# Gas consumption **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** explorer, ford\ **Created:** [November 19, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764 "2010-11-19T20:48:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pastord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@pastord](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pastord)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/1 "2010-11-19T20:48:51Z")
The car runs fine but all of a sudden I am only getting about 4 mpg. There are no visible gas leaks and go gas smell. Any suggestions as to what i should check? ---
**Author:** ![ignoramus9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d07c76/32.png) [@ignoramus9](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ignoramus9)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/2 "2010-11-19T20:51:46Z")
Please give the year, milage, and recent history of the car to help the guys here figure out a possible diagnosis. ---
**Author:** ![pastord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@pastord](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pastord)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/3 "2010-11-19T21:04:54Z")
It is a 1998 that has 114,000 miles. Everything seems to be fine. This is a new issue that seems to have come from nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![realbinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@realbinky](https://community.cartalk.com/u/realbinky)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/4 "2010-11-19T21:09:42Z")
leaky gas tank? It is a metal or composite tank? ---
**Author:** ![pastord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@pastord](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pastord)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/5 "2010-11-19T21:15:54Z")
tank is metal. Does not appear to have a leak any where. No drips and no gas smell. ---
**Author:** ![tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@tardis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardis)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/6 "2010-11-19T21:19:23Z")
Have you lost some engine power, particularly at high speeds? Is the check engine light on? Has the check engine light ever flashed? Has the O/D off light ever flashed? Is maintenance up to date? (For example, when were the spark plugs last changed?) Any smoke out of the exhaust? How are you determining the MPGs? ---
**Author:** ![ignoramus9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d07c76/32.png) [@ignoramus9](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ignoramus9)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/7 "2010-11-19T21:23:01Z")
do you have a locking gas cap? does someone you dont trust have a key to it? could your gas be getting siphoned in these hard times by a night crawling thief? ---
**Author:** ![pastord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@pastord](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pastord)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/8 "2010-11-19T21:24:48Z")
Still have good power. check engine light is not on. engine light nor O/D have flashed. No smoke from exhaust. I am not sure of last spark plug change. Oil and filters are changed regularly. I only drive this car to work and back. I am determining milage based on distance traveled per tank of gas. ---
**Author:** ![mark9207](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@mark9207](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mark9207)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/9 "2010-11-19T23:38:10Z")
I would install a locking gas cap and double check the fuel lines for leaks. Your truck is old enough to have rusted through the fuel lines. To get 4 mpg, the fuel has to be leaving somewhere. I don’t think the engine can use that much fuel and still run, especially without symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![waterboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/waterboy/32/764_2.png) [@waterboy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/waterboy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/10 "2010-11-19T23:42:17Z")
I heard mileage was bad, but that seems really bad. Regular maintenance, air filter gas filter, spark plugs etc. up to date? No warning lights? ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-consumption/57764/11 "2010-11-20T00:44:21Z")
I’m having a very hard time seeing a vehicle like this getting 4 MPG while apparently running fine, emitting no smoke, and no CEL to boot. Thieves in the night or whatever but it does not sound like an engine performance fault.