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Old Oct 24, 2025 | 10:39 AM
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My temp gauge was reading very low and my gas mileage is about 10 mpg, so I replace the thermostat, still reading low and the mpg is bad. My question is, does the temp sensor have anything to so with the fuel system., as in telling the computer that engine hasn't warmed up yet. I have a 5.8, auto tranny, and 3.55 rear end. Thanks, Tom O
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Old Oct 24, 2025 | 12:08 PM
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The PCM richens the air/fuel mixture to aid in warming it up faster. So yes a malfunctioning sensor or something in the cooling system keeping the temps too low will affect how much fuel it uses. Now it's not going to get great mileage anyway, I had a 96 351 with the same gears and the most I ever got was 15 on a looooong highway trip. Usually averaged around 12 day to day.

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Old Oct 25, 2025 | 05:45 AM
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Originally Posted by tmostrowski
My temp gauge was reading very low and my gas mileage is about 10 mpg, so I replace the thermostat, still reading low and the mpg is bad. My question is, does the temp sensor have anything to so with the fuel system., as in telling the computer that engine hasn't warmed up yet. I have a 5.8, auto tranny, and 3.55 rear end. Thanks, Tom O
Not the temp sender for the gauge, but the ECT sure does
The engine temp sender for the EEC4 is a thermistor that varies voltage with heat
If that sensor gets to down to .6 volts, that will turn on the fans in a Taurus (hot)
If it stays at 2.3 volts, your fuel mileage will certainly suffer
You can check the ECT PID if 1992 or newer with a NGS (up to 03)
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