Hello everybody
Just wondering if this has happened to anyone. I have a 98, 2wd, 3.0. This truck is using more fuel than a top fuel dragster. I just put a half a tank of gas in it. I drove maybe 4 miles and it used a quarter tank of gas. I literally watched the gas gauge go down. It uses more fuel than my 78 F150 did. There are no gas leaks. I do not smell gas. I have no idea. And this may sound really weird. But when I break. For a red light it uses gas. Totally weird but true. The engine does have a bad exhaust leak as well as the manifolds. The battery has been disconnected for a while because I just got it back on the road. Engine light has not come back on yet. But the engine does run realY. Really rough at start up. It shakes a lot back-and-forth. Sounds like it’s not running on all cylinders maybe. It does have a high idle at a stoplight. It idols about 1000. I’m going to try and pull codes tomorrow. Can the injectors just be literally dumping fuel. The exhaust does not smell like fuel either. Maybe there’s a vacuum leak. I’ll put the smoker on it tomorrow to. Just need to figure out why this thing is using so much fuel it’s ridiculous. Thanks

 

Are these 3.0 motors just that bad on fuel anyways.
It has 183,600 and change on it.

 

The exhaust manifold leak will cause Rich running and foul spark plugs, fix that as soon and possible

You may also have a fuel gauge problem, since it changed with brake light coming on, so electrical issue

1998 3.0l 2WD should get 17-19MPG, not great but OK for 1986 technology
3.0l Vulcan engine was designed in 1980's and first used in 1986 Taurus

 

The brake light did not come on. When I break for stoplights and I couldn’t complete stop gaskets used up.
Is there an engine/ transmission conversion that I can do that will be better than the 3.0.

 

It almost seems better to switch it over to a four-cylinder

 

Its not possible for pickup trucks to get MPG like cars do, they sit higher and have poor aerodynamics, and usually wider tires

Any MPG higher than 15mpg is good for a pickup truck

Later model Rangers, 2004-2011 with 4cyl 2.3l Duratec engines and manual trans claimed 27mpg highway, 21mpg around town
2019 Ranger with turbo 2.3l 2wd w/10speed automatic claim 26mph highway and 21mpg around town

You can get cars, not hybrid or electric, that are pushing on 40MPG on the highway

 

OK did a smoke test. Only smoke that was coming out from anywhere came from the idle air control valve. Looks like it was coming from the breather or something on top of it. Is this OK

 

Thats the pressure equalizer, it allows the IAC valve to move in and out without pressure building up behind it, you might see a little "smoke" but not very much or it would be a vacuum leak

 

OK. That’s kind of a hard call I guess. About a little smoke. When the system filled up I would consider it. I guess. steady smoke coming out of it. I will test it again. I don’t really remember but smoke may have come out and then stopped and then started again. I first saw the smoke and then went over to investigate Where it was coming from.and it seemed like it stopped and then it started again. When it started up again I found it. I know that might sound a little confusing.

 

That port in the IAC Valve will "whistle" if it starts to leak too much
The plastic cap pops off of that port, should be a filter in the cap

Thread here shows pictures of that: https://www.explorerforum.com/forums...-w-pics.84220/

 

OK cool. There was no whistling at all. I will check that link out thank you