Bad Fuel Economy

[97PowerSmokerIA]

I recently bought a 1997 PSD HD 4X4 5spd bone stock and im experiencing horrible gas mileage is there anything i need to be worried about or is it just a "Hog" having only 136000 miles on it.... i love the truck and dont want to trade it in for an F-150 but ive been thinking about it

 

[Tx_Atty]

what is the mileage? I have a 97 and am getting around 17 city 20 hiway. Have you checked the fuel and air filters, tire pressure, or any other simple items? I only have 97000 miles so I dont see total miles having much to do with it at this point.

 

[95_stroker]

15+ is good, (depending on driving habits some can get upwards of 20mpg). Especially if you are considering trading on an F-150 which has far less capabilities than the 97 you just bought. What are you getting for mileage and maybe some of us can help you increase it.


Welcome to SDD.

 

[johndeerebones]

I recently bought a 1997 PSD HD 4X4 5spd bone stock and im experiencing horrible gas mileage is there anything i need to be worried about or is it just a "Hog" having only 136000 miles on it.... i love the truck and dont want to trade it in for an F-150 but ive been thinking about it

Maybe it would help if you didn't burn gas in your diesel?

Really though, check the filters first off like he said. And let us know a little more about your truck, IE
3.55s or 4.10s, tire size, driving habits, etc.

If I drive mine normal, accelerate hard, and 70+ on the highway: I usually get 16, if I easy foot it on the highway for a long trip, meaning less than 65 whole time, I can make 21, but I value my time more than a few MPG.

 

[hheynow]

i love the truck and dont want to trade it in for an F-150 but ive been thinking about it

Banish that thought!

 

[clem]

Does your E-brake pedal come all the way back up when you release the brakes?If not you could have a dragging shoe.

 

[97PowerSmokerIA]

im runnin it with 31s and it has the 4.10s it seems like whenever i go from a stop position i usually start out in second gear and i can just watch the gas gauge move but once up to speed and cruisin about 65 to 70 its not really a problem.....im guessin the fuel filter probably needs changing and the air filter prolly does too but i do love the truck pulled a John Deere 4010 outta a big mud hole the other day. and i dont know it it makes a difference but ive got a long bed supercab......but lately its been starting hard itll crank for a few seconds u can hear the engine combust the Diesel then it just dies then on the second try it usually starts right up im the second owner of the truck and i bought it from the dealer who sold it and it came with all maintenance records and along with it was maintenance records for a 30 or so foot goose neck enclosed trailer when i called the dealer back they had informed me it belonged to a roofing company and they used it to pul there work trailer.

 

[Tx_Atty]

410s will get you lower mileage especially with those tires. I used to have an old 250 in which I would also start from a dead stop in 2nd. I put in a new clutch at roughly 65000 miles. My current one I always start in 1st despite it being so low but I now have ~97000 on my OE clutch. I dont know if that will make a mileage difference but the clutch is going to cost you a bundle. I would suggest starting in 1st, consider losing the big tires, and get a code reader to see if there are any error codes that might give further insight.

Just a few thoughts...

 

[95_stroker]

im runnin it with 31s and it has the 4.10s it seems like whenever i go from a stop position i usually start out in second gear and i can just watch the gas gauge move but once up to speed and cruisin about 65 to 70 its not really a problem.

You still havent told us what you are getting for actual calculated mileage. Until we know about where you are at we really cant help diagnose if you have a problem or not.

 

[DOC-MX]

How much a leak in the valley could affect the milage?. the leak could be at speed and not at idle. Maybe you have to check it out.