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Bad V6 Mileage

zibzer

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zibzer Enthusiast

zibzer

Posted
Posted

So ive been noticing bad gas consumption lately so i plugged the numbers into the calcukator and found out my last fillup I got 13.8mpg on a 4.3l V6 Silverado shortbed stepside standard cab. Is that normal for Winter? I should also note that it was 50/50 highway/city driving

jrrod2004 Senior Enthusiast

jrrod2004

Posted
Posted

are you hammering it? I got a 4.8 V8 CCSB and I get 16-19 on the freeway (95% freeway, 5% city) everytime I fill up......and this is for the last two months. It almost stays the same for the summer as well.

Zembonez Senior Enthusiast

Zembonez

Posted
Posted
So ive been noticing bad gas consumption lately so i plugged the numbers into the calcukator and found out my last fillup I got 13.8mpg on a 4.3l V6 Silverado shortbed stepside standard cab. Is that normal for Winter? I should also note that it was 50/50 highway/city driving

My 01 4.3 RCSB never got anything less than 16 in the city if I drove the heck out of it. In fact it mostly got 17-20 depending on the amount of highway driving I did. I think I'd let somebody have a look at it.

 

You don't have giant tires, lift, etc do you?

zibzer Enthusiast

zibzer

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I dont drive it hard at all. 245/75/16 tires. so they are slightly bigger than normal, but not by much.

 

id better get it checked out. Gas is too expensive to be wasting.

 

anybody else care to share their v6 mileage?

fbachman Senior Enthusiast

fbachman

Posted
Posted
I dont drive it hard at all. 245/75/16 tires. so they are slightly bigger than normal, but not by much.

 

id better get it checked out. Gas is too expensive to be wasting.

 

anybody else care to share their v6 mileage?

 

buddy of mine has a V6, he reports 16-17 city and 20 mpg highway.

 

My 5.3V8 gets around 14 city and around 18 cruising at 79mph. WOuld probably do almost 20 at a constant 65mph.

SoCalChris Enthusiast

SoCalChris

Posted
Posted

Summer I average around 21-22mpg. Winter it drops to about 18. That's a mix of highway and back road driving, very little stop and go.

Steveman Enthusiast

Steveman

Posted
Posted

How many miles do you have on it? I noticed that when my engine was past the break-in period of 500 miles it got a little better mileage.

pm26 Senior Enthusiast

pm26

Posted
Posted

Try experimenting with different brands and octanes of gas. I do not know why, but my Mazda gets about 2 MPG more when running on Sunoco or BP gas vs say Chevron. Also, I get much better mileage and performance with 93 octane (recommended by manufacturer for this engine).

 

Cheap gas can bring the mileage down big time, especially in the winter. Run a bottle of Chevron Techron fuel injector cleaner with about 8 gallons of gas through the engine. Run until the tank is almost empty. this may help your mileage. fill up with name brand gas like BP and as I said, experiment also with different octanes to see if the mileage improves.

rogerf Enthusiast

rogerf

Posted
Posted
what do you guys suggest I check?

Start by checking the accuracy of the odometer, especially if not running the factory tire size. This is critical to getting the math right. Next, how much weight are you carrying around? Is the bed covered? 3.73 or 4.10 diff? 2wd or 4wd? There are a lot of other factors to look at too including cold weather, winter fuel blends, idling time, tire inflation, etc..

 

By comparison, my '97 2wd W/T, 4.3L, 3.73 diff, was getting almost 20 mpg regardless of how it was used.

Zembonez Senior Enthusiast

Zembonez

Posted
Posted
what do you guys suggest I check?

This may sound silly but:

  1. Air up the tires to about 36 to 38 psi. (make sure your sidewall agrees).

     

  2. Make sure your engine is tuned - no missing or ancient spark plugs/wires.

     

  3. Check your air filter - dirty filters can cost you 10 - 20%.

     

  4. Drive easy - no rabbit starts or sudden stops.

     

These simple things can make a big difference.

 

Make sure you update us on your results.

zibzer Enthusiast

zibzer

Posted
  • Author
Posted

okay, i cleaned my MAF (somebody mentioned this to me) and I am keeping an eye on this tank of gas. whithin a week I should have another MPG figure to compare to.

 

my tire size should give me 2% more miles than what my odometer reads. after taking this into account my MPG for last fillup was 14.22MPG

 

i have standard cab, short box, 2wd, stepside. and a tonneau cover. so of all GM trucks, this SHOULD be the most efficient as it is the lightest possible fullsize pickup you can buy.

 

plugs are NGK Iridiums. wires are 1 year old and they are the high performance NAPA brand wires.

 

distributor cap/rotor have never been changed (i think this is my next step)

 

vehicle sometimes bucks after a rain denoting an electrical problem (possibly distributor)

 

vehicle has 124,300 miles

 

 

anybody else have any suggestions?

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