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Hi all, just wanted to say that this forum is awesome! I’ve been subscribed to Eric’s YouTube channel for a few years now and finally decided to join his forum. Anyways, here is the situation.
I have a 2001 Mazda Tribute ES-V6 (V6 engine, automatic transmission, regular (NON ABS) brakes) and I am getting poor gas millage. Here is what has been done to it. The previous owner has the intelligence of a candy bar, and doesn’t even know if he “tuned” it up. So when I got it, I thought it seemed to go through fuel quickly compared to a family member’s 2000 Saab 9-5 with a V6. My car is suppose to get 16-18MPG city, and I drive mostly around the city. Well the fuel tank is 16 gallons, and on a full tank, I was able to go 170 miles until the fuel light came on. So thats about 10mpg.
So back in February, the car had it’s oil changed (fully synthetic), and two weeks ago, the six spark plugs were replaced, the fuel filter, and air filter were also replaced. Also the mechanic noticed that my front brakes were in tough shape. No pad on one, and a damaged rotor on the other. Those were replaced along with the master cylinder (apparently that was broken?)
Anyhow I filled the tank up to full last Thursday (May 1, 2014), and so far have only traveled 52.9 miles and my tank is now half full. So being a bit generous, say I went 60 miles on half a tank, that means that I could go 120 miles (roughly) before the fuel light comes on. This means I get about 7.5mpg.
I know it isn’t the most accurate way to measure, but aren’t the gas gauges somewhat trust worthy? My dad told me never to drive when the fuel light is lit as it will damage the fuel pump.
In conclusion, if the spark plugs, air filter, and fuel filter were replaced, what could be causing such poor mpg? I avoid sudden acceleration and sudden deceleration. I don’t rev the engine in neutral, I don’t leave the car idling.
Help would be appreciated. For those that don’t know, the Mazda Tribute is actually a rebadged Ford Escape. In fact, my specific car says built in the USA by Ford Motor Corporation for Mazda Motor Corp.
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Are you getting any codes? Is the Check Engine light temporarily illuminating when you start the car?
The reason I ask is that given its poor condition when you got it, the CEL could be burned out (or removed) to hide issues…
I would pull the codes and see if you have anything there or anything pending…
Poor gas mileage can be caused by the vehicle not going into closed loop and operating off of rich fuel tables (your car needs more fuel than air when you start it)… If it never goes into closed loop, then fuel economy suffers greatly.
Usually the data that needs to put the engine into closed loop are a heated up O2 sensor, vehicle brought to operating temperature (engine coolant temperature sensor) and the ambient air temperature (Intake Air Temperature sensor)..
However… If anything is wrong with one of these, it should throw a code.
A dirty or malfunctioning Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF) can cause poor gas mileage.
Leaking injectors to some degree can have a little effect as well..
Also you mainly do city driving… that can effect things… To what degree varies on how long you are stopped and how long the engine is idling…
Another thing is the weight of the drivers right foot 🙂
I would put a scanner on it and check for codes, then run it and then check fuel trims and other pertinent data for anything out of the ordinary..
Cheers!
-Karl
The Check Engine light works, as it lights up along with all the other lights when the car is started. It also was flashing when I first got the car as there was a misfire. I will have the mechanic check for the codes.
Also (off topic) when the brakes were replaced along with the master cylinder I was told to pump the brake pedals, so I have been doing that. They do stop the car better than the old brakes did when at low speeds, but going at say 25MPH or so, stepping on the brakes still takes time. No matter what I’ve tried, I can’t lockup the wheels and skid. Shouldn’t proper functioning brakes (ABS or non ABS) be able to stop wheels from rotating instantly?
[quote=”ouimetnick” post=96870]The Check Engine light works, as it lights up along with all the other lights when the car is started. It also was flashing when I first got the car as there was a misfire. I will have the mechanic check for the codes.
Also (off topic) when the brakes were replaced along with the master cylinder I was told to pump the brake pedals, so I have been doing that. They do stop the car better than the old brakes did when at low speeds, but going at say 25MPH or so, stepping on the brakes still takes time. No matter what I’ve tried, I can’t lockup the wheels and skid. Shouldn’t proper functioning brakes (ABS or non ABS) be able to stop wheels from rotating instantly?[/quote]
ABS brakes will not readily lock-up, at least not all your wheels. The actuators will allow one/two wheels to spin slightly and rotate them so you don’t lose control. NonABS can lock up if you do not pump your brakes when attempting a very fast stop. If you’re thinking skid marks from your tires, it is possible, but not really going to happen at 25MPH.
If you feel it’s taking too long for your car to stop, make sure there is no air in your brakes by bleeding them.
Edit: I know you said your mechanic did your brakes, but check your rubber hoses going to the calipers to make sure their not twisted…it’s not likely they are, but I believe that will also cause poor braking.
I can’t get those wheels off with a regular wrench. I don’t have an impact wrench handy to get them off. But my car does not have ABS, and going at 25mph or even 40 mph, it takes a while to slow down, even with lots of force pushing the pedal to the floor. My brother’s Saab 9-5’s brakes are much more responsive, and you could even skid with those. He has ABS brakes, but that shouldn’t matter in this situation.. right?
Part of that responsiveness is the type and size of car and size of the brakes. If you have the socket and a your 1/2″ drive, but still can’t get enough leverage to loosen the lug nuts, you can just get a short run of steel pipe (2 feet is plenty) and pass it over your wrench to use it as a breaker bar. You have to do this method with the wheels on the ground otherwise they will just spin.
In your trunk with the spare, the tire wrench should be plenty good for removing the wheel.
[quote=”ouimetnick” post=96944] My brother’s Saab 9-5’s brakes are much more responsive, and you could even skid with those. He has ABS brakes, but that shouldn’t matter in this situation.. right?[/quote]
It is very very hard to skid with ABS brakes. That’s what they are there to prevent.
I think you need to focus on making your brakes as effective at stopping and not worry about skidding. Skidding is usually a bad thing as it actually makes a car take longer to stop (counter-intuitive I know).
I would worry about trying to make the tires skid either. If your brakes take a lot of pressure just to slow your car to a stop then maybe there is air in your lines, the air will compress and make you have to press a lot harder on your brake pedal. Also check the level of the brake fluid and check your rubber brake hoses like KingMeander said for twisting. Also there’s a possibility that the insides of these rubber hoses could be swollen on the inside and not allowing fluid to pass through easily, hence you having to press harder. This is less likely than air in your lines but it is a possibility. So I would check the other stuff first. I don’t know what would cause your poor gas mileage. Hopefully there will be some kind of check engine code that will reveal more on that. Good luck!!!
As for the MPG issue, I’ve actually written an article addressing that that contains videos as well as a list of things to check.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/finding-and-fixing-the-causes-of-poor-mpg
As for the brakes, this article may be something you find useful.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-brake-problems
That should get you started anyway. Keep us posted on your progress.
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