I just bought this cargo van it's a 2005 e-250 4.6 v8 has 125,000 miles on it. i just checked the MPG and it was only 11.5 I had a 1997 with the same motor and it got 18mpg. I checked the air filter and its great what else should i look at? no service light on either.

 

Before offering any suggestions, it is important to know , where you drive, how fast you mostly go, what are you carrying in the van and when it last had plugs changed for example. All these things affect mileage and don't forget what kind of tire pressure are you running?

 

i never drive it hard. about 50/50 city-hwy. 60psi. im going to replace the spark plugs and the fuel filter tomorrow. everywhere i have checked it always said it got around 15city and 18hwy. does fuel injector cleaner additives work?

 

My '99 E-150 with the same motor is rated at 14mpg combined driving but I get around 12mpg because of the tools in it. Are you carrying alot of weight?

 

Any Air Force guy will tell you, Resistance through wind squares as speed doubles. Lets say it takes 9hp to go 8 mph. It will take 81hp to go 16 mph, and so forth.

Drive like you have a raw egg between your foot and the gas pedal. After all you are driving a big, heavy, box and pushing a lot of air.

Consider the inefficiencies lost as heat, [180,000 btu per gallon of gasoline/there is 12,??? btu/hp].
Say that the engine is making 137 hp at 2500 rpm and their may be about 16 hp to the rear axle...

Coming up to speed and slowing down [stop lights] kills GPM. Plus hauling weight.

The best I have ever done was a run to the Wisconsin Dells from Sturgeon Bay in my 1997, 5.4 engine, Expedition was 16.7 mpg and I accelerated very slowly and set the cruse at 55 mph at 1,650 rpm.
Evey body passed me. I don't care. It is what it is...

Ever wonder why all the new cars all look the same and look like eggs? They all came out of the same wind tunnel tests. Trying to cheat the wind.

skip.

 

i have not hauled anything yet but will be loading two dirt bikes in it starting spring. i babie it alot my last van lasted me 10 years and still runs but the body has gone away.

 

i babie it and havent hauled anything yet. my last van lasted me over 10 years. thats why i wanted to get the same motor 4.6. i got about 18 mpg with it. so when i got 12 with this new van im freeking out