My Ranger is the extended cab 4 wheel drive model,3.0 V6 auti trans. I’m thinking of getting a tune up and fuel system cleaning,total cost around $320. Do you think it would be worth the monet spent? Will I see a signifigant improvement? I’m currently getting just under 13 mpg.
The tune-up may help, especially if your over 60,000 miles. The fuel system cleaning will not do anything unless your truck idles poorly due to dirty injectors. Most of the time, this is just a profit maker for the shop. Fuels today have a lot of cleaners in them, and the fuel systems tend to stay clean unless there is a known contamination problem.
I don’t know the year, but according to www.fueleconomy.gov, your 1-2 mpg less than the mileage this truck should be getting in it is a 2003. Spark plugs and an air filter may restore this.
A “tune up” these days would largely involve new plugs & wires, air & fuel filters. The fuel system cleaning often does nothing but make boat payments for shop owners.
If your tune up items are not up to date they should just be done whether fuel economy improves or not. Normally having things like that not up to date will affect it. If you’re worried about fuel system gunk I’d run a bottle or two of Techron or Seafoam thru the gas tank and skip the pricey cleaning.
The other things to keep on top of for fuel economy are:
- driving habits - lots of stop/go & idling will kill it
- tire pressure - use the specs on the door pillar label.
- alignment & tires
- brakes - make sure they don’t drag at all
- extra weight - minimize it.
- any extras that interfere with aerodynamics
Check the coolant temterature. If the coolant is significantly below 190* fuel mileage will suffer considerably.
Check the air pressure in the tires. Low air pressure will kill fuel mileage. I run 32 psi regardless of the vehicle specs.