradeoff to high maintenance cost.

 

[James86]

I own a 1999 Ranger with a 3.0 Flex and i used to get about 22mpg highway and about 17 in town. It's slowly slid in the last 2 years and i gave up and decided to roll with ethanol. just before 100,000 miles, did platinum plugs, new wires, new DPFE sensor, new EGR valve and new EGR solenoid (CEL came on about thias time, hence the kick in the pants to do a tune up.) I also put in an intake kit (essentially a cone on the intake but i bought replacement piping from O'Reilly's for smoother appearance and airflow.) With E-85 i consistently get about 19mpg mixed. I havent used gasoline in about 4 months since ethanol is about $1.87/gallon and gasoline is around $2.35/gallon and now around $2.40/gallon. That's in Minnesota.

 

[James86]

BTW, thats with an automatic 4x4 extended cab with a topper and i have about 102,000 miles on it and I use 5W-30 synthetic. Didn't notice a difference when I tried 5W-20.