Hello everyone,
I had a 1993 4.0 automatic ranger that got 18-20 mpg in the summer and 13-16 in the winter (One day driving highway nonstop for 350 miles from 65-70mph I got 23.4 mpg!!)... ANYWAYS. I just bought a 1995 2.3l manual ranger to get better gas mileage and it is only getting 19-20mpg. The air filter looks clean and I had a mechanic put new plugs and wires in it as well. The check engine light is on and i have not had t checked yet because we do not know where the plug in for it is. (I'm pretty sure part of it is the fuel pump because i believe it is going out, and the tank overflows when it gets too full.) Also the dash lights are out on it, but the gauges work and the steering wheel/radio/air control switches light up. Besides those things it works great!!

My main question is how could i get better gas mileage? Would it even be possible to get better mileage? The only thing i can think of is the new fuel pump and attaching a belt so that the AC is not connected. If you have any ideas that would be great! Thanks for your time guys.

 

Find out if you have OBDI or OBDII. Look on your door sticker or under the hood sticker if they are still there. Engine bay inside fuse box maybe. I think 96+ were OBDII. Find you OBD connection and visit a local parts supplier to read your codes and clear CEL. Write them down, research and repair as necessary.

Your tank overflow (I'm hoping that is what you see staining the side of your box below the fuel door), could be a flapper door in the neck. May have one, might not. Bad fuel cap seal or no baffle in the tank.

Better gas milage has a million options. 1st is driving habits. Don't race out of a stop light/sign. Control your speeds to limit braking. I've read posts where folks eliminate fan and install electric fans off Taurus's (don't forget to ****** the temp control probe by the radiator).

 

Welcome to the forum


4.0l never put up those kinds of numbers in a Ranger, either Odometer was wrong(tire size) or memory is fading, lol.
14-18mpg was average

I don't doubt what you say, you were there not me, it is just not common to get those numbers from a 4.0l Ranger so you can't use it to compare to any other engine.

Anyway back to the 2.3l, MPG slowly goes down as the Upstream O2 sensor gets older.
They are usually good for 100k miles, after that the chemical they use to detect Oxygen starts to wear out, O2 reports Lean exhaust and computer adds more fuel than needed so..........lower MPG
1995 2.3l 2WD manual should be about 20-24mpg

Look on the drivers door label to get the rear axle ratio, look here: Ford 7.5 & 8.8 Inch Axle Tag & Door Codes

4.10 ratio is best for pulling power, low end torque but lower MPG on the highway because of higher RPMs

3.45 ratio has less low end power but better MPG on highway because of lower RPMs

Most common Ranger ratio is 3.73, so some pulling power and better MPG at highway speeds.

4cyl rangers often got 4.10 ratio or 3.45, so MPG could vary widely depending on average driving conditions.

1995 Rangers were the first year of the new Ford EEC-V computers, using OBD2 communications.
Connector should be under dash drivers side, could be behind lower panel so it needs to be removed

And just a heads up, 1995 Ford computers may not have "true OBD2" protocols, so many generic Readers can't talk with them to get codes.


If gas spills out when tank is full then the Filler Hose or Vent hose is cracked/leaking
That will set an EVAP system code and turn on Check Engine Light(CEL) because tank is no longer air tight when driving
EVAP code won't effect MPG
Gas spilling out when going around a corner WILL, lol.

 

Thanks for all of the help... And just letting you know that the mileage that i said i got, i actually did get because i calculated myself:)

 

I believe you

It just is not normal for a 4.0l Ranger to get those numbers so don't use it for comparison.

There is nothing magical about MPG, there were never 200mpg carbs and pre-vaporizing gas doesn't work, lol.
A gallon of gasoline has X amount of energy stored, to release that energy it is "burned" with the correct ratio of air
Gasoline releases maximum energy at 14.7 to 1 air to fuel ratio, and this is a WEIGHT RATIO!!!!!!
14.7 pounds of air to 1 pound of gasoline or 14.7 grams of air to 1 gram of fuel

So doesn't matter how much you vaporizes the fuel, you still need the same WEIGHT of fuel.

Fuel injection was better because inside of intake didn't collect fuel like when using a carb, direct injection is even better because back of intake valve doesn't absorb fuel, also better swirl mix.
Multiple valves also help with swirl for better burn patterns.

But you still have the same 14.7:1 weight ratio.

Gasoline engines are also not efficient, 25% or so average, 75% of the energy released is HEAT not power for the crank.
So from a $4 gallon of gas, $3 heats up the air around the vehicle and $1 pushes you down the road, lol, and that sucks

Then you have the weight and friction of the vehicle the engine needs to move down the road.
Weight is just the weight of the vehicle, driver, pssengers and cargo
Friction is the tire width and air resistance, trucks tend to have wider tires and poor aerodynamics, so MPG is not a strong suit for them.

Warm air rises so is less dense than colder air, that means it weighs less, so less fuel needs to be added to get the 14.7:1
And why MPG changes from summer to winter, air temp
So with the right outside temp and wind direction a long highway drive can produce some good MPG numbers

 

Thanks for the information again. I was wondering if a new Oxygen sensor would possibly do anything? And if it would, I'm not exactly sure what one to get?? Or should I clean the air sensor that is in (next to) the air intake filter?

 

Yes, O2 sensor should be changed every 100k miles or so for best MPG

Get the one listed for your year, Bosch O2's seem to work well.

You can change both but Upstream, one closest to engine, O2 sensor is the one that wears out fastest, downstream O2's "see" cleaner exhaust so tend to last at least 3 times as long.
Upstream OS sensor is used for MPG
Downstream O2 is used to check if Cat Converter is working
They run about $30 each


Yes, MAF sensor should be cleaned every 5 years or so, also new fuel filter every 5 years.
Dirty MAF sensor will set Lean Code when it gets too dirty, which usually doesn't effect MPG
Computer "knows"(was programmed for) a 2.3 liter engine, so it "knows" about how much air is coming in based on the RPM of the engine.
Thats what engine computers are good at, crunching numbers, Math.
A 2.3 liter engine uses 2.3 liters of air at Full Throttle, every 2 RPM(4 stroke engine)
A Liter of air has a specific Weight at sea level so computer "knows" the weight of the air being used at any given throttle position and RPM, and "knows" the weight of gasoline.
The rest is just math.

So the MAF sensor is there to "fine tune" the actual air flow, same as IAT(intake air temp) sensor is there to fine tune the fuel mix based on air temp.

Ford uses a "heated wire" MAF sensor, air passing by this heated wire cools it down, how much it cools down tells computer the amount/weight of the air going into the intake.
Air at sea level is denser/heavier, so cools the wire more than at at say 3,000ft elevation, so MAF also works as a elevation detector, and colder temp would cool the wire more, so IAT sensor is redundant in some respects but is needed to tell the difference between cold air or heavier air.

O2 sensor is at the other end of things, computer calculates the 14.7:1 ratio based on air flow and air temp then adds the correct weight of fuel for that amount of air via the fuel injectors.
After air:fuel mix is burned the O2 sensor measures the Oxygen in the exhaust, too much Oxygen means Lean burn, not enough fuel was added; too little Oxygen means Rich burn, too much fuel added.
Computer then either reduces the amount of fuel or increases it.
This all happens in milliseconds, very very fast correction of fuel mix based on O2 sensor readings
As O2 sensors get older they tend to show too much Oxygen, a False Lean, so computer adds a bit more fuel than really needed, and MPG goes down


Bottom line, if all the sensors are working well then you will get best MPG