hey guys, i posted a thread earlier about some other stuff, but i was wonder what kinda gas mileage i should be getting. It looks like i am only getting about 10, but the dealership said it would be about 18-20. its a 99 dodge dakota sport 4x4 manual. any input would be appreciated. thanks

 

What engine?

And how heavy is your throttle foot?

I get 12mpg combined in my 5.9 quad cab 4x4. 10mpg is too low unless you've got a 318 and you drive it like you stole it all the time. On the freeway a 318 should get 16-18 I would think, and in town 11-13 or so.

I would suggest either altering your driving style or replacing your O2 sensor, which could be going bad.

 

its got a v6 magnum, and i do have sort of a heavy foot. i am new to driving a stick on a truck. it has a light that is supposed to indicate when i should shift, but for some reason i always feel that it wants me to shift on too low of rpms. My engine also kinda revs itself a little after i shift out of first... is this a bad thing? my engine really whistles or something too, but it has been cold and wet lately, maybe thats it?
also, what kind of gas is the lowest i should use?i put some 87 in today with some fuel injector cleaner, and now it seems to be running a little sluggish compared to before.

 

V6 with a light foot should be seeing I'd guess 16-19mpg. It's gotta work harder than a V8 so it doesn't get that much better fuel economy.

The shift light is for optimal fuel economy, and annoying as hell. I drove a 4banger dak with it and wanted to put my fist through it. I'd ignore it, take the bulb out or put electrical tape over it if it bugs you.

Whistling engine? No idea. Vacuum leak could cause poor power/fuel economy I guess. I'd look into it.

Fuel - typically you want to run the lowest octane specified for the engine. Lower octane burns easier. I used to run 91 in my Subaru because the 87 made it smell like rotten eggs. My Dak I run 87 unless I'm towing, in which case I put 91 in. Smart engines have knock sensors that will help the ECU take advantage of higher octane by advancing the timing. Ours don't appear to.

 

Yeah 16-19 is pretty close, I usually average right around 17 to 17.5 with about 65% city 35% highway driving. For a 4x4 with no lift or big tires, I'd expect around 15. Highway driving doesn't help much with our trucks cuz 5th gear is too low. I have a 1999 Dakota Sport 3.9L V6 2wd, btw.

 

Last summer my average was consistently 16mpg, except one tank that I managed to get 17 with. I would say my driving is about 80% expressway and 20% city. Through the winter it's been a consistent 13.5mpg.

 

I was getting really bad gas mileage with my 99 Dakota V6 Manual 2WD, it turned out to be a problem with the bearings in the rear end, so you might wanna look into a new bearing kit for the rear end.

 

i have another sort of odd question, my manual that came with the truck says that i have a 22 gallon tank, but the most it has ever taken to fill up was about 14 and half, and thats when i drove for a long time after the light went on. the book says i get about 15 miles to the gallon driving in the city, and it seems to be accurate. do i just have a smaller tank then the book says? its a v6 magnum 4x4 sport stick shift, 3.9 i think....