Stick shift 3.0 eating fuel

[Super_Cracker]

I have a stick shift ranger 3.0, it is eating fuel.
15 MPG or less. Used to get about 25 plus depending on driving habits and city/highway.

Stock tire size, no check engine light. Runs Great. Engine is tight, no ticks knocks or anything.
Stock exhaust.

Truck drives straight as an arrow, no abnormal tire wear.

Absolutely no idea where to start looking for the problem.

I have a 95 3.0 and changed the fuel pressure regulator and it helped but i havev183,000 miles on mineand still getting 19 mpg if i keep rpms no higher than 3000 but runs good and really much faster after 3500 rpm but man it will eat that fuel but mine red lines at 5,500 rpms.

 

[Nightbiker07]

The problem was the fuel pressure dampener. The thing was pissing fuel into the vacuum line.

Got it fixed, oddly the truck doesn't run any different but I'm back up to around 23 to 25 MPG around town.

 

[Nightbiker07]

I have a 95 3.0 and changed the fuel pressure regulator and it helped but i havev183,000 miles on mineand still getting 19 mpg if i keep rpms no higher than 3000 but runs good and really much faster after 3500 rpm but man it will eat that fuel but mine red lines at 5,500 rpms.

The later models had the regulator built into the fuel pump assembly, and a fuel pressure dampener on the rail. At first glance, they look the same, but there's no return fuel line on the rail


Yours Automatic or stick?

I have had both and my stick shift is a whole lot peppier than the automatic.

When you start tapping on the red line when you shift, it's amazing how much these little motors drink. But they do make decent amount of power and are pretty much bulletproof

 

[bills4065]

On a waste spark system, double platinum or Iridium enhanced spark plugs are the only ones recommended. You say you are using copper ones. Just saying to pass on this info.

 

[Dirtman]

Copper plugs work fine. You just need to replace them every oil change.

 

[RonD]

You can use copper, or double coating, just don't use single coating

With copper(no coating) you should swap banks on a V6 every 10k miles or so, to match wear
You can do this on the coil pack
3 4
2 6
1 5

change it to
4 3
6 2
5 1

This reverses the direction of the spark at the plug tips, so they wear evenly

Do the same in 4cyl coil packs
1 4
2 3
change to
4 1
3 2

And visa versa if there are 2 coil packs

If you are running double coating then this is not needed