6.5 TD MPG reports

[16gaSxS]

Well boys and Girls, I loaded up the old pickup truck with dogs, guns, ammo and dog food. I filled up both tanks to the top with winter blend #2 and dosed the fuel good with power service. I left Great Falls Montana headed for a place to work bird dogs for a bit. First fuel stop Cheyenne Wyoming 694 miles from start. filed with 36.685 gals. 18.92 mpg not too shappy on winter blend. I drove 65 mph on 2 lane roads (225 miles) and 70 mph on Interstate. About 40 miles north of Kaycee WY I was sure glad to be "taking it easy" as it prevented a MONSTOR Bull Elk from becoming "harvested" by the Chevy Diesel Interceptor.

Next fuel stop Clovis, New Mexico this entailed 948 miles about 500 Interstate, a bunch of 2 lane and mixed driving. Also I had a fuel transfer mishap the involved a Diesel spill of unknown quantity. Best guesstimate from size of fuel pool 2-4 gallons. So total used with spill 47.622 gal for 19.91 mpg with fuel loss!!! Now if the loss was 2 gallons then mpg 20.78. If loss was 3 gallons then 21.25 mpg. I'm a happy guy with any of these. :cool:

Next fuel stop was Albuquerque, NM.

840 miles, 44.556 gallons for 18.85 MPG. Now this "leg" was all kind of mixed driving, Hiway 2 lane, country paved and dirt roads, and 2 track. Hunting stuff you know. I really like having lots of fuel. I have been able to time my fuel buying at places where the prices has been below average prices. Sure is nice to have put on over 800 miles and still have over 400 miles of reserve in the tanks. It cost me roughly $600 for the Aux tank and if I can save 12 cents or more a gallon the tank will pay for it self in about 4800 gallons, If I can save as much as 25 cents like I have in some area's then pay back is 2400 gallons or a bit over 2 years at the rate I buy fuel.


Just though you might like to get some data.

[Kev-o]

Man does my truck need help, I just don't know where to start.

FACT'S.

1998 chev 3/4ton ext cab 4x4 shortbox
Gear ratio ???? thinking 3.73 2000 rpm @62mph
370 km per tank 90 litres i think

MY GUESS>

230 miles 24 gallons = about 10MPG

Truck has 330,000 km but only 160,000 km on GM replacement motor.

I am thinking filters, injectors and pump timing.
I got the truck for helping a guy build his house so it did not cost me any money out of my jeans, But if the injectors and pump and?????
are going maybe its not for me.

PLEASE NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

[JTodd]

Could be 1 of 3 things.
1) Not enough fuel
2) Not enough boost
3) To much drag. (brakes dragging or something similar)

When you get on it hard, does it blow clouds of black smoke? If it does, then not enough boost. If no smoke at all, then not enough fuel. a 6.5 should blow some smoke under hard acceleration, but not a smoke screen worth, so it should be somewhere in between.

[Tough Guy]

16-

That is great fuel economy numbers! :cool:

What I think is funny is that with all the technology and advances in engineering over the last 10-15 years, your 1995 truck with a couple of changes gets better fuel economy then 90% of the new light Diesel trucks produced today...

Good Job! smile.gif

Chris

[sturgeon-phish]

Lots of posts on improving fuel economy. Do you carry extra weight, tool boxes, junk etc? How do you drive? Hard or easy,(accelerate like you have an egg under your foot or pedel to the metal). Once the truck is running right, the way you drive makes a huge difference. I notice my best MPG at 53 mph no extra stuff and tailgate up. That's where I'll set my cruise. On most trips the arrival time difference is no big deal to me.

[JTodd]

"If no smoke at all, then not enough fuel." Actually, if there's not enough fuel, the truck is slowing down. A diesel ingests all the air it can all the time, & fuel rate determines power output.A wastegate problem would reduce the amount of air the engine is ingesting, regardless of how much it is able to.

[Kev-o]

Jtodd, I am hearing a sound not unlike sticky lifters that is why i assumed injectors? But after reading you reply i have noticed a few other things.

a very slight clunking somewhere in the front of the truck (i can feel it on the floor)

i put the truck in 4 wheel Hi or lo and i get a louder clunking not a good sound.

if i get on the throttle it's a dog and then it's as if some one pulled a sock out of my intake and then a fair bit of black smoke.

i have noticed that the turbo actuator is wired up?

black greasy build up on rear drums. wheel cylinders? axle seals?

thanks for the replys keep them coming please

[16gaSxS]

Well, I made the final leg of my long trip. From Yuma AZ to Great Falls MT, last legs towing a bit over 1300 miles. I towed a Pioneer Travel Trailer. I got only 10.1 MPG averaging 65 mph. I have gotten better mpg with larger and heaveir trailers, but this thing had poor areodynamics. It was one of their 18 ft models which is the box measurement, so it about 24 foot when you include hitch and bumper. The axels were flipped so there is more clearance but the trailer sits up higher more drag. :( This thing towed as hard as a 27 foot Nomad I brought back a couple years ago. It also had the roof A/C awning and other stuff on the roof. This is about the same size as our Aljo Trailer which I average about 12.5 mpg towing at 65 mph. Just though I would provide a bit of an update and last report.

[MTTwister]

Hey, welcome back - just in time for the cold front.

My winter fuel blend, around town mileage ( a lot of it was 4wd - with the damn blinking lite) is about 10+. These are barely 4 mile one way commute - so nuthin's warmed up , really.

I think I got 17 on a road trip once, but it was with a tail wind. I'm seriously thinking about going with the 255/85/16's to get the effective rear ratio down from 3.73 to 3.4x...

Nice MPG numbers, tho'

[DA BIG ONE]

Originally posted by Kev-o:
Jtodd, I am hearing a sound not unlike sticky lifters that is why i assumed injectors? But after reading you reply i have noticed a few other things.

a very slight clunking somewhere in the front of the truck (i can feel it on the floor)

i put the truck in 4 wheel Hi or lo and i get a louder clunking not a good sound.

if i get on the throttle it's a dog and then it's as if some one pulled a sock out of my intake and then a fair bit of black smoke.

i have noticed that the turbo actuator is wired up?

black greasy build up on rear drums. wheel cylinders? axle seals?

thanks for the replys keep them coming please Clunk transmitting through floor, or suspect exhaust downpipe, maybe broken motor mounts too.

Noise when 4hi/lo check the differential mounts, they wear and diff will bang against chassis. Look at your front driveshaft joints, axles/cv joints too.

[16gaSxS]

Thanks for the welcome back Tom. Yeah I got home just in time to fill the cistern before the Artic front. It was as warm up here as it was in much of New Mexico were I was. Atleast my wife wasn't upset that she had to deal with the cold while I was gone.

[96ccdd]

My 4x4 burb gets 19.With 139k on the clock, Lt245's & 3:55 gears.

[meanchev]

I will be heading to AZ in a couple of weeks for a quick trip to the wifes sisters house in Tuscon, then to flagstaff to see my brother then home to northern UT. My truck gets around 15 but i have a heavy foot and drive around town alot so i am looking forward to seeing if i can hit the 20 mpg mark well see.

[Kev-o]

Just picked up a OBD 2 DTC reader and got P0236, Turbocharger boost sensor "A" circuit range/performance???????????

[Kev-o]

Did a search on 0236 and got lots of info. I have to remember to do a search before jacking a thread sorry guy's.

[redbird2]

Last summer we went to Spokane Wa. from my home in Eureka IL, pulling a 25' double deck alumiun livestock trailer. The trailer pulled hard it seemed like, compaired to my 20' stock trailer the 25' was a friend of ours that was traviling with us I wish I would have ran it across the scales.

The trip was 2000 miles 44 hours only stopped couple of times to take short nap temp was between 90 and 100 most of the day drive across SD.

Ever thing was fine until we overheated going across the contintenal divide, fan clutch failed then, so had to crawl the last 2.5 miles at 20 mph. Of course that caused the PMD to fail a couple day later. I had Kenndy overnight me a new fan and clutch assembly also set of Robert Shaw 180 thermostats, I ran over to Rocky Mountian Diesel service in Mossula Mt. they helped me out 3 hr drive no one in Spokane had the time to look at it.

Now for the mileage it stayed around 10 to 11.5 MPG not pulling a trailer around home it gets a range between 14.5 to 15.75

I pulled a 20 enclosed gooseneck trailer very tall almost 4 feet above the cab just with areo nose off of semi-trailer attached to the front of the trailer out of IN in December it got 11.75 only 200 miles driving around 65 mph outside temp was 10 still exhaust would climb if got on it to hard. I replaced the turbo before this trip along with the injection pump lastest number, also installed gear drive on cam. I used to pull this trailer with my old work truck 94 6.5 td it would only get 8 mpg never check exhaust temp just drove that truck it went 240,000 miles before it cracked #6 piston.


My truck has 4.10 gears,automatic 4L80E full 4" exhaust, 40+ injectors, turbo master and Bill Heaths upgraged ECM the pump timing was set at -1.85 close as I could get it the recommend -1.94. The only problem however have to watch the exhaust temps can easliy run up to 1500 if you try pushing it to hard over 65 mph. I would have been happier getting 9mpg and able to drive 75 with out have to watch the EGT more than the road on hills.

The fuel pump and turbo have both been replaced and gear drive installed since the Wa drive.

I was very upseting to have put that much time and money into building this truck to get passed by a Ford pulling a longer and heavier trailer. When talking to the guy that passed me with the Ford he stated he was getting 12.5 mpg he is a good friend of mine from IN.

I guess I'm going to have to add a intercooler to see if that helps If anyone else has any suggestion please feel free to send them my way.

[ronniejoe]

redbird2,

The intercooler will be huge. Read the articles in my signature for more information.

[rustypig]

Wow...better than I ever hope to get with my 4.10's in the sub. 16ga SxS...just moved to great falls last August, hope to run into you sometime!

[16gaSxS]

Originally posted by rustypig:
Wow...better than I ever hope to get with my 4.10's in the sub. 16ga SxS...just moved to great falls last August, hope to run into you sometime! Hey Rusty;

Just call 452-9005 durring the day and ask for Marty.

[meanchev]

Well after nearly 2000 miles of driving this weekend i didnt average 20 mpgs but i did average 17.3 which for a 1 ton pickup is not bad. I was not towing but was running an average of 70 to 75 mph. i also know that there were a couple of legs of the trip where i did do better then 17 and was probably in the 20 to 22 mpg range.

[16gaSxS]

Well after nearly 2000 miles of driving this weekend i didnt average 20 mpgs but i did average 17.3 which for a 1 ton pickup is not bad. I was not towing but was running an average of 70 to 75 mph. i also know that there were a couple of legs of the trip where i did do better then 17 and was probably in the 20 to 22 mpg range.
Not bad at all not just a One ton but a dually too and that hurts too. Next time leave a bit sooner and try 65 mph for grins and giggles I bet you would get ever 18 mpg maybe close to 19 mpg.