With $4/gal gas, I need more MPG's!!

The basics: 95 Dakota V6/auto/2WD = 18-19.5mpg which equal 200-ish miles to the tank. I used to get 22mpg no problem and on one trip I got 26. All the basic tuneup and checks reveal the motor runs fine and is in "good" health, but the mileage just keeps getting lower and lower and lower. Transmission is fine albeit shifts too soon, speedo gear error from the tire and a chewed up speedo gear change. Overall, the truck runs fine, goes down the road without too many oddities.

So, what can I do to get back to the livable 22-23's? Although I really need to be in the 40's to survive monetarily.

My answer was to go from the 95 Lincoln Town Car to this

it does get 40mpg

Thinner tires, trans flush filter, synthetic trans and diff fluid, bed cover and no jackrabbit starts?

Remove all unnecessary weight.

Try not to drive with the windows down but windows down or AC have the same effect on mileage according the the Mythbusters.

to the OP:

• air dam
• max inflation pressure in tires

I believe the quality of our gasoline continues to drop causing a reduction in MPG.

The valley pan in the plenum sealed? A vacuum leak there will suck in more ways than one.

How's the quality of the gasoline you are using?

Edit: Tiger beat me to that quality question.

That is my problem.... Went looking at/for a manual Cruze ECO (family reasons, there are 3 of us), but car payments, ugh, no way. 2 yrs of living with/for no money, IE-college schooling, puts that on the no-can-do list.

In reply to Rob_Mopar:

Yes, no weird idle or running problems associated with a bad intake plenum. The best gas I can get in the 87 flavor for living in the middle of nowhere. I did run 89 for a tank and got less mileage, so I know I was clearly over octane'd.

In reply to AngryCorvair:

Airdam, the stocker already scrapes the speedbumps along with the frame.

Tire pressures, no difference in mileage if they are 30 or 40psi.

Did your mileage drop after the switch to the (assumed) bigger tires. If so, maybe your mileage is actually the same, but your odo reads less, making it calculate out to lower MPG's?

In reply to doc_speeder:

Smaller. 225/75R15's to 215/70R15's or 28" tall to 27" tall. I have an 8% error, smaller tire and smaller then original gear, in the speedo/odo that I calculate into the MPG's per tank.

What about picking up something super cheap like a Geo Metro?

Yeah why keep the truck?

I feel your pain Ranger50.

I too have a 96 3.9/auto/2wd dakota that used to get 20-22 and now struggles to break 17.

Mine has 245k on the motor, so the motor is not in great shape and im sure this accounts for some of it.

I love the HELLLLLLLLLLL out of the truck and will keep it even if i dont drive it, but i'd really like to get the mpg back up a little bit too.

Unfortunately, i dont have any miracle answers. I think that other than a rebuild to bring my engine back into good health, the only major gains i can think to make involve hundreds of dollars, like a wideband and a fuel/timing controller like and AEM FIC. Really, with just the wideband you can simulate a narrowband output and offset it to trick the stock ECM into running leaner. Some cars have seen great gains from this, but it does nothing for timing. The FIC will retard timing, which if you do the CPS advance mod will give you a slight range of advance to work with, depending on how you do the mod.

Let us know what you come up with.

In reply to killerkane:

It is paid for.

Can't you buy a CRX or used Civic for the same approximate value as the truck? Or do you need a P/U? There's a Civic VX (40++mpg) locally for $1500 - they are out there.

02Pilot wrote:

I love moon hubcaps

AngryCorvair wrote: to the OP: - max inflation pressure in tires

Obama says the same thing. Hm.

Ranger 50, I have a 2001 Ranger with a 2.3 four cylinder five speed. I get 20 mpg. That's it! Baby it, push it, still 20 mpg and with two less cylinders.

I think you need a motorcycle.

Dan

In reply to njansenv:

I won't buy Hondas. But on the similar vein, everything of that variety is complete junk or way overpriced.

In reply to 914Driver:

I feel your pain. My 96 2.3/5spd Ranger only got 24 when my dad's 90 model got 30.

sell truck, put money in bank, move closer to work, find public transportation, rideshare, etc...

I'm sure you'll have this suggestion...

drive slower.

And time your driving to maintain a constant speed. Accelerating takes a ton of fuel.... ( on a relative basis....)

My father, on impulse, bought a 1st gen. V8, supercab, 4WD Dakota (not sure of the year) because it blew him away with it's acceleration and the miles were very low for the year. After one or two fill ups, he realized he had made a HUGE mistake, from a gas mileage standpoint, and asked me if I had any ideas on how to improve the dismal mileage. He wasn't crazy about the fact that he would have to invest a fair amount of money for a few more mpgs. He sold the Dakota and bought a 3 liter Ranger.