Fancy Shoes

I am really in need to get better than 10 miles per gallon out of my 87 straight 6.

I just read through some forums and someone said they get 18mpg. I would love that. This is my service truck and I really cant afford to buy a better one.


Thanks

rikard

Many factors will determine gas mileage. Doing a search will net a wealth of info but here are the things I would do first.
1) Maintenance- Pull the plugs and see if they are clean and gapped properly. Use Autolite or Motorcraft copper cores if replacement is needed. While the plugs are out a compression test will tell you the basic soundness of your engine. Change out the wires, rotor, and cap if there is any doubt about their condition.Change the oil to 10w-30 with a Motorcraft filter. Change the fuel and air filters if they are due.
2) Check for dragging brakes or misaligned front end. Aggresive large tread tires will also hurt Mpg. Make sure tires are aired up to spec.
3) If your service truck was like mine you might be carrying 500 lbs or more of extra weight. My old 92 F150 4x2 would get 13-15 Mpg.
4) Aerodynamics -Pipe racks or anything hanging out in air stream will hurt gas mileage too. Check to make sure the originial airdam is still on the truck.
5) Driver habits are the biggest factor in gas mileage. Excessive idling and speed will naturally hurt Mpg as well as hard acceleration.
YMMV
rikard

Fancy Shoes

I also realized that I am driving a 3 speed without OD

Scraptor

How much weight you carrying and what rear axle gears, and tire size.

Never_Evil

Find out what gear ratio you have and drop it town a size or two. You wont win any races, but you will still get there. 3.08 ratio will still move you, but it will get better mileage.