fuel mileage?

[ranger2.9l]

I have a 87' ranger 2.9 stock motor and i'm only gettin bout 9.5mpg.

plus it has a slight chug when cruising and starts hard when warm. any thoughts or imput would be great.

 

[low_five]

thats about what I get, but I only drive 2 miles to work and back and I let it idle a lot, because im in Alaska. it would help to know more things, like 2wd or 4wd. stick or auto. type of driving. bigger tires or not.

what do you mean by slight chug?

 

[robertc1024]

I've got a 1988, std, 2WD, 2.54 axle and get ~21 mpg mostly highway ~17 mostly city. Sounds like you've got a bad fuel pressure regulator, bad grounds, leaky injectors, or a bad engine coolant temp sensor.

 

[ranger2.9l]

How does a ground help fuel mileage

 

[ranger2.9l]

I have a 87' ranger 2.9 stock motor and i'm only gettin bout 9.5mpg.

plus it has a slight chug when cruising and starts hard when warm. any thoughts or imput would be great.

add its a 4x4, auto, and try to be easy on the throttle for fuel mileage and its sittin on 31-10.5 rubber

 

[robertc1024]

There's an orange ground wire on the back of the passenger side head. I've never had a problem with mine, but I've seen lots of posts saying that if it's bad, it can really cause rich fueling issues. Just tryin' to help.

 

[ranger2.9l]

ok i'll check it out, just dont understand how some guys are getting 20mpg. wish i was

 

[ranger_noob]

my 2.9l is horrible on gas? i dont have a sensor on my air box. could that be the issue i was told it could be

 

[getmoney06]

I've got a 1988, std, 2WD, 2.54 axle and get ~21 mpg mostly highway ~17 mostly city. Sounds like you've got a bad fuel pressure regulator, bad grounds, leaky injectors, or a bad engine coolant temp sensor.

where does the engine coolant temp sensor

 

[chazzone]

How does a ground help fuel mileage

The sensors are electrical. If the engine isn't grounded properly, it can affect their ability to register the proper conductivity, voltage, etc.

There is definitely something wrong with your truck, if you're getting that kind of mileage. I average 20 w/a 5 inch lift, and 29" tires running 75 down the highway.

Is the air box the only thing that has been monkeyed with?

I'd replace those hoses since they work with the airbox to keep the intake temp at the proper range.

When was the last time it had a tune up? What cap, plugs and wires does it have.

What tire pressure are you running?

Do you have a manual? You should get one and a digital multi-meter and start checking sensors to make sure they're all in range.

If the engine management checks out, it may be a bad torque converter or some other issue, but there is no reason that a properly operating 2.9 would get 9.5 mpg.