250km to a tank. i'm going bankrupt..HELP!!!

Originally posted by ancientsanskrit:
Try a good injector cleaner.

Not sure about desiboy1530, but I clean the UIM/LIM twice a year and have also run
berrymans12 trough the whole system including the engine and egr tube recently.
Cleaned with with many fuel additives before with no luck.

I have no operating issues and my cars runs like a dream.

Originally posted by Nic_ContourSE99:

I have the V6 with the MTX, doing mix city and highway and pushing the car a bit and i do about 350km with a full tank.

87 octane with almost 108000km and no mods.

Nic.

My best was this past summer all highway 450km. I've modded my car for the better, but millage hasn't changed.

I have a 97 ZETEC ATX and it gets bad gas mileage when its warm it gets about 220-250 MPG (about 355-400 KPG) and now since its getting colder I'm at like 170-180 MPG (270-290 KPG) and its at a quarter tank left! I dont know whats up thats weak for a 4 banger I calculate I should get about over at least 300 MPG or greater (482 KPG) well of course this is mostly city driving too, so if anyone has any suggestions let me know, thanks.

Originally posted by mystique97:
I have a 97 ZETEC ATX and it gets bad gas mileage when its warm it gets about 220-250 MPG (about 355-400 KPG) and now since its getting colder I'm at like 170-180 MPG (270-290 KPG) and its at a quarter tank left! I dont know whats up thats weak for a 4 banger I calculate I should get about over at least 300 MPG or greater (482 KPG) well of course this is mostly city driving too, so if anyone has any suggestions let me know, thanks.

Not to be facetious, but I'm assuming its miles per tank, not per gallon!

Cuz if you get that kind of mpg, I'll buy your car for double what you want for it!

Seriously, our US brethrin seem to get roughly the same miles per tank as we do clicks. We're not so much colder, so why do we do so poorly? From most of the posts I've read, we should be getting something like 500km per tank as 'normal'. Anything else, well, just bites!

BTW, I get about 400km a tank if its highway, but it can drop to 300 for a city tank. I think thats pretty crappy, since my other car (Nissan) gets that with a much smaller tank. I'm starting to wonder if I have bad cats, or a screwed computer, yadda, yadda.

Anyhoo, you have my sympathies.

i did get 600km to my tank once...put my car on cruise in the late evening (no traffic on the road) all the way down to jersey @ 110km steady all the way with only one stop (the border)

seriously though.. it took forever to get there.. i didnt try to pass anyone...i shouldnt have to drive like that to get great mileage.

that injector cleaner in the fuel filter idea sounds like something i can try.. as for cleaning the uim/lim.. not to sure how to do that.. now keep in mind, if i need a ratchet... i aint doin it myself

if its something i can spray in to the manifold like throttle body cleaner.. i'm gung ho!

and as for sympathies. thanks but solutions is what i'm lookin for..lol

Originally posted by desiboy1530:
...and as for sympathies. thanks but solutions is what i'm lookin for..lol

So am I. But meantime, we can feel a little sorry for ourselves, can't we?

Mines a 98SE 2.5 ATX, 130000Km, btw.

Dunno if you have any power issues as well. Not exactly thread hijacking, but similar problems may result in crappy fuel economy AND a bogging engine. I wouldn't mind the fuel consumption so much, if I had the power. So...

Actually, been trying to diagnose (fuel use) for a while. Some thoughts so far (haven't tried em all, but I'm working on it) No particular order...

No CELs now. So, it shouldn't be running at the 'backup' setting. New O2 sensors got rid of my CELs.Also, have new OEM wires and plugs, and PCV valve.

Dragging rear/parking brake (drum)? Not enough to steer the car on stopping, but enough to slow it a little. (Doubtful- cant hear any real grind, but the car is a sod to push, but then, its a heavy car!)

UIM dirty? I'm gonna try the 'on the engine' method, but my tb is pretty clean, so I dunno what that will do. (EGR passages behind TB may be blocked though, which wont help.)

Weak fuel pump? Car does bog down on low fuel, but it isn't particularly good on a full tank either.

CPS? I know I have intermittent starting issues, so I'm gonna replace the CKS, and for C$30, may as well do the CPS as well.

IMRC- not worried. I'm looking for power before the secondaries open.

Blocked main cat? - this seems most likely. Not Precat, since I have no codes hard or pending. But I feel like I'm driving through mud all the time, and if the cat is blocked, it might cause the engine to lose power/use more fuel.

Engine running too cold? - again, may leave the A/F and timing in the 'startup' setting, which is rich by default. So, a new T-stat this week.

Good job I like puzzles, otherwise I'd have torn my hair out by now!

BTW, not saying that this will necessarily improve the fuel efficiency, but it might help to get the power you'd expect with that much fuel consumption. Personally, I'd settle for sedate performance, if I was getting over 30MPG.

Hope this helps. And if you find a fix, lemme know!

Good luck,
T

i do about 90% city driving and i seam to get at least 500 km per tank and i am alaways hard on acceleration and i am constantly in stop and go traffic. is your car idleing high or somthing perhaps you should take out the ignition and the ecc memory fuse to reset your computer. remember that if you do this you eill need to let your car relearn its idle which is outlined in your owners manual

Originally posted by realslimshaver:
i do about 90% city driving and i seam to get at least 500 km per tank and i am alaways hard on acceleration and i am constantly in stop and go traffic. is your car idleing high or somthing perhaps you should take out the ignition and the ecc memory fuse to reset your computer. remember that if you do this you eill need to let your car relearn its idle which is outlined in your owners manual

Dayamn! Is that with a V6? I know you're a 'local' (compared to Guelph), but I think I hate you already!

Naah, just kidding!!!

But seriously, that's the kind of mileage I thought I'd get too. I did try to reset the computer (both ways- the battery for an hour, or the two fuses) and idle is at 750, on the nose.

I really don't know what to say...I mean I have heard of gas stations putting extra cleaners in the gas during the winter, this may induce your economics a tad, but wow, you guys are pulling awful numbers. Did this occur recently, or was it progressive? i.e. after it got cold, did your numbers start going down hill? Also, are you guys pulling any codes, i.e. running in lean mode? I, myself, do not know what to suggest for your guys' situation, perhaps someone w/more experience will chime in! Good luck guys!

timstour, u and i are in the same boat.. i too lack in low end power... and i agree, if my performance was better i wouldnt mind the fuel consumption as much.

as for the main cat...could i have it pulled off and checked for fairly cheap? or at least replaced with a straight pipe temporarily to test the benefits? economy or perforamnce, i'll take whichever, but both would be preffered!

uim.. forgive me for being slow.. but what is the 'on the engine' method of cleaning? or any method cleaning for that matter?

Originally posted by desiboy1530:
uim.. forgive me for being slow.. but what is the 'on the engine' method of cleaning? or any method cleaning for that matter?

Here is the info. Haven't tried this myself yet, but I would rather do this first than take off the manifold. (With my luck, if I did take it off, I'd strip the bolts!)

http://contour.org/mods/mods.php?s=howto&displayid=43

Plus there's lots of advice and variations on how to do this from Big Jim in the forums. I figure try it, and if it doesn't work, then pull off the manifold for cleaning. One thing, on this forum, the guys will 'walk the walk and not just talk the talk' so to speak. Lots of friendly helpful people, and if asked right, some of them will actually drive over to help you out!

As far as the cat, that's my next job, after the tstat. I dont wanna spend like $400 for the Ford cat, so I might buy a universal (about C$140) and get a small shop to fit it. That's probably the cheapest (legal) option I can think of.
I'm not gonna gut the precats yet though. I know some people have had issues passing the emissions tests with gutted precats.

Good luck.
Tim

Originally posted by ancientsanskrit:
I really don't know what to say...I mean I have heard of gas stations putting extra cleaners in the gas during the winter, this may induce your economics a tad, but wow, you guys are pulling awful numbers. Did this occur recently, or was it progressive? i.e. after it got cold, did your numbers start going down hill? Also, are you guys pulling any codes, i.e. running in lean mode? I, myself, do not know what to suggest for your guys' situation, perhaps someone w/more experience will chime in! Good luck guys!

Sounds like desi and I are in the same boat. I don't think its the gas. RealSlimShaver probably uses the same exact gas stations as I do, and he's getting at least 500 per tank, with 'spirited' performance. Hoping he'll tell us how!

For me, summer (warm fall, actually- only got the car in September) is always better mileage than winter, but not significantly so. (Maybe 1 or 2 mpg). For me and it sounds like Desi did this too, I changed the components that were giving the CELs (good old O2 sensors, and various other bits) and I have no hard or pending codes. I assume Desi is the same.

Hey, maybe we got the ones made on Tuesday after (US) Thanksgiving! (Hung-over workers, etc) Mines 11/97, so its worth a thought!

Cheers,
Tim

well i have a 4-banger 96 contour with 217,000 kms, and an automatic trans. I get about 400kms per tank in city and 650kms a tank on highway. Well i didnt run it dry and measure, just noticed in city i got 100kms for 1/4 tank and 325kms on 1/2 tank when i went on the highway. And my car doesnt even run well either :-S

Originally posted by timstour:

Originally posted by realslimshaver:
i do about 90% city driving and i seam to get at least 500 km per tank and i am alaways hard on acceleration and i am constantly in stop and go traffic. is your car idleing high or somthing perhaps you should take out the ignition and the ecc memory fuse to reset your computer. remember that if you do this you eill need to let your car relearn its idle which is outlined in your owners manual

Dayamn! Is that with a V6? I know you're a 'local' (compared to Guelph), but I think I hate you already! Naah, just kidding!!! But seriously, that's the kind of mileage I thought I'd get too. I did try to reset the computer (both ways- the battery for an hour, or the two fuses) and idle is at 750, on the nose.

realslimshaver has a ZETEC not a Duratec, read his signature!

Yup. My bad! Also, no A/C would prevent extra gas usage too! (Sigh) I'm an idiot sometimes...

I haven't read the entire thread but let me shed some light onto the situation. I was having a problem with poor gas milage lately, only getting 350-400km per tank with my SVT. I cleaned the IAT and MAF sensors, gapped my plugs to .054" (were .052"), reinstalled the stock air box and ran fuel injector cleaner with my last 2 fill ups. The result is now 500-550Km per tank with a SVT in December weather with a 60/40 city/highway split. Something major is definately wrong with your cars if you are only getting 200-250Km per tank. This is NOT normal.

Originally posted by kscontourkid:

I hate to kill the party guys but i don't know how you could possibly get that bad of mileage. I have a sort of fix for your low end problem though. I have a 99 spt v6 5speed and yes there was quite a bit of low end weakness when i bought it...stock. I did two things the first is up to you its free but youll here the engine a lot. remove the silencer in the intake. that will help just a little. second this is the must do car sounds better but also has a lot more low end. I split the rear exhaust at the rear axle into a ypipe (dual exhaust) and put a flowmaster 40series muffler on each side. The minute i rolled out of the shop i noticed there was almost literally no need to apply throttle to get the car moving just slowly (not snail slow) let out the clutch and it would go (never stalled). that cost me $360.00 period.(labor the whole shibang) That sorted the low end problem out and I have noticed a small increase in gas mileage(what i used to get without the AC on i now can easily get with it on full blast!) anyway hope that helps but i still cant figure how you are getting such low mileage i get at least 200 "miles" per tank. and i fill up at quarter tank(10-11 or so gallons from the 14 gal tank) and when i say the least im talking about when i drive lead footed (also parking lot racing yes organized and fully legal) with AC on! (long story short AC comp. pump clutch crapped out on me AC on full all the time was the only temp fix i could find) anyway I thought that was bad gas mileage. If i baby the thing i can get in excess of 250 miles per tank in city driving. well hope you find a solution and if you do please someone tell me what in the world it was you guys got me fooled. hope the exhaust thing helps feedback would be great. cheers

Doing a dual cat-back set up isn't going to help them here. It's a nice mod, and shows peformance improvement and gas mileage. However, these cars are having some severe issues, most likely in the engine area. Now I don't think I read it, but have any of you guys tried cleaning the maf w/ electric cleaner? This is rather easy, and may be worth a shot.

I don't know what to say about your car. Sounds like you just got one that doesn't get good fuel economy, it happens you know. My grandma had two identical 1997 Lincoln Continentals, and the silver one got 3mpg more than the white one on the highway.(with the same person driving the car) The dealer could never find anything wrong with the white one, and the mileage never improved in the entire 30K she put on the car.

On a side note, I recently had a strange experience with my car that I really can't explain. I bought my car in August of 2002 with 12K on it. Since then, I've done mostly city driving, but when I would do some highway driving I only got 25 mpg or so. That was in winter, in summer with the A/C on, I got 21 mpg. I took the car to the dealer, and they couldn't find anything wrong. I just learned to live with it, but it always made me wonder because my Dad's Lincoln got 6 mpg better on the highway. Well, since I've been at school, my car has basically sat in the driveway. When I went to take it back for finals on Monday, it got 34 mpg on the highway. I was truly amazed, and I can't explain the mileage increase.

Originally posted by kscontourkid:
I have a sort of fix for your low end problem though. I have a 99 spt v6 5speed and yes there was quite a bit of low end weakness when i bought it...stock. I did two things the first is up to you its free but youll here the engine a lot. remove the silencer in the intake. that will help just a little. second this is the must do car sounds better but also has a lot more low end. I split the rear exhaust at the rear axle into a ypipe (dual exhaust) and put a flowmaster 40series muffler on each side.

That's kinda my thinking. Not that I'll be removing anything. I'm assuming that by 'silencer' in the intake, you mean the gutting the precats?

But, I'm leaning more to the cats being the issue, ie a blockage caused by deterioration. We have really tight emissions regs in Ontario, so no cat is not an option (I don't think you're saying that, exactly, BTW).
Also, this is my daily driver. I would prefer the car is quiet, rather than loud, so the resonator and muffler have to stay.

Also, I have to say, a twin tail pipe, or even catback wouldn't be netting me the kind of hp or economy I'm missing. Remember, our cars are running worse than stock. I shouldn't need an expensive exhaust to compensate for a problem. I might get one to increase my hp, but not to mask other issues I am clearly having.

But good suggestion, thanks. I'll keep everyone informed if I find a fix, as I hope Desiboy will. And keep the suggestions coming.

Cheers,
Tim

FYI: I have indeed made sure the MAF is clean.

Originally posted by timstour:

That's kinda my thinking. Not that I'll be removing anything. I'm assuming that by 'silencer' in the intake, you mean the gutting the precats?

FYI: I have indeed made sure the MAF is clean.

Actually Tim I think he is referring to the intake resonator located in the fender well.

Originally posted by mbb41:

Originally posted by timstour:

That's kinda my thinking. Not that I'll be removing anything. I'm assuming that by 'silencer' in the intake, you mean the gutting the precats?

FYI: I have indeed made sure the MAF is clean.

Actually Tim I think he is referring to the intake resonator located in the fender well.

K. Well, same applies, I think. I mentioned a little later that if possible, I dont wanna take out the resonator, cuz I need as much (reasonable) sound damping as possible.

BTW, all, this is a great thread! It's pulling together a good list of all the possible causes lots of us are having with fuel economy and low end power. Kudos to all. Keep it coming....

Change air filter, clean TB, Use a cleaner to clean the UIM. Didnt see if you cleaned the IAC, check the fuel lines, make sure there are no leaks, also check the fuel filter, its easy to get to and get off, simple look under back right passenger side, pull white plastic clips, and then disconnect.

My 95 got around 200 per tank, and my 99 gets about 250-260 per tank. (miles that is)

i'm glad a started this thread, like timstour said, alot of good information has been put together. i am definetly giving alot of these ideas a shot. at this point anything i do can only improve things.. so why not.

thanks alot guys.. i'll keep u posted with any updates

Well I have now had a chance to read through the thread. My mileage has always been pretty good in both my Contiques. The Mystique has had one tank in the last year do 730kms. The Contour regulary gets 500kms per tank and that it definatley with spirited driving. However I noticed there was a substantial decline in the mileage of the Mystique lately. Now last night I think I found the culprit. I have a CTA intake on the car. There was a gap right at the TB and the flex hose. It had happened sometime ago it would seem as there was some dust on the silicon hose that should have had the pipe in it. Anyway since fixing this up last night there is a noticeable amount more pep. It was the good ole frog boiling in water thing. Didn't know how much gusto was gone till I had it back again. I suspect that my mileage will be on the increase again and the moral of the story is to check for air and vaccum leaks as they can reak havoc with mileage too.

Hey all with high miles 75k+ or so this just dawned on me. there is a product out there called "Restore." i think thats it anyway it comes in a can i think its an oil treatment it does unbelievable things. it completely restores power to at least factory and is not very expensive. it will increase gas mileage slightly. its just another suggestion for you all to try i highly recomend it. it did wonders for my car. try it tell me if you get any good results like i have.

that reminds me check your whole intake system for debri. including up in the fender well i have found leaves lodged in the intake tube in the fenderwell. heavy restriction probably not a problem but it might be worth it to check. also check inside the filter box for debri i have found leaves in there to.

Originally posted by kscontourkid:

that reminds me check your whole intake system for debri. including up in the fender well i have found leaves lodged in the intake tube in the fenderwell. heavy restriction probably not a problem but it might be worth it to check. also check inside the filter box for debri i have found leaves in there to.

Y'know, that's not a bad idea. My filter and airbox (stock) are clean, and the car was cleaned not so long ago. I check the box regularly, but not the rest of the intake. It might be possible that the intake is blocked in the middle.

Gotta love these ideas. We're gonna end up as a one stop thread for power and mileage issues at this rate!

Y'know, after the dust settles, maybe someone should put all the info into a single sticky, especially causes v fixes. Of course it will end up being: cause: its a Contour. Fix: Live with it, or replace everything!!!

Cheers,
Tim

Quote:

Y'know, after the dust settles, maybe someone should put all the info into a single sticky, especially causes v fixes. Of course it will end up being: cause: its a Contour. Fix: Live with it, or replace everything!!!

No kidding someone needs to create a list of all the major problems, replacements and fixes for those who are joining the contour clan for the first time. it would have helped me a lot.

Thanks for all the suggestions, just to add to the airbox theory.
I've been though all the airbox mods! From the stock setup, then the moded box,
then removed the air box fender resonator, now an open air cone filter setup.
My mileage hasn't changed with air filter housing changes.

My next move will be the injectors and the o-rings.
That's the only thing left that I can think of, because if you see all my threads,
you will know most everything is new.

Originally posted by chongo:

My next move will be the injectors and the o-rings.

I need to do this too because of the rich running condition of the Tour. I smell mod meet.

I barely squeeze 300 km out of my tank with only city driving...and that is after a very cleaned up engine and LIM/UIM and system check after some non-related cel's....

oh well, I avoid driving at nights and weekends, at least when gas prices were higher.

dan

Mixed city and highway driving yields 550kms out of my tank.

I drive about 85% city and 15% highway and I am getting around 300 miles to a full tank. This is with pretty hard driving now and then.

This might help,

I had similar mileage then you (around 250-300Kms per tank). I did the full tune up (with Autolite plugs), cleaned the intake manifold (completly took it off and cleaned it with carb cleaner and a toothbrush). This got me around 350-380 kms per tank.

The one thing that really made a huge jump was to have my injectors cleaned using the Snap On Motorvac. From what I've read when I had a Volvo, this is the best system to clean the fuel system. (You can take a look at www.brickboard.com in the Volvo 700/900 FAQ for complete information or I can copy paste it here). By doing this, I now do about 450-480 Kms per tank

I need to change my IAC and the bank 1 O2 sensor since I'm also getting the intermitent CELs.

I hope it helps.

Eric

as you all might know from my newest post, the car is at the dealer gettin its waterpump changed

i'm havin them really look into the fuel consumption issue. they are goin to charge me $80 CAD to run some mobile computer test, where they drive the car 1 km and run some test, then they will get the fuel consuption from that.. i hope its worth it!

Originally posted by therouer:
The one thing that really made a huge jump was to have my injectors cleaned using the Snap On Motorvac. From what I've read when I had a Volvo, this is the best system to clean the fuel system.

Motorvac, from research, sounds interesting. Is it snake oil, or do others have any experience with this? And how does it stack up to the 'on the engine method'? (Cost v Benefit)
Any opinions?

Cheers,
T

IIRC, it pumps cleaner through the injectors and intake as well as adding cleaner to the tank. It was $100 at Canadian Tire (other have it too), and I noticed a difference.

That said, I will likely pull the manifolds on my car this spring for a "proper" cleaning....

Sea Foam is now available in Canada, and it apparently worsk using the "on the car" method with great effect, as well as going in the tank. Strong stuff........

As for the guy with the bad mileage, (apologies if this has been mentiuoned, I didn't go thorough all 5 pages) has he checked if his brakes were dragging? That would certainly do it.

Originally posted by desiboy1530:
as you all might know from my newest post, the car is at the dealer gettin its waterpump changed

i'm havin them really look into the fuel consumption issue. they are goin to charge me $80 CAD to run some mobile computer test, where they drive the car 1 km and run some test, then they will get the fuel consuption from that.. i hope its worth it!

well they "didnt have time" to run the test... so i'll never get the dealer to figure out this issue.. but they replaced the water pump

wp changes on the auto=fun fun, especially if you have big hands. Did you by chance try the fuel filter and cleaner injected in the filter method?

Well i had a chance to clean the TB with aerosol throttle body cleaner

i did the "on the engine" method of cleaning my UIM...used prestone concentrated fuel injector cleaner for that...damn did i ever generate a big cloud of thick toxic smoke during the whole process.

and it stank

i also attempted to clean what i believed to be the MAF with electrical contact aerosol cleaner.
the MAF is the metal piece with the black connector on top
just after the air box cover and before the accordian tube? right

i think i cleaned the IAT as well.. that the sensor lookin thing on the air box cover itself.. i used the contact cleaner there as well.

but now i got a CEL.. so what went wrong, or do i just need to clear the codes?

(which i dont know how to do myself

)

Clear the codes and take the car for a good run to burn up all the cramp that you loosened with the cleaning.

CEL cleared, i removed fuse #4 and #11 to reset the computer, then relearned the idle.. took it for good spirited

drive around town then out on the highway.

i am noticing increased performance, better throttle response and improved low end pickup. could be all in my head though.

lol

i need to drive around a bit more to determine if it helped with fuel economy.. and i'll get back to you guys

Originally posted by timstour:

Originally posted by mystique97:
I have a 97 ZETEC ATX and it gets bad gas mileage when its warm it gets about 220-250 MPG (about 355-400 KPG) and now since its getting colder I'm at like 170-180 MPG (270-290 KPG) and its at a quarter tank left! I dont know whats up thats weak for a 4 banger I calculate I should get about over at least 300 MPG or greater (482 KPG) well of course this is mostly city driving too, so if anyone has any suggestions let me know, thanks.

Not to be facetious, but I'm assuming its miles per tank, not per gallon! Cuz if you get that kind of mpg, I'll buy your car for double what you want for it!

Seriously, our US brethrin seem to get roughly the same miles per tank as we do clicks. We're not so much colder, so why do we do so poorly? From most of the posts I've read, we should be getting something like 500km per tank as 'normal'. Anything else, well, just bites!

BTW, I get about 400km a tank if its highway, but it can drop to 300 for a city tank. I think thats pretty crappy, since my other car (Nissan) gets that with a much smaller tank. I'm starting to wonder if I have bad cats, or a screwed computer, yadda, yadda.

Anyhoo, you have my sympathies.

haha oops I did mean PER TANK thanks for pointing that out lol...and yes I do expect a lot more from a TANK from that car cuz 1. It's a 4 banger so to rephrase my post.... I have a 97 ZETEC ATX and it gets bad gas mileage when its warm it gets about 220-250 MPT (about 355-400 KPT) and now since its getting colder I'm at like 170-180 MPT (270-290 KPT) and its at a quarter tank left! I dont know whats up thats weak for a 4 banger I calculate I should get about over at least 300 MPT or greater (482 KPT) well of course this is mostly city driving too, so if anyone has any suggestions let me know, thanks.

The last time I filled up I was at maybe 200-210 MPT (321-337 KPT) and it had almost 2 gallons left and that was also within 11 days for city driving.

Here's a link to the information that has been collected by the rear wheel drive Volvo folks (owners of the 700 and 900 series). http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/Fuel_LubricantData.htm

It provides alot of information on what type of cleaning does what and in witch way it helps. Theses guys are used to high mileage car. Being part of the 200,000 mile club is typical.

I hope it helps.

Eric

I just read that fuel system thing from the Volvo boards.......STP Fuel System Cleaner? Who'd-a-thunk it?

Still, I wish that I could get Berryman's in Canada.....

The STP Complete Fuel System cleaner that they talk about on the Brickboard isn't available in Canada. (Or at least, I haven't been able to find it here) I had to drive down to a WalMart in Vermont to get some. (it's in a grey bottle)

It is however rather inexpensive.

Eric

I use STP Octane Booster sometimes one of these days I'm actually thinking about a combination of Octane Booster and the actual Fuel Injector Cleaner...maybe my next fill up.

Originally posted by DanCanuck:
I barely squeeze 300 km out of my tank with only city driving...and that is after a very cleaned up engine and LIM/UIM and system check after some non-related cel's....

oh well, I avoid driving at nights and weekends, at least when gas prices were higher.

dan

Yeah 66.5 really hurts

I thought I was getting bad at a constant ~480 Kms mixed driving in a Zetec guys. But since some of your V6s get that I'm sure some tuneup is in the works.

Not sure if it'll help but my plugs were gapped around .40-.45 and are now at the proper region, 52-54. Sure made me think she was more peppy too and will find out in the next week if that and air filter will help.

just another suggestion it seems that all you guys with fuel mileage problems have older model year contour/mystiques i read in the "how to articles" section of this site about a fuel pump change in the 99 model year. they changed from a returnless type to a return type. i dont know which one of the two is on my car but i have a 99 so i my have the newer return type whichever i get a lot better mpg than some of the guys on here somebody might want to check that out though. fuel pump is pretty crucial and if the older one seems to be very strong it might be maybe too strong to get the desired mileage thus ford makes a change. possible? just a theory my crazy mind came up with but if you guys are as desperate as you sound (trust me with some of the probs ive read about id be desperate) give it a looking into. good luck hope someone finds some help from this idea.

i was down in jersey over the holidays, picked up a bottle of STP complete fuel system cleaner (in the grey bottle) and a bottle of the berrymans b-12 chemtool... really potent smelling stuff!

. anyways i added the STP to the tank for my trip back... and i will use the berrymans for a manifold cleaning before my next oil change. i already tried the cleaning once as suggected in this post, but i want to do it with berrymans.

even not using berrymans, i noticed a significant difference in performance at least... still trying to determine my gas mileage, but it's gotten cold out so i'll have to wait for warmer weather.