So I bought a 93 W350 online sight unseen. The price was still ok once I got the truck, but I was really ticked off about how the guy said it was 100% ready to take it on my 1300 mile trip to Maine as soon as I got it.... (Lights out, tranny shifting in and out of O/D, brakes spoongy, etc.)

Anyway. Odometer is broken, and I forgot to reset my GPS odo.... got approx 350-400 miles (closer to 350) until the fuel light came one... 24 gallons later, I figured less than 15 mpg!!!! It has 3.54 rear end, all tires have good pressure.... maybe 2500-3000lb in the back, all highway at 70-75 mph. Does this sound really low? The truck didn't emit the light wisp my 89 does at 75 either.

Anyway. I know about the TPS thing, is there a way I can bypass it for the remaining 1000 mile leg of my trip. I don't have much for tools other than a basic wrench set on me. I don't have the stuff here to solder the POT on there either, even though I guess I could twist wires and use electric tape for a temporary fix.

Is 75mph too much for this truck? I know I'll get better mpg at 65, but I didn't figure I'd get only 15 mpg with this truck.

There is a slight sucking from the fuel cap when I remove it... Usually that means a plugged vent, is it vented through the cap?

I'll have more questions later I'm sure when I start to make the truck prettier once it gets home.... but thats for a later date.

 

you could tape the pot togethor like u said its a fairly easy install that u can re do once u get home,

as far as the gas milage i notice mine suffers alot when i drive at 75 versus 65

 

I got 20 mpg @ 70 once with the Getrag and 4.10s. 15 would sound right since you state that it was slipping in and out of OD.

 

I've driven a mix or 70 - 75 for a 300 mi. round trip and gotten 20, but that was some stop and go figured in, so it was probably higher then that. But you have DRW's and no cap, but 15 still seems kinda low.

 

I do have the bed full with a tarp over it like a quasi tonneau cover. The O/D is really odd. It will switch back and forth about 5-10 times once every hour or more. All of a sudden it would stop. I'd have to hold it full throttle to get it to switch back into O/D... does this sound like a failing TPS?

That 15mpg still sounds wrong when I'm hearing 20mpg+ on many rigs with my gear and tranny set up.

 

I only got 20 in my truck once. I don't even try to go that fast in my truck, partly due to how much the mileage suffers. I like to keep it at or below 65. Normal mileage for me when I am behaving myself is about 17-18; if I am towing a decent load, it can drop to 15.

You might try adjusting the valves. I didn't get a huge boost in mileage when I did that, but it helped a little and sounded happier too.

 

try leaving your fuel cap a little loose, its suppose to be vented, also check the air filter.

 

I would say that isn't too bad considering 75 mph, poor o/d performance, 3000lbs cargo, and the fact that the mileage figures some people throw around are just echoes of what others report. Don't get me wrong, plenty of people calculate and report accurately, but It seems since I started paying attention online to mileage reports by owners, they have slightly crept up, which leads us to expectations.We are always seeing the best case mileage scenarios. Don't be too hard on the old girl, I think your doin' ok.

 

I just did calculations...350 miles @24 gals was 14.5 mpg
375 miles/24 gals=15.6mpg
400 miles/24 =16.6mpg

Those numbers are not absolutely accurate because we don't truely know if the tank was as full as the last fill up, etc. If the fillup was fast some foam in the tank may not let you fill it as full, etc.


2 mpg can be a nice improvement over 50 miles dependent on the above statement.

The best way to find your average is with accurate mileage, and a series of fillups to derive that.

By only estimating the mileage, your figures are thrown off. 50 miles makes a good difference in the mpg. Do another round of calcs. (as I'm sure you will). Every time you fill up, the amount remaining in the tank varies (obviously) , so the more cycles you calculate, the average becomes more accurate. It is tough to calculate without a true and accurate mileage figure.

Another point of accuracy is to try to drive consistently. If one day your bringing it up to 75 hard, the next your gentle, will impact results. Make note if portions of your trip vary for that particular fill cycle. i.e. hilly terrain vs. flat, local roads vs. interstates, change in weight of the load,etc.

Basically, until you get the o/d,and odometer fixed, it is too soon to be concerned about your mpg. But , you knew that already.

Good luck on your trip, let us know your "guesstimated" findings.

 

Well, I'll be making another leg of the trip today, perhaps I'll finish it if I feel up to it. If not I'll stay with a buddy that's at the union hall in Jersey City. Now I know the Odometer doesn't work I'll be using the GPS to track mileage. I'll crack the tank cap, and try to keep it at 70mph. I'm gonna try to jerry rig up the POT for the TPS today with my limited tools. I'll let you guys know how the rest of the trip goes.

As far as fill ups, I'll slowly trickle in fuel for about 5 minutes after foam comes up untill I see fuel in the filler neck. Kinda silly getting that accurate with the amount of fuel put in when the only known variable of my mileage was 300 miles highway with 2 days of some mixed driving in Durham, NC.

 

Jersey City NJ? If so welcome! Yeah I know it gets knit- picky but after I calculated the difference over 50 miles I was surprised it was such a difference. Every bit helps @$ 3.40/ gal. Still better than my Hemi, which makes me feel good.

 

i get about 13 in town and 15-17 on the road! srw

 

2500-3000 lbs in the bed. That will suck the mileage down. Plus it is winter. Air cleaner helped mine get a little more MPG. In the summer with #2 diesel I can get 20-23mpg on the hwy @ about 72mph. Winter time I can get as low as 16mpg. I run my tires at max pressures as well. When my bed tank is full with 110gals I can see a difference in the MPG Vs and empty bed.

 

Well I'm in Elizabeth, NJ now. Truck didn't screw around with o/d this time. I took off the TPS connection, blew on it, pushed the tabs closer together with the tip of my knife, and put it back together... guess I got the magic touch!

Bringing the speed down to the 65-70mph range jacked me up to about 16mpg, and the next fill up traffic averaged me about 40mph with only a couple of runs up to 60mph or so. This averaged me 18mpg, but NJ won't let me fuel my own vehicle, so he probably didn't fill it up as much as I would. BTW, it just HAD to pour rain the WHOLE TRIP.

Anyway, she made it this far, I'm sure she'll make it the last 550 miles home tomorrow. Thanks for the comparissons and info guys

-Luke

 

You got some great customer service then. When I've fueled the truck in NJ I've had to do it myself. First time I sat in the truck for about 5 minutes waiting for the pump jockey to wander over. Apparently the law only applies to gasoline, not diesel fuel.