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Old 04-19-2011, 10:10 PM   #1
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Mpg {gasp}

First short trip, about 120 miles. MPG worked out to 3.45. I think that something may be wrong.

I've read that these fords can get horrible gas millage if the O2 sensor is out of whack. Anyone have experience with very poor gas millage.

Coach drives will, maintains 65 without apparent effort.
Tires are all at pressure on spec sheet (90 psi)
No fuel leaking that I can find.
Air filter looks clean.
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Old 04-19-2011, 10:22 PM   #2
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Was it east coast this past weekend? That storm put me in a 20+mph headwind all day Sat and got 8.5 towing. Next morning, no wind and 10.5 and i gained weight from groceries
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Old 04-19-2011, 11:26 PM   #3
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Probably nothing wrong. Did you fill the coach before you started? I mean fill it till the pump cut off three times? Was the coach level when you filled it? Now you drove it and filled it again, Same questions, pump cut off three times and level? Since it is a 2008, it is OBDII computer, and if you had an O2 sensor out of whack, you would have a "check engine" light. The tanks are really flat for ground clearance, and a few degrees out of level can be several gallons of fuel. Keep records over 5 tank fill ups, then see what you have.
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Old 04-20-2011, 01:12 AM   #4
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On mountain terrain, I can average about 7mpg. On flat ground, I usually get around 8mpg or higher. This is with towing a Honda CRV with a 2007 Georgetown 359TS. You really need to check your mileage.
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Old 04-20-2011, 11:15 AM   #5
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Our signature rig (01 F53 chassis with V-10) gets a regular 7.6 mpg. I keep a tally of gallons purchased and then gas up just before home at the Swinomish Tribal station, usually at the same pump, so I'm fairly sure the trip average is pretty accurate.

On my old 26' Class C, with a carb-equipped Ford 460 and enough smog gear to gladden Rube Goldberg's heart, we got about 6 mpg at sea level and 4.5 at altitude.

BTW, we don't tow.
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Old 04-20-2011, 11:29 AM   #6
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AH-HA, I thought mi--------

AH-HA, I thought my mileage was bad at 50-55 MPH at 9.5-11.5 MPG towing a 8285 WS with a 5.4 L Ford.


After reading this, mine makes gas going down the highway.
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Old 04-20-2011, 12:08 PM   #7
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I get 7.5 to 8 mpg on the highway at 60/65 avg. in flat Florida with a 5.7 Hemi Dodge Ram 1500'. If I did 50/55 mph, I'd get creamed out here on I-95! Randy
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Old 04-21-2011, 01:46 PM   #8
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Follow-up with additional info - with round trips of relatively short duration (7 to 12 days is typical) whatever gradient and wind effects influencing mileage are usually cancelled out. We cross the Cascades both ways on most trips, we drive in the higher altitudes east of the mountains (lower drag at 1500' than at SL) and EFI seems to do a much better job of mixture control with altitude than the old rig's carb did.

Very strong headwind component does reduce mpg, but a tailwind going the other way more or less cancels it out.
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Old 04-21-2011, 02:29 PM   #9
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There was a lot of good information out there. I do the same and make sure the tank is full if I am going to check the millage. Our 08 gets around 7-8 traveling on hilly to flat ground towing a Escape. We went across the country last year to Calif and back and averaged right around 8.
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Old 05-01-2011, 09:17 PM   #10
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We're mostly making short trips this summer. We're fortunate to be in such a beautiful area. Other than our spring trip to Moab Utah, our longest will probably be from Montrose to Durango, Colorado. I made a test run this weekend with a UHaul truck over Red Mountain, Molas and Coal Bank Passes. I was a little apprehensive taking our Georgetown that route to Durango but I know I can do it now. As for gas mileage it ain't gonna be pretty!
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Old 05-02-2011, 11:49 AM   #11
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Mileage is ugly for sure when doing Red Mountain from Ouray to Silverton.

Be SAFE!

When I did it, driving "UP' the mountain and navigating the turns wasn't bad. It was the coming "DOWN" that bothered me. LOWER gear for sure! But, I still used the brakes and they really heated up and start smelling. I pulled off two times to let them cool down; and then travelled on. We were towing a 2008 Jeep Liberty.

I assume you don't have many miles on your brake pads, or you haven't done many mountain decensions to use/ride your brakes. If so, you may want to check the brake pads.
Happy and Safe travelling to you!
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Old 05-02-2011, 12:05 PM   #12
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I have an 08 378XL towing a Jeep Cherokee I get 7.5 to 8 mpg, of course that's all down hill with the wind in my back and my wife pushing for good measure. All in all if you get 7 to 8 you are doing the same as everyone else.
Remeber these are not our evey day driver's.
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Old 06-27-2011, 12:34 AM   #13
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Filled up for the second time today. 7.16mpg this time. Better then that 3.5 of last time. No idea what happened that first time.

Maybe the locking gas cap was the key?

350DS has a 75gal tank. With the gauge indicating 1/2 tank I put in 46.738 gallons. I guess that the gauge isn't right on eh?
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Old 06-27-2011, 06:18 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsutherl View Post
Maybe the locking gas cap was the key?

350DS has a 75gal tank. With the gauge indicating 1/2 tank I put in 46.738 gallons. I guess that the gauge isn't right on eh?
The Locking Gas Cap was one of the first things I bought once we got the coach home. I'd didn't want to become the filling station for anyone out there looking for free gas.
Gas gauge is pretty close but I don't believe any are exact. Ever notice how long it takes to come off "FULL" but then how quickly it drops after it reads "1/2" ?
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Old 06-27-2011, 06:48 AM   #15
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1) Fuel gauges are electronic sending units that rely on mechanical systems to provide the information they send.

2) Fuel tanks are not symmetrical but are shaped to fit in the assigned space.

3) It is not possible for a mechanical arm with a float on the end to travel from the top of a weirdly shaped tank to the bottom and register the same amount of fuel through it's entire range of motion.

4) The attached photo is a custom shaped F-350 gas tank. Picture an arm inside going up and down as you use fuel. Since there needs to be room for the arm to reach the bottom, the float will stop its upward movement well before the tank is full and will be submerged until the fuel drops low enough to start indicating. (Gauge reads "full" for a LONG time)

5) Depending on the shape of YOUR tank, it might take several gallons to even show you used any gas. Then drop quickly, hang out there a while and run on "empty" forever.

6) Electronic DIC (driver information center) computer systems do not care about what is in your tank. They monitor your ENGINE and display fuel USED as you drive. If you have a 36 gallon tank you can watch every drop leave regardless of its shape. The DIC in my GMC Sierra is right dead on and at places where I have to pre-pay for diesel I look at the DIC; multiply by the price per gallon and have never missed my pre-pay.
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Old 06-27-2011, 07:52 AM   #16
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Our first trip in the 2011 360 gave us 7.5 mpg. That is about normal.
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Old 06-27-2011, 02:34 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by herk7769 View Post
1)Electronic DIC (driver information center) computer systems do not care about what is in your tank. They monitor your ENGINE and display fuel USED as you drive.
I wish the ford gave this kind of information. Aside from the gauges I get odometer, one trip meter and engine hours. That's it.
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Old 06-27-2011, 09:03 PM   #18
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How often was the generator running on the first trip? 7-8 mpg is about right for a Ford V-10 hauling a load.
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Old 06-28-2011, 02:35 PM   #19
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A good mileage tool that I use for our cars is Fuelly | Share and Compare Your MPG
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Old 06-29-2011, 09:16 AM   #20
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Most of you are getting better than me. I get around 6.5mpg towing a car (25,500#s), and a little over 7mpg if I dont.
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