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Old 07-06-2010, 02:40 PM   #1
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<DIV id=post_message_665435>We're on vacation and have towed about 600 miles so far. My fuel mileage stinks! I never got below 10 MPG before, and usually got 11 or 12. Now I'm lucky if I get 9.

My wife has noticed that her mileage in her gas mini van lately has been much lower, by 2-3 MPG. I checked with some other friends and they confirm that their mileage is also running lower than in the past.

Sooo...is the fuel industry tinkering with the fuel make-up in such a way that our mileage is suffering? Did the current federal administration mandate a different fuel mix to meet some new regulation?

I smell a fox in the hen house. Something is up and someone is hoping we don't notice.



BTW - we were in Middlebury, IN last night, about 20 miles from the CrossRoads factory. Unfortunately they are currently shut down so we were unable to visit. Bummer!
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Old 07-06-2010, 10:27 PM   #2
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My wife drives a gas truck and keeps her mileage at every fillup. So far nothing has changed on her mileage or she would have let me know by now.
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Old 07-06-2010, 11:15 PM   #3
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Could it be the 10% ethanol the oil companies are using to keep prices down and profit up? You have to read the pump as the label is required when ethanol is being added to the gasoline. Ethanol does affect gas mileage.



Assuming your truck is not diesel?
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Old 07-07-2010, 12:24 AM   #4
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Could it be the 10% ethanol the oil companies are using to keep prices down and profit up? You have to read the pump as the label is required when ethanol is being added to the gasoline. Ethanol does affect gas mileage.



Assuming your truck is not diesel?
I got some diesel from a Flying J that had Ethanol in the diesel. We travel to Long Beach each January. I have always noticed about a 10% drop in fuel economy while in California bunring gasoline in my SLS. When we get back to Utah the fuel economy goes back to normal. I avoid the Ethanol blends when possible.
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Old 07-07-2010, 12:32 AM   #5
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I have noticed our mileage seems to be better when I can get gas without ethanol. I have also been told that the "summer gas blend" can cause a drop in mileage.
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Old 07-07-2010, 12:35 AM   #6
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rcflyer, are you sure it wasn't a biodiesel blend you bought? I have never heard of Ethanol in diesel but I have run 20% biodiesel in my truck several times without any issues.
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Old 07-07-2010, 01:37 AM   #7
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The ethonal hurts fuel milage, part off the problem with the new milage regulation, the blend hurts milage while they are demanding an increase. typical fed government that does not play well with other departments

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Old 07-07-2010, 07:40 AM   #8
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rcflyer, are you sure it wasn't a biodiesel blend you bought? I have never heard of Ethanol in diesel but I have run 20% biodiesel in my truck several times without any issues.


Google it and you will find they are putting Ethanol in diesel today. I have also run biodiesel and can not say if it was any different than straight diesel. Same for the Ethanol. But it is more difficult to keep alls thing the same when towing a barn door behind you. Wind becomes the bigger factor in the fuel economy. But with my SLS wind is not as much of a factor.
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Old 07-09-2010, 11:22 AM   #9
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My truck is a 2001 Chevy Duramax with 161,000 miles. I have always run 10 + mpg while towing my Cruiser. Now I'm running 8-9.



I did have one tank of biodiesel on this trip with no noticable difference in performance.



I am sure my wife's gasser is suffering the ethanol curse.



With diesel hovering around the $3 mark everywhere, the drop in mileage hurts. Thank God this didn't happen during the summer of '08 when we were in the $5 range.
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Old 07-09-2010, 12:06 PM   #10
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When was the last time you changed the fuel filter on the Duramax? If you don't run biodiesel on a regular basis it can break stuff loose in your tank and clog the filter. The fuel is cleaner than regular dieseland helps clean your tank as well.
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Old 07-10-2010, 01:08 AM   #11
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Rick,

Hope we dont have the same problems as we are heading out next week to Renfro Valley KY and then to Louisville for the national rally... hope all goes well with the rest of your trip...
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Old 07-10-2010, 01:19 AM   #12
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Rick some of the problems stem from the new low sulfer fuel, Try adding a pint of transmission fluid with you next fill up this will coat the injectors and help with their operation.

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Old 07-10-2010, 04:35 AM   #13
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I just heard about using 2 cycle oil as an additive. Haven't been able to get the straight bio-diesel any more and this was mentioned as an alternative.

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Old 07-23-2010, 01:52 PM   #14
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I change my fuel filter several times a year.



I add Diesel Kleen additive to almost every tank.



I'm back from the trip and experienced the same mileage throughout. I drove 5300 miles in 2 weeks and did not feel a noticeable drop in performance, just in mileage. I talked to many other diesel drivers and they were having the same issue. I smell EPA in this.Edited by: RKamperRV
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Old 09-17-2010, 11:13 AM   #15
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With a 2001 Duramax, when a drop in mileage happens, the first thing you have to do is check the injectors. The 2001 through beginning model year 04 had injector issues, so bad that GM increased the warranty on injectors to 7 yrs 200,000 miles. Smell your oil and see if it smells bad like diesel fuel, and or seems to be fuller than it should.



With that said, the new fuel blend is not the best, do to the ULSD. I have an 04.5 (LLY Duramax engine) and have been running Stanadyne Performance additive since it was new. Stanadyne will help with the lubricity issue as well as other performance increases.



I just cleaned my injectors with Seafoam. Between cleaning the injectors and a good aircleaner I picked up 2 mpg. I have checked mileage at each and every fueling since the truck was new by filling up to the neck and hand calculating mpg. 51,000 miles worth of checking so I know every change that affects mileage.



Here is a good site about Duramax diesels http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/



There almost always is a reason for mileage drop. This summer we did a trip from Akron Ohio area to the Outer Banks. 1400 miles round trip. We lost 2 mpg towing (before I cleaned injectors and air filter). I had put a new air filter in. Well it turns out that new air filter had a significant hand in the loss of mpg.



I also run a pre-filter in between the primary filter and fuel tank. I can tell when the filters get dirty by a loss in mileage. And it has happened relatively soon after a new set was put in. I just happened to get a load of dirty fuel.



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Old 09-19-2010, 03:30 PM   #16
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The best place to get diesel is a truck stop. The fuel doesn't stay around long enough to get stale. Some of the small mom and pop stores may only get a fill-up every 4-6 weeks.

Gas or diesel, try not to fill up right after they have filled the in-ground tanks. They stir up all of the junk that had settled to the bottom.
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