Horrible gas mileage

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mjc02ls8

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Upstate New York
I just got my navy blue 02 ls about three weeks ago and the best mpg that i have gotten is 13.5. I live in upstate ny where it has been pretty cold in the 40's, but i have not been running the heat all that much. I don't accelerate fast, but rather slow and it's been awful. I only have a four or five minute drive through the city to work. I put in 93 octane and have even bought a cheap gas additive and no change. I have done the usual of checking tire pressure, air filter. I only have 27.5 k on it and i realize that it is a V8 but I expected at least 15-16mpg. Can someone help me out and tell me what I am doing wrong. My 99 v6 grand cherokee with 54k that i just traded in got better gas mileage.

Please Help me.......
 
That does sound bad! Do you still have warranty? There could be a multitude of factors causing this. I would want to have someone look at that with the proper equipment and see what's going on.
 
the heater wont hurt your gas mileage..it should be electric..plus it takes unwanted heat away from the engine block. Just dont use your defrost all that much since that runs off the ac pulley. Also cold weather is better for engines..it makes the air thicker and cooler and easier to burn getting more hp. I would def take it to a dealer and have it scanned though 13 mpg is terrible for a car that size
 
Note he said he has a 4 to 5 minute drive through the city to work. The car never warms up. My 02 V8 only gets 14-15 in longer trips around town. His mileage does not seem out of line to me.
 
That mileage is bad.

I have a 96 Mark VIII and I drive like a maniac and I still average 18 MPG. If I take it easy, I easily get 22MPG. 13 MPG is way out of line. Even when I drove my car for short trips, I got 17MPG. Unless that 4 or 5 minute drive is straight uphill, or on the autobahn, there must be something wrong.
 
13 mpg is rather low, your into the Hummer type mileage. There could easily be some sensors that are bad causing poor fuel economy. But also keep in mind a 4-5 minute drive also is not giving you a good representation on the true fuel economy. With it being cold you are running rich with such a short drive. Another thing, while the gas additives may do whatever to help clean, it isnt necessarily gonna improve mileage. Make sure to reset the trip computer each time you fill up, if you just let it run then the mileage gets less accurate.
 
In my opinion/experience, the LS V8 does not like stop and go city driving and short trips.

My 04 LS gets maybe 14-15mpg on a 10 mile city commute with some hills and some stop and go. Essentially it never warms up and in my opinion the engine is so tiny that it is not in the power band when doing stop and go. The LS likes steady cruising, not acceleration. It is also a heavy car relatively speaking. My 96 Impala SS got maybe 1/2 to 1 mpg less on city and freeway commute cruises than the LS. The Impala SS weighed about 400# more at 4,400# and used older tech 2 valve iron 5.7L engines as compared to the LS hightech 3.9L aluminum engine. I expected better mileage from the LS and so far this is my main disappointment with the car.

My commute changed about 2 months ago to 30 miles mostly freeway, no stop and go in the am and maybe 30% in the pm. My mileage is now around 18 to 19. My SS would have gotten about 18 for comparison.

I have seen as high as 26 with the LS, as long as I stay at steady speed on the freeway. The Absolute minute I get off the freeway and start stopping and going, the mileage takes a serious dump.

So sounds like your city drive, no warm up is what is responsible for a lot of your poor mileage. Could also be some engine issues involved since you are at the low end of the range I would expect, but I only have one LS to base my opinions on.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson
 
Unless that is ALL city driving, that sounds bad! I have an 2002 V8 also but am getting and average (some city/mostly highway) of 18.2 to the gallon. However my LS does not like slow city stop and go traffic. In that situation I'm only getting around 13 mpg.
 
I think 13.5mpg sounds about right for a 5 min commute. That is what I get in my Mark VIII as well. Saying that you should be getting 22mpg is BS because that doesn't factor in your driving conditions. You never get the advertised EPA city mileage unless you're in a town with almost no stoplights and no traffic. Btw a 99 Grand Cherokee came only with an I6 :N . Just out of curiosity what gas mileage did the GC get?
 
My commute has about 4 stop lights during my 4 minute commute. It is all city. I never reset my mpg computer, but i do reset my mile to empty. I was thinking about getting a k&n filter and buy a turbonator/tornado type of device in hopes that i get better gas mileage. Is this a good idea can someone let me know if they have done this.

My grand cherokee got about 16 during summer and about 13 during the winter.
 
Those devices are worthless. Don't waste your money on it.
The K&N will yield almost no increase to gas mileage as well. As I said before this milage is NOT abnormal... think about it. Your GC is 3900 pounds, has a 210hp I6... the Lincoln is around 3800 pounds with a 290hp V8. You are getting around the same mileage, so it makes sense.
 
mjc02ls8 said:
My commute has about 4 stop lights during my 4 minute commute. It is all city. I never reset my mpg computer, but i do reset my mile to empty. I was thinking about getting a k&n filter and buy a turbonator/tornado type of device in hopes that i get better gas mileage. Is this a good idea can someone let me know if they have done this.

My grand cherokee got about 16 during summer and about 13 during the winter.
Click to expand...
Those devices are worthless. The whole vortex airflow thing is just plain funny. I see those going the same route as the ol' Z Max and Power Up scams. A k&n isnt going to do anything to your mileage. If your filter is old and crudded up then a new plain old fram or motorcraft will do just fine. There was a study done in regards to all the aftermarket filters measuring airflow and air filtration. The good ol paper filter did about the same with airflow and BETTER with air filtration. Dont fall for the hype.
 
I drive .7 of a mile to work and i only get 13, but on the interstae i always get atleast 22
 
Start with the basic tuneup things. Most of the time bad gas mileage is a result of a clogged air filter. Replace that right away and see if there is any change.
Have it scanned and see if it pulls any codes. It might be a number of things. Bad O2 sensors, spark plugs, plug wires,
gas filter, old oil, incorrectly adjusted parking brake etc.
If you do figure it out, post back here with the fix.
 
Jim Henderson said:
In my opinion/experience, the LS V8 does not like stop and go city driving and short trips.

My 04 LS gets maybe 14-15mpg on a 10 mile city commute with some hills and some stop and go. Essentially it never warms up and in my opinion the engine is so tiny that it is not in the power band when doing stop and go. The LS likes steady cruising, not acceleration. It is also a heavy car relatively speaking. My 96 Impala SS got maybe 1/2 to 1 mpg less on city and freeway commute cruises than the LS. The Impala SS weighed about 400# more at 4,400# and used older tech 2 valve iron 5.7L engines as compared to the LS hightech 3.9L aluminum engine. I expected better mileage from the LS and so far this is my main disappointment with the car.

My commute changed about 2 months ago to 30 miles mostly freeway, no stop and go in the am and maybe 30% in the pm. My mileage is now around 18 to 19. My SS would have gotten about 18 for comparison.

I have seen as high as 26 with the LS, as long as I stay at steady speed on the freeway. The Absolute minute I get off the freeway and start stopping and going, the mileage takes a serious dump.

So sounds like your city drive, no warm up is what is responsible for a lot of your poor mileage. Could also be some engine issues involved since you are at the low end of the range I would expect, but I only have one LS to base my opinions on.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson
Click to expand...

Jim,

Big problem with YOUR LS (and mine) is the 03+ drive by wire. Basically cruising (even at low speeds) light throttle input causes the throttle to go WOT even though it stays in the high gear. IMO, this makes the car feel more powerful than it really is but kills gas mileage. Try this to see what I mean....drive down the road @ about 40-60 MPH in D5. Hit the gas enough to move a little but not enough to downshift. make a mental note of how that felt. Now put it in 5th gear in SST and hit the gas the same amount...the car does little or nothing. FLOOR it and it will give you the same acceleration as you got with light pressure in D5.

Damn drive by wire WOT's all the time.
 
LincolnDriver said:
Start with the basic tuneup things. Most of the time bad gas mileage is a result of a clogged air filter. Replace that right away and see if there is any change.
Have it scanned and see if it pulls any codes. It might be a number of things. Bad O2 sensors, spark plugs, plug wires,
gas filter, old oil, incorrectly adjusted parking brake etc.
If you do figure it out, post back here with the fix.
Click to expand...
Hmm...i think i can go ahead and diagnose it as NOT being plug wires. 110% sure on that one. :N
 
LincolnDriver said:
Start with the basic tuneup things. Most of the time bad gas mileage is a result of a clogged air filter. Replace that right away and see if there is any change.
Have it scanned and see if it pulls any codes. It might be a number of things. Bad O2 sensors, spark plugs, plug wires,
gas filter, old oil, incorrectly adjusted parking brake etc.
If you do figure it out, post back here with the fix.
Click to expand...

I'll bet $10K it's not bad spark plug wires.
 
Thanks everybody for all the help. I think i will change my air filter. My computer says that it is about half good, so I'll change it and see what happens.

Another questions is how do i find out when my car was put into service or registered. Is there a way to find out that does not require me calling the dealer or having to pay to find out through carfax. Thanks for what ever help to this question.
 
mjc02ls8 said:
Thanks everybody for all the help. I think i will change my air filter. My computer says that it is about half good, so I'll change it and see what happens.

Another questions is how do i find out when my car was put into service or registered. Is there a way to find out that does not require me calling the dealer or having to pay to find out through carfax. Thanks for what ever help to this question.
Click to expand...
There is a post for free carfax reports on here. Also any ford dealer can easily check it thru Oasis.
 
you're computer is referring to the ac cabin filter, not the air filter. you can register your vin @ the lincoln website (click "owners") and pull service history if any was done at the dealer. you should be able to get registration history via your state's bmv website (but probably not accidents)
 
maxmk8 said:
I think 13.5mpg sounds about right for a 5 min commute. That is what I get in my Mark VIII as well. Saying that you should be getting 22mpg is BS because that doesn't factor in your driving conditions. You never get the advertised EPA city mileage unless you're in a town with almost no stoplights and no traffic. Btw a 99 Grand Cherokee came only with an I6 :N . Just out of curiosity what gas mileage did the GC get?
Click to expand...


I am pretty sure they came with the magnum v8. It was an option ontop of the limited option.

I still say that mileage for that car is low. Everyone says that its because a v8 dont expect good gas mileage when that shouldnt be the case. Their is no reason why a car like that shouldnt get atleast 16 city. I get 19-20 in my camaro SS. like someone else mentioned an impy ss with the lt-1 gets the same mpg and is way heavier..the ls either has some serious tq problems and cant move the car so it revs high or he has a leak in his gas tank...my fathers 97 GC limited I6 gets 15 city and around 18-19 hw at best. They are pigs. My 97 Cherokee 5spd I6 gets 19 city and 21 hw. so their really is no excuse for the ls IMO to get such poor mpg.
 
06 Mileage

Anyone find out yet how 06 LS gets one more 1 mpg than the 03-05. My service rep has not been able to answer that one yet.
 
I have an 05 V8 and am getting 13.7 mpg. Its all city stop and go. Thats just what you can expect in city driving.
 
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