Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting crazy fuel gauge or really, really bad mileage?

Typically I get around 180mi per half tank, but on this last one I'm at 200mi and almost on "E." The gauge also seems to be jumping around alot more that usual, sometimes moving as much as 1/4 tank, which it hasn't done before. The car seems to be running fine, no odd colored exhaust, no lack of power, no CEL. I think I remember something from the old forums about this possibly leading to a fuel pump on the way out, but I could be mistaken. Any suggestions?

Get a locking gas cap, someone's siphoning your gas.

Originally posted by horseydug:

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Get a locking gas cap, someone's siphoning your gas.

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Gotta love those pre-97 gas doors

pay attention to how much you are filling up w/ that would give a much better indication of what is going on.

I fill it up 'til it won't take any more, every time. And yes, I guess siphoning is a possibility. Never thought of that one!

I have an ATX and I am not even to half a tank at 200 miles of highway driving. Mixed I am about a 1/3 of a tank on the gauge.

How many gallons do you put in at a fill up when the tank is on "E"?

At 25MPG average, I can get 300 mile out of a tank before the fuel light comes on. I get 400 miles if it is all highway (400 mile runs it down to just above the E though, not just the fuel light)

My tour gets about the same MPG as my 96 Escort used to get and is a lot more comfortable and faster! You should be doing better (unless U R driving like it is a rental car!)

I usually average 25 MPG, that is why I'm saying this is unusual. At 200mi I should have just a hair less than 1/2 tank left.

I've seen my gas gauge fluctuate by 1/8th of a tank or more. The needle seems to bounce all over the place and I usually just go by the odometer and I don't start worrying until I've driven about 40 miles with the gas light on. Do you remember the last time you filled it up if you put in less gas than you expected? You could be starting to have the problem with the fuel filler neck where it doesn't release pressure and shuts off the filler too early.
I've been tracking my fill ups on my palm with this *yes yes sound the geek alarm * but it really helps because I can see my MPG right away when I enter that fill up. It has a ton of other cool features, I'd really recommend it to anyone who has a palm.
I usually get 21-23 normal driving, 25-27 if all highway.

-CtrAltDel

Sorry to kibbitz, but this is to CtlAltDel.

You're getting 21 mpg city on an SVT? I'm lucky to get 18. Maybe the 98s are less efficient than the later SVTs, but I wonder if I could do something really basic to my SVT to enjoy better mileage.

I'd love to get over 20 mpg. I'm using 91 octane or better (of course)... How often do you change your fuel and air filters? Does motor oil brand make a big difference?

I'm not really doing anything special as far as I know. I'm usually running the ac on the max setting all the time, and the best gas you can usually get around here is only 91 octane. I've only had the car for about 14k miles now and I've changed the air filter once, and had the oil done at the dealer every 3-4k.

I drive fairly hard through second and third, usually shifting at 4-5k rpm. I think 20.7 mpg was the worst I did since I started keeping track in mid july and I drove that tank really hard and less highway than usual. I do drive mostly highway miles since each way to work is 20 miles, almost all highway.

One thing I started doing was shifting really early into 5th, usually if I'm crusing at anything over 40mph. I think this saves gas and there is still enough power there for me at this speed.

The other thing I would wonder about is does the returnless fuel system on the 2000's make any difference in mpg vs. the older fuel system?

Hope this gives you some ideas. 18mpg sounds really low to me even for a SVT. Do you have any mods that might be causing it to use more gas? Remember more air flow = more fuel flow. You'd probably want to check with other SVT owners as to what they get before you start to worry though. (I remember a thread about this but it may have been on the old boards)

-CtrAltDel