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Originally Posted by TBIRD430  How is the maintenance up on ur SUV? New plugs, fuel filter, air filter, plug wires, fuel induction system clean, tranny fluid flush, front & rear diff flush?? Also do u still have stock wheels/tires, correct air pressure in tires, and a stock ride height? All of these things can affect ur MPG. Finally, how do u "drive"? Slow take offs and gradual braking, even using ur SUV's cruise control system are ALL positives.... |
Hey, thanks for your reply.
I had a pretty long and detailed post written but then my system locked up and I lost it so I'll try to redo it to the best of my memory.
I bought this vehicle used at a Ford dealership at 99k miles. Since then I've put on 18k. I doubt they did any sort of maintenance at the dealership besides going over their checklist and I know that I've only done oil, filter and air filter changes on a regular basis.
I would like to state, at this point, that I am no where near even being considered an amature mechanic. My expertise is in networking and programming but I'm not afraid to dig in and learn through doing.
This weekend, pending weather and family obligations I intend on doing a diff change. That looks pretty straight forward.
I would like to do a plug and wire change. That'll take a bit more time and hopefully I can get to it this weekend. I've done some research for what might be best to use but unfortunately I didn't find much. It seems that its all personal preference unlike computer components. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
A tranny flush would be in order also. I'm fairly certain I can handle that. For all I know, it might not have been done in 50k miles or more at this point. Never changed or looked at the fuel filter or the fuel induction system (infact, for that one, I have no idea what to do or where to look at the moment).
The tires are new. I just replaced them last fall. They are inflated to the correct psi. I didn't check the ride height. I didn't realize that was something I had to or should do. Is that something I can adjust myself if its off? I'll see what I can find about checking it.
I'm a huge believer in cruise. I use it as much as possible. Infact, people who don't use it drive me crazy with their speed-ups and slow-downs. I try to be easy on my starts and stops but it seems this truck just wants to go when you hit the gas. Actually, one thing I've noticed is theres a bit of a stuck point when first pushing on the gas pedal. It doesn't have a nice consistent pressure. If I'm taking off from a light or stop sign, a lot of times when I press the gas, I have to press hard enough to "unstick" it and that causes me to take off with more of a jerk... faster than I'd like. Thats probably something I should look into as well. Suggestions?
Anyways, thanks for your time and advice. I've been slowly trying to do as much general maintenance as I can afford on my own. Replaced the tires, tie-rod, ball joints, pads, rotors, etc last fall. Now focusing on other aspects.
