im not sure about dodges but i have heard that on new chevys that for the first 50 starts or something. they run lean to break in the engine? thus gettin better gas milage. dont take my word for it.

 

A clogged fuel filter will only cause a noticeable effect in a high fuel-flow requirement condition, in which case the engine will be fuel-starved, misfire and carry-on something terrible until you ease up on the throttle. Been there, done that. Highly unlikely that your fuel filter is to blame for decreased fuel mileage.

In days gone by when carburetors were used, the most likely culprit was the air filter or PCV valve. But today's computers can likely compensate for that now with the fuel injection systems.

What computers can't control, is when they get faulty information from a sensor, and there are lots of them that could be at fault. As Bob Sikorsky listed in a recent column of his, the three most likely causes of poor fuel milage are the oxygen sensor, the coolant temperature sensor, and the EGR valve. But there are many more that could be at fault.

Best to have it checked out with the right equipment; you'll go broke trying to randomly replace parts on a guess. Good luck.

 

I hate to burst your bubbles guys.....I have 21000 kms on my truck and the best that I have gotten with my Hemi is 21.2 MPG hwy. I average about 12.7 mpg city. I don't drive with a lead foot .

 

today I took a trip down to Menlo Park from Sacramento... I filled up before we left and as soon as we got home.. round trip 281.3 miles .. used 19.6 gallons .... 14.3 mpg

I went EXTREMELY easy on the gas the entire time and kept it between 65-70 the whole trip.. out of the entire trip, only about 15 total were not on the highway.

I've got a 2002 4x4 quad cab 5.9 auto, 3.91 gears .. any suggestions for improving this?

It's all stock with the ugly 20" rims, and 50k miles

 

This past weekend we drive from new Castle Delaware down 95 to fredricksburg va. and back.Going drown traffic wasn't that bacd concidering we had to pass by Baltimore and Washington DC. When I pulled into the town limits we had 17.1 on the computer going 65 to 70 all the way down. When I filled it up it took 15.6 gallons of gas. I didn't reset the computer. We did a lot of driving in traffic in Fredricksburg ,most was bumper to bumper. .When I pulled into the drive way 460 miles later It was on 15.7 mpg. We had a lot of traffic around Washington and Baltimore averging around 40 miles an hour for about two hours and it was raining lightly. We have an 04, quad cab, 4x4 with the Hemi around 5,000 on it now.

 

I started reading this thread last week so I decided I would check my mileage again this past Sunday. I pulled a 14' utility trailer with about a 300 pound load on it for 285 miles, about 115 miles of which was interstate and the rest 2 lane roads.

While on the 2 lanes I tryed to stay at 60 mph and on the interstate I set the cruise on 73 and left it there. At the end of the trip my computer mileage said I averaged 16.2 and my manual calculation was right above 16 mpg.

Without towing I have hit as much as 19.8 several times, and pulling my T.T. (about 4800 pounds, as towed) I usually average about 9.1 mpg. As I run around, short trip driving, I will average around 14 mpg, so it's a little hard for me to imagine why I see all these reports of such very poor mileage from other people. While the truck is certainly not an economy vehicle, it's about as good as most trucks with comparable engine and weight.

 

is yours a 4wd? I've got a 4wd quad cab 5.9.. and I'm getting 12-13 around town.. 14.3 on fwy going VERY easy on the gas.

I wonder if the Hemi is more fuel efficient?

 

Palm, Did to use the tow button or leave it in over drive.

 

That is awesome the mileage on the highway what speed are you running????

 

guys...tell me if I'm out there, but I think those with locking diff. will get less mileage than the guys with the open cog. I think this would even be more exagerated for those who do more town driving. even though the diff. slips on turns I think your still draging a tire around corners and curves. It's probably not much mpg loss but with the big tires these days it has to effect it little. Again this is just a thought I've had. Alignment and tire pressure is also very important and no two trucks are the same.