OT re: 6.0 litre Ford Milage

Unless you've been reading mileage threads for the past 3 yrs or so what you will learn will be useless. Why?

Two years ago when diesel was $1.25gal average you found it was hard to find people who would talk fuel mileage. The people who would report mileage were called liers as they reported 20mpg or so, while the name callers were getting 15mpg.

Now that diesel is $2gal those same name callers are reporting 20mpg plus at 75mph. Of course this can't happen on a stock truck.

After several years of reading fuel mileage threads, if you drive like you have a egg under the fuel pedal and drive 55mph tops then you can get 22mpg pretty easy on a DRW with #2D. A little higher on SRW.

60mph= 21mpg
65mph= 19mpg
70mph= 18mpg

Above 2000rpm mileage drops considerable. Jack rabbit starts is a fuel mileage killer to any DBW (drive by wire) fuel system.

Alot of people report fuel mileage from the overhead puter, not hand calculated. Huge errors here as the puter never reads correct. Want to get 99mpg? Start at the top of a grade reset the puter then descend the grade without touching the fuel pedal then just as you reach the bottom add a little fuel then look at the puter read out, instant 99mpg.

T_Bone

YA, but I'm glad I bought the 7.3 as the 6.0 still has a few bugs to work out. There's rumors of a 6.4 diesel in 2007. I wonder what blunder Ford will make this time.

I have the 02 F350 DRW CC lwb 4wd 6spd 3:73 and is probably why I get great fuel mileage. I told myself I would be happy with 20mpg empty and 12mpg pulling and so far I have not been disappointed.

My 15k mile life time fuel milage that includes 6k miles of pulling 16k GCW is 17.1mpg. I'm all similes with this mileage.

T_Bone

Have you comparred the 6.0 PCM codes of the ones that run good to the ones that give you trouble?

Curious if it's a programing glitch?

What kind of repairs are you doing on the average with the ones using the 7.3? How about on the drive train?

I don't trade vehicles very often (last time it was 27yrs) and I'm building a parts list on my 02.

T_Bone

driving home from work our crewcab srw 7.3 died.
i figured it was a jammed fuel filter. i bleed the thing out. it fired right up. drove another 2 miles and it died again.

needed a new ecu ( i think thats what it's called)
because a 60 hp. chip that the previous owner installed went bad and shorted through the ecu.

they put in a new ecu and the truck dont have quite the same power, but much better mileage.
i try to keep it in the torque range that you mentioned a few months ago and have seen an improvement of about 3 mpg.

another thing, the truck was real jumpy with the chip in it. now it is much smoother at take off.

mud

Maybe the CPS ? About $85 to $150 part only

PCM about $500 part only.

Thats the bad thing with a PCM replacement as Ford will only load the last known good EPA program. Ford will not load the original program.

Mine is a AEB2 code and gets better mileage than some of the latter programs in 2003.

Glad to see the max torque RPM is working out for you. 3mpg is a huge increase.

T_Bone

I'm S of Phoenix and u ?

I drive by maximum torque rpm or 1600rpm on the 7.3. I use a light fuel pedal only addding enough fuel to match tach rpm rise with speed rise.

Empty, or as empty as I get, I shift about 1250rpm for each gear. I don't exceed 1600rpm in OD.

Pulling grades with 16k GCW, I use 1600rpm max. If I down shift, I return to 1600rpm. The last trip out I found that 1750rpm works best over using 1600rpm while pulling grades. I think at 1750rpm alittle more boost is added, I don't have a boost gauge. I still averaged 14.1mpg pulling this load so the slight increase in rpm didn't bother fuel mileage.

On up shift on grades, I use 2000rpm maximum if needed, like topping out. On lesser grades 1600rpm works well or 1750rpm works well depending on the precent of grade.

Thanks and best Holidays to you!

T_Bone

Ya I should of said on the diesel forums is where you'll see the mileage all over the place. People here are of a different class and you don't see alot BS'ing.

On a 3800 mile RT trip from AZ to CO, I averaged 14.1mpg pulling 16k GCW. I pull by maximum torque rpm or 1600rpm on my 7.3.

Here in AZ going from 1800ft to 9000ft RT, I averaged 16.5mpg on 1100 miles pulling the same 16k GCW. AZ doesn't have the long grades like CO does so I get better fuel mileage.

I went back and looked at my fuel cost for my gasser, $2385yr and the same miles on my PSD was $785 for the year. Thats when fuel was in the $1.25gal area.

No comparrison on pulling tho. The gasser I was at 25mph on the grades max and at 42mph with the PSD with more power to spare. I drive for best fuel mileage so I don't pull the grades at 55mph with the PSD but I surley could.

T_Bone

My son bought a 04.5 CTD-600, CC, 4wd, 6spd, 4:10 and that is one quite engine. My 7.3 PSD is quiter than most and the CTD is 1/3 less noise of my PSD.

The NV6spd shifts smoother than my ZF6spd with 1/2 the shift throw.

Had the 02 Dodges been like the 04.5, I would have owned a Dodge today.

I wouldn't touch a 05 Ford until the new suspension proves it's self as well as the 6.0 blunder.

Chevy is just plain over priced.

To me Dodge is the best bang for the buck in 2005.

I like my F350 as it's fitted with all I wanted other than not having a CTD.

T_Bone

I can only dream of the day that pick-ups can be ordered like MDT's. Choose your own running gear. I bet a mfg could make a killing if they would take this idea.

T_Bone

now if their cabs could hold up, and their frames wouldn't rust through, and their windows wouldn't leak, and their door locks would not break, and their seats would hold up, and their wiper motors would work, and their--well you get it right?

I have a few friends who have Fords and GMCs and wouldn't think of buying a dodge. My personal history with Ford trucks has been dismal and I would prefer a GM product to Ford but can't afford a truck new enough to be worth having (2001 or newer).

I guess I'm looking for info on which trucks/years/options to avoid. ie. manual or auto, years with problems known to all(other than me)so on.